Northstar DH Race Series Results

To get you ready for the final race in the Northstar-at-Tahoe summer downhill race series, which will be held on Livewire on Oct. 4, and to remind you once again about the Race for Tara 3 on Oct. 10-11, here are the results from this summer's races. Going into this weekend's race, Tasa Herndon remains undefeated in the series. For more information, visit NorthstaratTahoe.com.

Downhill #4
September 20, 2009
Open Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Robin Embrey
3. Karin Hanzi
4. Heather McFadden
5. Adrienne Garbiel

Women 29 & Under
1. Mollie Sitkin
2. Keri Albrecht

Women 30 +
1. Kathy Chevron
2. Jody Flood


Downhill #3
August 9, 2009
Open Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Danielle Griffo
3. Robin Embrey
4. Adrienne Garbiel

Junior Women
1. Ruby Tidd

Women 29 & Under
1. Mollie Sitkin
2. Keri Albrecht
3. Christina Telezinski

Women 30 +
1. Jody Flood
2. Ivy Lui

Downhill #2
July 26, 2009
Open Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Karin Hanzi
3. Cierra Smith
4. Danielle Griffo
5. Adrienne Garbiel
6. Kelly Moore
7. Christine Kelly

Junior Women
1. Sierra Perrella
2. Ruby Tidd

Women 29 & Under
1. Keri Albrecht
2. Mollie Sitkin

Women 30 +
1. Kelly Johnson
2. Ayshe Tuncer

Race for Tara 3: October 10-11

The third Race for Tara will be held October 10-11 at Northstar-at-Tahoe resort in Lake Tahoe, CA. This year's race is a true downhill race, and there's a $2500 pro prize purse.

Apparently the course for this race is no average Northstar race course. It's about 4 miles long and descends 1800 feet. There are separate courses for Pro/Expert, Sport/Beginner, and 4-wheels.

The race will raise money for the Tara Llanes Road to Recovery Fund and the Christopher Reeve Spinal Cord Research Center.

Come to Northstar for some awesome racing for an excellent cause! For more information, visit RaceforTara.com.

Jonnier Takes Series Title, Moseley Wins Final Race

Sabrina Jonnier had already clinched the 2009 Downhill World Cup Series title by winning six of the eight races during the season. However, she was looking for a win in Schladming as redemption for an awful race at the World Championships. She had to settle for 4th in the final World Cup race of the season, though, as Tracy Moseley took her second World Cup win of the season. For full Word Cup Series standings, visit UCI.ch.

Schladming Results
1. Tracy Moseley
2. Florian Pugin
3. Celine Gros
4. Sabrina Jonnier
5. Mio Suemasa
6. Petra Bernhard
7. Emmeline Ragot
8. Claire Buchar
9. Miriam Ruchti
10. Anita Ager-Wick
11. Anita Molcik
12. Anais Pajot
13. Katy Curd
14. Harriet Rucknagel
15. Jessica Stone
16. Caroline Sax
17. Helen Gaskell
18. Nicole Beege
19. Darian Harvey

Slope Sistair Video

Well, here I am slacking again. I didn't get the WC Final DH results up yet, and I'm in Vegas for Interbike. In case you haven't already read it, Tracy Moseley won the race, but Sabrina Jonnier took the series title. I'll post full results when there's a bit of downtime. In the meantime, check out this Slope Sistair III video courtesy of Katie Hayes and 406 Productions!

Slope Sistair 2009 from 406 Productions on Vimeo.

Beerten Takes World Cup Mountaincross Series Title

Anneke Beerten took the 4X win at Schladming, Austria yesterday, solidifying her title as 2009 World Cup Series Champion. And, Anneke has dominated the series for 3 years in a row! Jill Kintner crashed early on, and was not a threat to the win--she finished third in the overall standings.

Race Results
1. Anneke Beerten
2. Anita Molcik
3. Katy Curd
4. Mio Suemasa
5. Romana Labounkova
6. Emmeline Ragot
7. Rachel Seydoux
8. Lucia Oetjen
9. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
10. Eva Castro Fernandez
11. Tereza Votavova
12. Neven Steinmetz
13. Laura Brethauer
14. Stephanie Teltscher
15. Neza Knez
16. Jill Kintner

Final World Cup Standings
1. Anneke Beerten
2. Fionn Griffiths
3. Jill Kintner
4. Melissa Buhl
(more to come soon!)

