October 12, 2004 – The inaugural races of the Crank Brothers US Gran Prix of Cross series hit the Pacific Northwest this past weekend with back to back races in Portland and Seattle.

Saturday’s Portland event was held under rainy skies, muddy and slippery conditions and in front of a screaming horde. The Alpenrose Velodrome and Dairy played host to yet another wonderful event that saw over 650 competitors in all categories. Team Maxxis-Giant was at 2/3 force with Geoff Kabush and Jonny Sundt in attendance and Adam Craig playing groomsman at a wedding.

At the gun Kabush launched to the front, taking the hole shot on the day and winning the first lap prime of a superb bottle of wine. Teammate Sundt maintained the group behind, sitting in front and blocking for Kabush up the road. Sundt eventually lost the battle as former World Champ Daniele Pontoni (Selle Italia) took up the chase and eventually the lead in the race. The peanut butter mud sucked the energy from the riders as Kabush settled into second place with a small chase group began closing the gap. With three laps remaining, Kabush was caught by Marc Gullickson (Redline) and then Carl Decker (Giant-Pearl Izumi) and the foursome worked together in vain to catch the Italian escapee. As the pace picked up anticipating a sprint finish, the Canadian popped off the back of the group leaving Gullickson to claim second place behind Pontoni. Decker rolled across the line in third and Sundt in a solid eighth place on the day.

With a venue change to Tacoma, WA, Sunday’s race day was treated to warm temperatures and sunny skies. With the infamous Knapp Time run-up, Steilacoom Park is a notorious venue that provides unrelenting efforts and beautiful views across the Puget Sound. The entire Maxxis-Giant contingent was on hand with a fresh Adam Craig arriving on the red eye flight from Reno.

At the starting pistol the group charged down the asphalt road with an hour of anaerobic effort ahead of them. Geoff Kabush and Adam Craig immediately latched onto a breakaway group of eight riders, distancing themselves from the chase and opening a small gap. Teammate Sundt saw the move and positioned himself at the head of the group, marking all riders and slowing the response. This group remained together for nearly half of the race with Kabush and Craig lending their horsepower to the success of the group. As Craig took his turn at the front, he pushed his acceleration a bit and immediately opened a small gap. With no response from his fellow agitators, the Maxxis-Giant rider increased the pressure and slowly rolled to a 42 second advantage. At three laps to go, a small group tried to chase down the escapee with Kabush sitting on their wheel, policing their effort and disturbing the cycle as much as possible. The gap continued to hover as Craig drilled the flats and coasted the descents. On the bell lap, Kabush marked all others riders, inhibiting any chasers and resting for a single final effort. Craig crossed the line to take the victory as Kabush sprinted towards the line, missing second spot by only a tire’s width.

The Cateye Enduro 8 Computer Report
Adam Craig hit a top speed of 59.9 km per hour.
Geoff Kabush averaged 38 km per hour for his race.
Jonny Sundt logged nearly 16 miles for the duration of the event.

Race Results
USGP Portland, OR
1. Daniele Pontoni — Selle Italia
2. Marc Gullickson — Redline
3. Carl Decker — Giant-Pearl Izumi
4. Geoff Kabush — Team Maxxis-Giant
8. Jonny Sundt — Team Maxis-Giant

USGP Tacoma, WA
1. Adam Craig — Team Maxxis-Giant
2. Mark McCormack — Clif Bar-Colavita
3. Geoff Kabush — Team Maxxis-Giant