April 17, 2004 — At The Hyundai Sea Otter Classic, Alison Dunlap (Luna Women’s MTB Team) moved one step closer to her Olympic dream today by winning the short track race of the PlayStation 2 MTB Stage Race. Dunlap, the 2001 world mountain bike champion, showed an aggressive racing style that left her one day away from capturing a third-straight Sea Otter title.

The short track course, lined by cheering spectators, featured a tough, hilly loop where the women battled neck-in-neck for seven laps in a timed 25-minute race. Melanie McQuaid of Victoria, B.C. (Ford Racing) led the charge until the final lap. McQuaid pushed the pace and led a breakaway quartet that included Sue Haywood of Davis, West Virginia (Trek/VW), Dunlap, and her Luna teammate Katerina Hanusova. In a major attack, Dunlap charged in the last lap and surged past McQuaid before the final turn. It was a sweet victory for Dunlap, who placed second in the time trial Friday due to a technical difficulty. Dunlap has secured the top women’s standing in the stage race.

The men's short track race boasted one of the strongest fields ever to be assembled at Sea Otter, including current world cross-country champion Filip Meirhaeghe (Specialized) of Belgium, current marathon world champion Thomas Frischknecht (Swisspower) of Switzerland, and defending Sea Otter Classic champion (and two-time world champion) Roland Green (Trek-Volkswagen) of Canada.

The high adrenalin men’s race featured hard-charging in the 9-lap duel, with Frischknecht crashing during the first lap. He went down at the first corner, but bounced back fast and became a man on a mission. Despite a valiant battle to move up in the pack, he was unable to rejoin the leaders. Meirhaeghe, resplendent in the world champion’s rainbow jersey, claimed victory with a gap off the front. German Karl Platt (Rocky Mountain-Business Objects) attacked in the final laps of the race and came in second, catching the others off-guard. Roland Green rounded out the top three, with American Olympic hopeful Todd Wells (Hyundai/GT) not far behind in fourth. Seamus McGrath (Haro/adidas) of Carlisle, Ontario, captured the overall lead in the stage race.

Top 3 Quotes

WOMEN

1st – Alison Dunlap: “Melanie really had the guns today, we played off that. Once it got down to the group of 4, I would let Katerina go, and make Melanie chase. It worked out great, I need all the time cushion I can get for tomorrow. The team tactics have been fun, it's unusual for mountain biking. Now that we're all fit and healthy, it's fun.”

2nd – Melanie McQuaid: “It was déjà vu all over again. Last year, I came in second place to Alison in the same race and she passed me in the same place. Alison beat me in that last corner. She boomeranged past me. It was windy and I was battling the whole way. That was a really fun aggressive race.”

3rd – Katerina Hanusova: “I had a lot of fun today. In the lead group of four, we each took turns in front to keep the pace high. At the end, we were just fighting for positions. This year [at the Hyundai Sea Otter Classic] has been great. I'm stronger, I have raced more early this year, and that makes the experience better. I'm excited to be here.”

MEN

1st – Filip Meirhaeghe: “I was really motivated today. I wanted to make up on my overall standing. I decided to attack as hard as I could. I thought it was a tough race. I did not expect to have a gap with two laps from the finish. I had a great day out here. My goal is to go for the win tomorrow.” He also had a message for the folks back home in Belgium, (a retort to those who questioned where the Belgians were in pro cycling): “I showed them here in America that the Belgians are not lost.”

2nd – Karl Platt: “Today, I feel good. I feel I saved my power for the last lap. Then, I attacked. I like to have my tactics. It was tough today, due to the wind. I thought is was hard for the legs and the head. I waited for the right moment, then pushed with everything I had. I played my one card and it worked.”

3rd — Roland Green: “I tried to stay in the front right from the start because of the dust. I expected the moves at the end. That’s when I gave it everything I had to make a move past the others. That kind of racing is tough. Athens (Olympics) are coming in late August and I would love to win tomorrow.”