DH and 4X Qualifying at the World Cup Finals

The last races of the 2009 World Cup season are this weekend. Qualifying was held today in Schladming, Austria.

Jill Kintner leads the 4X field going into tomorrow's finals. Current series leader Anneke Beerten needs to finish at least 5th tomorrow to take home the series title. Fionn Griffiths and Jill are her closest threats, and Fionn isn't racing 4X this weekend.

In downhill, the French Force is back on top, with Floriane Pugin clocking the fastest time in qualifying, followed by Sabrina Jonnier and the newly-crowned World Champion Emmeline Ragot. Sabrina will be looking to redeem herself after a crash and flat in Australia, but she has the series title in the bag, having one 6 out of 7 World Cup races this season. Emmeline and Tracy Moseley will be vying for 2nd place.

4X
1. Jill Kintner
2. Anita Molcik
3. Anneke Beerten
4. Mio Suemasa
5. Emmeline Ragot
6. Romana Labounkova
7. Lucia Oetjen
8. Katy Curd
9. Rachel Seydoux
10. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
11. Eva Castro Fernandez
12. Tereza Votavova
13. Laura Brethauer
14. Stephanie Teltscher
15. Neza Knez
16. Neven Steinmetz
17. Federica Perardi
18. Lea Schleifenbaum

Downhill
1. Florian Pugin
2. Sabrina Jonnier
3. Emmeline Ragot
4. Mio Suemasa
5. Celine Gros
6. Petra Bernhard
7. Tracy Moseley
8. Fionn Griffiths
9. Harriet Rucknagel
10. Anita Molcik
11. Claire Buchar
12. Miriam Rutchi
13. Anita Ager-Wick
14. Katy Curd
15. Anais Pajot
16. Helen Gaskell
17. Darian Harvey
18. Caroline Sax
19. Jessica Stone
20. Nicole Beege
21. Emily Horridge
22. Elisa Canepa
23. Alia Marcellini
24. Helene Valerie Fruhwirth
25. Fanny Lombard
26. Sophie Borderes
27. Carina Cappellari
28. Sandra Rubesam
29. Sarah Newman
30. Leoni Caroline Dickerhoff
31. Federica Perardi
32. Kristina Kodrnja
33. Kerry Wrigglesworth

For more info, visit CyclingNews.com.

Darian Harvey Rules the First Pro GRT Series

The first-ever Pro Gravity Tour is officially over, and after the dust settled, Darian Harvey emerged the clear winner of the series in both downhill and 4X disciplines. Congrats, Darian!

Pro GRT Final Downhill Standings
1. Darian Harvey
2. Jennifer Wolf
3. Rachel Bauer
4. Dawn Bourque
5. Jacqueline Harmony
6. Addie Stewart
7. Katie Holden
8. Joanna Petterson
9. Karen Eagan
9. Kathy Pruitt
10. Lisa Reinhard
11. Katrina Strand
12. Alexis Wruble
13. Stephanie Gubernat
13. Abby Hippely
14. Martha Renn
15. Stephanie Leonard
15. Lauren Peterson
16. Hillary Elgert
16. Connie Misket
17. Sondra Williamson
18. Allegra Burch
18. Michelle Rivera
19. Leana Gerrard
20. joy Martin
21. Dawn Lambert
22. Julie Olsen
23. Joy Mutoli
24. Kimber Gabryszak
25. Rebecca McQueen

Pro GRT 4X Final Standings
1. Darian Harvey
2. Jacqueline Harmony
3. Rachel Bauer
3. Leana Gerrard
4. Joanna Petterson
5. Hillary Elgert
5. Martha Renn
6.Michelle Rivera
7. Stephanie Leonard
7. Neven Steinmetz
8. Joy Martin
8. Bobbi Kae Watt
9. Addie Stewart

See more results here!

California Golden State Mountain Bike Championships

Over the Labor Day weekend, Mammoth Mountain, CA hosted it's biggest mountain bike event since the Nationals in 2005. The final races of the Golden State Series included a downhill race, the Kamikaze, and mountaincross. Tasa Herndon took wins in both the Kamikaze and the Downhill, but Joy Martin was quicker in mountaincross. For more info, visit SouthridgeUSA.com.

