Rain, Killeen assault Schweitzer

After practice runs on Friday, competitors at the National Off-Road Biking Association (NORBA) cross country race expected a dusty, dry course at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

As it turned out, the fourth stop in the NORBA National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) became a giant muddy mess.

Rains assaulted the course both an hour before and during the race, and Liam Killeen and Shonny Vanlandingham handled the change in course as well as the field, both racing to wins while pulling away from the pack.

Killeen, a 23-year-old from Great Britain, blew away the field during the second of three 10.6-mile laps.

Adam Craig, a 24-year-old American currently third in the NMBS standings, jumped out to the early lead with a 40-minute first lap, 18 seconds clear of Killeen.

Killeen took off on his own during the second lap, building a lead of a couple seconds over Ryan Trebon by the end of that lap, and keeping the distance to help himself make a likely jump in the series standings, as he came in sitting in ninth overall. His time of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 46.35 seconds outpaced second-place Trebon by 1:20.45.

“I was feeling pretty comfortable on the climbs,” said Killeen about the course, which eventually gains 950 feet in elevation before winding back down. “I was pretty cautious on the descents just because of the rain. I didn’t start too hard. Adam (Craig) was really strong, and he’s a good guy to follow. He was riding good and hitting some good lines.”

Geoff Kabush, second in the series standings, finished fourth after picking up a silver medal last weekend at Angel Fire resort in northern New Mexico in a World Cup event. Series leader Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, who finished 21st at the Athens Olympics, never really challenged, finishing sixth.

Killeen saw Craig begin to struggle on the climbs and thought he had his opening.

“I knew once I got a gap, I’d probably be able to hold it,” said Killeen, who finished fifth in Athens. “I learned that the cold really hits my muscles, that was the toughest part. I like muddy races. If you ride smooth, you usually make some good time.”

In the women’s race, the 36-year-old Vanlandingham continued her recent run on the NMBS circuit, winning her third straight race.

She led a tight pack after one lap of the two-lap race, with Heather Irmiger and Dara Marks-Marino three seconds behind Vanlandingham, all coming in a little longer than 47 minutes for the first lap.

Vanlandingham dominated the second lap, rolling to a 45-second win over Marks-Marino in which she claimed the rain didn’t affect the track much.

“It wasn’t that bad, you know, in the woods, it was a little slick,” said Vanlandingham, who finished in 1:37:15.77. “It was a lot better this way than super-dusty in the last couple years. I really liked it. I think probably everybody enjoyed it.”

Off of the start/finish line, there’s a 3.5-mile climb up a service road, and that’s where Vanlandingham made her move.

“I just attacked on the climb going on to the second lap, and I was able to get a little bit of a gap,” Vanlandingham said. “It was never a very big gap, so I had to stay on the gas the whole way.”

For Vanlandingham, it’s another win following first-place finishes in Phoenix and Park City, Utah.

“You know, I’ve been working with the same coach, Rick Crawford, for three years now,” Vanlandingham said. “I think his steady program has really elevated my game and I think we’re making steps and being more consistent and a little more fit.”