April 17, 2005 (Monterey, Calif.) – Sea Otter Classic awarded its first professional titles in front of large crowds and sunshine in the finals of the Pro Dual Slalom (PDS) and conclusion of the Sierra Nevada/Kodak Gallery UCI Road Stage Race yesterday. An estimated 18,000 cycling enthusiasts were on hand.

A field packed with the world’s greatest riders produced and electrifying competition in the PDS. Sabrina Jonnier (California) delivered an unforgettable finish in the women’s PDS competition. After experiencing a crash at the top of the course, Jonnier climbed back on her bike and crossed the finish gate behind Tracy Moseley (California), but did so in enough time to still secure the top spot on the podium. Jill Kintner took the bronze in the event

Nathan Rennie (Australia) and Bryn Atkinson (California) battled to the finish in the men’s pro category. While they were riding close moving into the alley on their second run, Rennie broke away, taking first place. Fabien Barel (France) finished third.

In the third consecutive day of the Sierra Nevada/Kodak Gallery UCI Road Stage Race, the leader’s jerseys changed hands, with two first time winners adding ‘Sea Otter Champion’ to their race resumes. Kristin Armstrong (Boise, ID) and Doug Ollerenshaw (Portland, OR). concluded with a tough road race stage through the Fort Ord Recreation Area. From Laguna Seca the riders headed out to a hilly 10.2 mile circuit. The women completed 7 laps and the men 9 before heading back in to finish at Laguna Seca.

Armstrong’s T-Mobile team had the strongest line up in the race, but it was Tina Pic (Dalhonega, GA) of the rival Quark team who held the leader’s jersey at the start of the race. Armstrong’s team sent the winner of the Prologue stage, Ina Teutenberg of Germany, away on an attack, forcing rival teams to chase. Teutenberg was joined at the front of the race with a lap to go by her chief rivals – Pic and Christine Thorburn (Menlo Park, CA), plus team mate Armstrong. Thorburn immediately attacked, but was quickly brought back, and then Armstrong launched an attack that no one could respond to. The Athens Olympian quickly pulled more than a minute clear to solo in for the stage win and overall title.

The men’s race saw the Health Net-Maxxis squad of race leader Chris Wherry (Boulder, CO) take charge on the third lap, with an attack containing three members of the team successfully break away from the pack. Along with Ollerenshaw, the break contained Prologue stage winner Gord Fraser (Canada) and Mike Sayers (Tucson, AZ). Surprisingly, none of the top contenders from other teams made the cut. The break gained over six minutes on the rapidly disintegrating field, which made Fraser the leader on the road. However, stage one winner Ivan Stevic (Serbia) was chasing solo up to the break, so Ollerenshaw jumped away from the lead group and rode in alone for the biggest victory of his two year professional career. Fraser took second in the overall classification, and local Oakland rider Roman Kilun took second in the stage and third overall.

The Mountain Bike Stage Race subjected the professional field to a short but intense effort in the afternoon with the Short Track event; a seven lap crowd-pleasing circuit race. Katarina Hanusova (Czech Republic) just nipped overall race leader Alison Sydor (Canada) at the line in the women’s race, while Australian Trent Lowe led a last lap charge to catch Geoff Kabush (Canada). Sydor’s second place solidified her lead in the overall standings, while Hanusova moved up to second, 21 seconds behind Sydor, with Sue Haywood (Davis, WV) in third. In the men’s standings, stage one winner Bart Brentjens of Holland also added to his lead with a second place finish for the stage, with Lowe moving into second place ahead of Kabush.

The Mountain Bike Stage Race concludes on Sunday with the Cross Country race.

The 15th Annual Sea Otter Classic, the largest, most celebrated cycling festival and exposition in North America, concludes on Sunday with Pro Downhill, Pro Mountain Cross, Pro Cross Country and SRAM Dirt Jumping Finals.

Quotes:
The Sierra Nevada/Kodak Gallery UCI Road Stage Race – Men

Doug Ollerenshaw – Stage 2 winner and overall winner
“We had three riders in the break, and it looked like we had one-two-three locked up in the overall, but then we heard that (Ivan) Stevic was coming up. I knew we would be in trouble if he got a free ride once he got up to us, so I had to go. I was feeling really good.”

Gord Fraser – Prologue winner and second overall
“Doug rode so well, it is nice to see him win big; he has been a big contributor to the team. With Stevic coming up we knew I had to stay with him for any sprint, so it was better to get Doug up the road. He took the bull by the horns – I looked up and he was up the road. It was perfect.”