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Christine Hirst
3. Robyn Embrey
4. Laura Noonan
5. Joy Martin
6. Jennifer Wolf

Open Women
1. Nancy Harris
2. Adrienne Garbiel

Sport Women 34 & Under
1. Rebecca Givens
2. Dani Wisnieski

Sport Women 35+
1. Lisa Tucker

Beginner Women 34 & Under
1. Julia Zavala
2. Kiera Sears

Beginner Women 35+
1. Gina McKee
2. Kim Finch
3. Traci Adams

Kamikaze
Pro Women
1. Tasa Herndon
2. Christine Hirst
3. Joy Martin

Open Women
1. Mandy Oliekan

Legends Women
1. Penny Davidson-Lungren

4X
Pro Women
1. Joy Martin
2. Tasa Herndon
3. Christine Hirst
4. Robyn Embrey

Open Women
1. Nancy Harris
2. Dani Wisnieski
3. Robin Vold

Results Recap

Once again, I've been remiss in getting results posted in a timely fashion. My apologies. Better late than never, though, right? So, here is a smattering of results from around the world that should bring us at least close to being up to date. One interesting note, Berny Pizarro is back on the race scene! She took 2nd at the Copa Chile this weekend.

Copa Chile
Los Andes, Chile
September 13, 2009

1. Veronica Francisca Miranda Fuentes
2. Bernardita Pizarro
3. Vanessa Cecilia Vallerino Kneer
4. Pamela Morena Neira

iXS European Downhill Cup
Bishofsmais, Germany
September 13, 2009

1. Antje Kramer
2. Miriam Ruchti
3. Harriet Rucknagel
4. Nicole Beege
5. Sandra Rubesam
6. Leoni-Caroline Dickerhoff
7. Liz Schwemmer
8. Sylvie Rejfirova
9. Joanne Muoser
10.Caro Gehrig
11. Tanja Hendysiak

MSC Sol Survivor
Sol Vista, CO
September 4-7, 2009

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Jackie Harmony
2. Emma Millar
3. Julie Olsen
4. Neven Steinmetz
5. Stephanie Leonard

Cat. 1 Women
1. Alisha Gibson
2. Christen Boyer
3. Amber Price

Cat. 2 Women
1. Lauren Heitzman
2. Eden Sierra
3. Lana Lawson
4. Melissa O'Connell
5. Kristin Buell
6. Hillary Seminick

Cat. 3 Women
1. Laura Drenen
2. Courtney Papa

4x
Pro Women
1. Jackie Harmony
2. Catherine Cantway
3. Leslie Slagle
4. Neven Steinmetz

Cat. 1/2 Women
1. Alisha Gibson
2. Christen Boyer
3. Eden Sierra
4. Lauren Heitzman
5. Lana Lawson
6. Amber Price

Cat. 3/Junior Women
1. Danika Gillespie

iXS European Downhill Cup
Verbier, Switzerland
August 30, 2009

1. Martina Bruehlmann
2. Miriam Ruchti
3. Caroline Sax
4. Sidonie Jolidon
5. Harriet Rucknagel
6. Carina Cappellari
7. Joanne Muoser
8. Noemi Derron
9. Lauriane Darbre

Whiteface 5K Downhill
Lake Placid, NY
August 30, 2009

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Dawn Bourque
2. Karen Eagan
3. Alexandra Lacroix
4. Jennifer Wolf
5. Stephanie Gubernat

Cat. 1 Women
1. Becky Gardner
2. Susan DelPino
3. Stacy Beneke
4. Kristine Koch

Cat. 2-3 Women
1. Candace Ellicott
2. Mel Frazier
3. Anne Minor
4. Jennel Ortiz

Dual Slalom
Women Open
1. Karen Eagan

Cat. 2 Women
1. Nicky Frechette

Masters Mountain Bike World Championships
Praloup, FRA
August 29, 2009

Downhill
Women 30-34
1. Nathalie Dappen
2. Meave Baxter
3. Severine Delom
4. Cecile Romand
5. Michele McMullan
6. Pulpanova Bohdana
7. Nathalie Jedda
8. Aurelia Comte Marton

Women 35+
1. Lina Skoglund
2. Chantal Bonaglia
3. Gina Nixon
4. Mylene Kim Fortier
5. Gloria Salvatori
6. Marion Bast
7. Anna Ivana Sparano
8. Marylin Bisson

Fluidride Cup #5
Mt. Hood, OR
August 21-23, 2009

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Dawn Fidler
2. Leana Gerrard

Cat. 1 Women
1. Jaime Rees
2. Chelsey Stevens
3. Cassandra Stamm
4. Brooke Shore
5. Kat Sweet
6. Carolyn Hope

Cat. 2 Women
1. Jessica Serdowich
2. Lisa Hong
3. Jennifer Tell
4. Kathy Malvern
5. Karen O'Connell
6. Jen Schenk
7. Burke Okrasinski
8. April Graham
9. Amanda Markell

Cat. 3 Open Women
1. Ann Davis
2. Lindsay Harper
3. Corrinne Grere
4. Rachel Delateur
5. Diana Miller

Cat. 3 Women 18 & Under
1. Cheyenne Smith

Snowshoe Powerade Race Series #2
Snowshoe, West Virginia
July 24-26, 2009

Elite Women
1. Hillary Elgert
2. Ellen Adams
3. Toni Moss

Amateur Women
1. Anne Galyean
2. Kirstin Cousin
3. Liz Scoville

Women's Intro
1. Maggie Keller
2. Elaine Daniels
3. Elizabeth Flesher
4. Jordan Salman

Fluidride Cup #4
Mt. Hood, OR
July 10-11, 2009

Downhill
Pro Women
1. Sara Johnson
2. Amy Laird
3. Dawn Lambert
4. Britney White

Cat. 1 Women
1. Chelsey Stevens
2. Jaime Rees
3. Cassandra Stamm
4. Jennifer Jones
5. Shelby Reilly
6. Brooke Shore

Cat. 2 Women
1. Hailey Southkoth
2. Jen Schenk
3. Kathy Malvern
4. Ruth Klein
5. Amanda Markell
6. Amy Torget
7. Yvonne Gillette

Cat. 3 Women Open
1. Ann Davis
2. Diana Miller
3. Rachel Delateur

Cat. 3 Women 18 & Under
1. Adrianna Moroz
2. Cheyenne Smith

September's Featured Rider: Sondra Williamson

We've featured a lot of highly-talented riders who excel at many sports and have successful careers off the bike as well. But Sondra Williamson raises the bar several notches. In addition to riding mountain bikes, Sondra dirt bikes, snowboards, and used to have a car she raced on dirt tracks. After graduating from UCSB, she worked there as research assistant in molecular biology. Once she found bikes, she was able to carve out a career for herself in the industry, working at Specialized, Shift Racing, and Kali Protectives. She recently attained her personal trainer certificate. And now, she's returned to school again to take courses in anatomy and nutrition, and is pondering her future as a nurse or physician's assistant.--FF

Name: Sondra Williamson
Home: Morgan Hill, CA, but Carpinteria, CA is where I've spent most of my life
Age: 30! (But someone thought I was 21 the other day!)
Favorite type of riding: Techy, rooty, rocky singletrack--which I've grown to like even after it’s rained! And fast, flowy singletrack with jumps and tight corners. Oh, and pump tracks!
Why you ride: The feeling of freedom. I like to scare myself with new challenges on a trail.
Sponsors: Specialized

I always liked bikes when I was growing up, but it didn’t stick until I was 22. I love soccer and played for UC Santa Barbara until my fifth year. Then I switched my major to biology and joined the mountain bike team. At that point, the closest thing to a mountain bike ride I had ever been on was when my cousin Maria took me and my cruise-around-college-campus bike on a ride that included pavement with a little off-roading on the rocks next to the train tracks! I will never forget what I was wearing: Maria’s hand-me-down royal blue Lycra, a UCSB soccer t-shirt, running shoes and a kid's helmet with a gecko on it. Hey, it’s all about style!