Roman Kilun – Second stage two and third overall
“I wanted to ride very strong. When the main split went I bridged up and then felt comfortable there. With two laps to go I took a risk, and that was the winning move. There were two guys up the road and I bridged up to them. Today it was all mental, I just refused to give up. I rode as hard as I could. They said that this was going to be a brutal race, but I knew this was going to be a good course for me. This is by far the best result I’ve ever had. The Sea Otter Classic is a very special race for me personally. This was the first race I ever rode as a Junior mountain biker. Since that race it has always been a dream of mine to do well here. When I call my dad he will know how special this is to me because he took me to my first bike race.”


The Sierra Nevada/Kodak Gallery UCI Road Stage Race – Women

Kristin Armstrong – Stage 2 winner and overall winner
“It’s awesome. Redlands, the Sea Otter Classic, Philly and the San Francisco Grand Prix are the four main bicycle races in the USA. It is one of the few UCI races in the USA and one of the most prestigious in the country.”

“It was when I went through the gate back onto the Laguna Seca circuit that I knew I could win. I’m a time trial rider, and I knew I could go pretty hard for six kilometres. I knew I had it then.”

Tina Pic – Stage 1 winner and second overall
“Thank goodness my team mate Grace (Fleury) was there, she totally sacrificed for me. (T-Mobile) really played it well today. At first Christine (Thorburn) and I were rolling through, but we didn’t want to do too much because Kristin (Armstrong) was sitting on, so Grace did most of the work. When the attacks were happening, I was hanging on for dear life.”

Christine Thorburn – Third overall
“It was a really hard race out there, and my team did the best that they could, but one Ina Teutenberg is like two or three team mates. The way they (T-Mobile team) rode, Kristin Armstrong got to rest for the whole race. I had to make something happen, I had to put time on them (Armstrong and Pic), but I didn’t have the legs today.”

“It’s just terrific to race here. there’s a lot of energy here, with all the activity. One of these years I’ll come back as a spectator to truly appreciate all of it.”

Mountain Bike XC Stage 3 – Women

1st Katarina Hanusova
“The time bonus is huge and everyone wanted to grab it either for themselves or for their team, luckily I was able to get it today.”

2nd Alison Sydor
“It’s not really a fast course but it’s windy. Sue (Haywood – Davis, WV) pushed the pace lots and tried to attack in the last three laps-there was a lot of yo-yo-ing off the back and we were racing each other for the corner but Katarina just had a little bit more than Sue or I.”

3rd Sue Haywood
“The course is a very good course but the wind seemed to have picked up since we pre-rode it. You can see the crosswinds up on the hill that turn into a headwind when you make the turn. It’s not really that technical but once you get tired it’s easy to make mistakes.”

Mountain Bike XC Stage 3 – Men

1st Trent Lowe
“I think you didn’t see me for a reason. I was tucked in between taller riders like Ryan (Trebon – Corvalis, OR) and Bart Brentjens. If I never touched the wind then I would have legs on the last lap. I was a minute down behind Brentjens going into today; I’ll be behind Bart Brentjens in the top five tomorrow but that’s where the gaps will be the biggest ˆ you’ll win or lose most tomorrow.”

2nd Bart Brentjens
“Of course Trent Lowe is a young guy and so he’s gonna’ ride fast. They’re riding as fast in the first lap as we do in a world championship race.”

3rd Geoff Kabush
“The first couple of laps (my team) Kona was strung out, looking for attacks ˆ I just wanted to get a chunk of time out of Bart Brentjens. The little bit of wind might have cost me for soloing the last half.”

Pro Woman
1st Sabrina Jonnier
“I just kept thinking that I could do it. I crashed and got back on the bike and just did my best to keep stay within the time that I needed. This was the hardest run of the day. I can chill now.”

2nd Tracy Moseley
“I am happy with my finish. I made a big mistake that ended up costing me. I heard the announcer say that Jonnier had crashed, so I sort of relaxed. I’m a bit annoyed with myself for that. It was my first time so it was cool. We all specialize in different things so it’s fun to compete against all the other riders and see who is good in different events.”

3rd Jill Kintner
“I think it was awesome. I was doing well in the early rounds, but all it takes is one thing to throw you off. Butin an event like Dual Slalom, it’s all about the

Pro Men
1st Nathan Rennie
“I always thought that I could win. It’s my fifth year, so I just kept my cool. I got my foot in the door for the Omnium.”

“I think that there are some new guys coming up that are ready to take over the bigger names.”

“I had it hard from the start. I crashed in the Qualifiers and that put me back in the field. It was the hardest start but it pushed me. Everything is in place for the rest of the season. It was my first time I won it. I love racing Slalom.”

2nd Bryn Atkinson
“It was a tight one. I did what I could. It was my first final. It’s way better being in the Omnium.”

3rd Fabien Barel
“I am pretty happy. I am came and did this for fun. I am a downhill racer and so this was just fun.”

“It is a nice hill and so many people can come out. I am really glad to be here.”