At 25, I finally went on my first downhill run, on a Specialized Demo 9, with my friend Kim. We went down the super-rocky Tunnel Trail in Santa Barbara and I was hooked! Eventually I also got a moto and love to ride it as much as my bike. It helps a lot with the things I need to work on while riding my bike: getting stronger, looking ahead at a faster pace, cornering and learning the feeling of going bigger off of jumps.

I also do CrossFit at Train For Life in Morgan Hill, where I also work as a personal trainer. CrossFit has made me a lot stronger both physically and mentally. Traveling to Whistler has done wonders for my riding skills and confidence overall. And finally, I am lucky and thankful to have my boyfriend Brandon at my side. Its great to always have someone to play with, to make me a better rider, and to look up to.

Some days I still can’t believe I am at this level. It is inspiring and humbling to be surrounded by the most talented riders in the world. I met Anneke Beerten when I was working at Specialized and found out she is from Holland, as is my mom, and would practice my Dutch with her. At that time I was a sport-level racer, but after meeting her I put it in my head that I could be a Pro too! I am proud of winning the 2007 US Open as an amateur, placing 6th in the pro women’s 2009 Sea Otter dual slalom, and also placing 6th at the pro women’s 2009 Fluidride Cup downhill #2 in Port Angeles, WA. Now, I look forward to many more years in the pro class, eventually racing World Cups, traveling, and just having fun on my bike!

World Championship Videos

Miss the action on Freecaster this weekend? Here are some recaps of this year's races!


4X


DH


Interviews

Emmeline Ragot Wins DH World Championship

Emmeline Ragot took her first downhill World Championship title this weekend. She bested Tracy Moseley by two seconds. Ragot's been having a banner year, and this win doesn't come as a surprise. Kathy Pruitt had a great race as well, earning the USA a podium position. What was surprising was a crash and subsequent flat tire from Sabrina Jonnier, which put her in last place.

1. Emmeline Ragot
2. Tracy Moseley
3. Kathy Pruitt
4. Fionn Griffiths
5. Floriane Pugin
6. Claire Buchar
7. Micayla Gatto
8. Mio Suemasa
9. Melissa Buhl
10. Joanna Petterson
11. Celine Gros
12. Anita Molcik
13. Miranda Miller
14. Emilie Siegenthaler
15. Claire Whiteman
16. Harriet Harper
17. Julia Boer
18. Gabrielle Molloy
19. Cara Smith
20. Amy Laird
21. Sarah Booth
22. Tomoko Iizuka
23. Anka Martin
24. Olivia Johnston
25. Sabrina Jonnier

Caroline Buchanan Wins World Championship 4X

Caroline Buchanan took the World Championship 4X win in Canberra, Australia last night with a solid gate start that surprised Jill Kintner. Jill couldn't close the gap, and Caroline snagged the world champ's jersey in her home country.

4X
1. Caroline Buchanan
2. Jill Kintner
3. Melissa Buhl
4. Anita Molcik
5. Anneke Beerten
6. Mio Suemasa
7. Sarsha Huntington
8. Julia Boer
9. Romana Labounkova
10. Joanna Petterson
11. Fionn Griffiths

World Championships 4X Qualifying

The racing has begun at the 2009 Mountain Bike World Championships in Canberra, Australia. 4X qualifying was held today, and Jill Kintner snagged the top spot over Caroline Buchanan who's racing in her home country. Racing promises to be exciting with Anneke Beerten looking for the win as well. And don't count out Fionn Griffiths. She qualified low, but has been racing well all season. The finals are tomorrow!

Qualifying

1	Jill Kintner (United States Of America)	0:00:52.73
2	Caroline Buchanan (Australia)	0:00:00.35
3	Anneke Beerten (Netherlands)	0:00:00.50
4	Romana Labounkova (Czech Republic)	0:00:01.20
5	Anita Molcik (Austria)	0:00:02.16
6	Melissa Buhl (United States Of America)	0:00:03.08
7	Sarsha Huntington (Australia)	0:00:03.31
8	Mio Suemasa (Japan)	0:00:04.70
9	Diana Marggraff (Ecuador)	0:00:07.38
10	Joanna Petterson (South Africa)	0:00:07.56
11	Fionn Griffiths (Great Britain)	0:00:08.58
12	Julia Boer (Hungary)