06/20/2007 Team
For JHK this was his first season, after garnering two seconds already this season, including losing out in a sprint finish at the NMBS #2 race. JHK took his lead on the first lap, of the four laps of the dusty eight mile course. Each lap featured 1400 feet of climbing from the base lodge located at 7100 feet. Determined that the best defense was a strong offense, JHK pushed it up the ski-slope climb and proceeded to shed pursuers each lap, so that by mid race he had opened up gaps along various sections of course of between 15 and 50 seconds. On the final lap, that gap had dropped to :25 seconds with just one rider now trying to mount a charge.
So on a series of switchback climbs at the mid-point of the lap, JHK could see his pursuer and hear yells of encouragement for both riders, he dug a bit deeper and surged onward towards the finish, like a blue streak against the green and brown landscape. In the end, his winning margin of victory was almost :40 seconds. Even the lead moto driver was impressed by JHK's power and speed, calling him an animal. Having podiumed at Deer Valley every year since 2000, except for two years when the venue wasn't part of the series, JHK has always Deer Valley as one of his favorite courses, because of the altitude and the relentless climbing.
Much like her husband JHK, Heather Irmiger decided that being in the front of the race gave her the best chances. She was joined by three other riders on the first of their three laps on course. As the race progressed, gaps formed between each of the riders with Heather crossing the line in fourth place.
For Willow Koerber, she felt a little flat and began to fade from the altitude, since she comes from about sea level, during the course of the race from sixth to thirteenth by the time she had crossed the line.
In Sunday's short-track action the mocha and cream of the womens team kits book-ended the podium with Heather and Willow placing fourth and fifth respectively. Heather charged up from 20th position after a tangled with another rider on the opening lap. She and Willow rode together most of the final laps of this circuit race to defend their podium spots. Both girls felt extremely satisfied with their performance, especially Willow after the previous days result.
On the mens side with teammate Sam Schultz sidelined with a stomach virus, JHK was going to have to rely on just his legs and 29" Paragon race bike to see if he could make a clean sweep for the weekend. Unfortunately, Saturday's cross-country second place finisher had revenge on his mind. JHK was part of a four rider chase group that could not manage to reel in the solo leader. It then became a sprint for the finish on the final lap with JHK crossing the line in third place.
Another big highlight for the Team was an evening of autograph signing and door prizes for the Park City Young riders. This 100-member group of youth cyclists represents the next wave of aspiring mountain bikers. It's always nice when the kids can proudly display their signed "hero" cards and dream towards the future.
The next stop for the Subaru-Gary Fisher team is this weekend at Mt Ste Anne in Quebec, Canada for another round of the World Cup tour.
Stay tuned for more tales from the trails as the 2007 season unfolds.
The Subaru-Gary Fisher MTB Team is proud to be sponsored by:
Subaru of America, Inc , Gary Fisher Bicycles, SRAM , RockShox, Bontrager Wheelworks and Components, Avid Brakes, Bontrager tires, Crank Brothers pedals, Nike Cycling shoes, performance and casual apparel, 661 gloves, Tokyo Joe's, Stronglight chainrings, Light & Motion, Pedros, Genuine Innovations, Brave Soldier, Yakima , Mountainsmith, Cane Creek, Sara SuperSocks, GU Energy Gel and GU2O Sports Drink.
Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski Wins at Deer Valley
When Subaru and Gary Fisher decided to sponsor the fourth round of the National Mountain Bike Series at Deer Valley in Park City, Utah, how does a rider repay their sponsors? They win the race. And thats exactly what Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski did during Saturdays cross country race.For JHK this was his first season, after garnering two seconds already this season, including losing out in a sprint finish at the NMBS #2 race. JHK took his lead on the first lap, of the four laps of the dusty eight mile course. Each lap featured 1400 feet of climbing from the base lodge located at 7100 feet. Determined that the best defense was a strong offense, JHK pushed it up the ski-slope climb and proceeded to shed pursuers each lap, so that by mid race he had opened up gaps along various sections of course of between 15 and 50 seconds. On the final lap, that gap had dropped to :25 seconds with just one rider now trying to mount a charge.
So on a series of switchback climbs at the mid-point of the lap, JHK could see his pursuer and hear yells of encouragement for both riders, he dug a bit deeper and surged onward towards the finish, like a blue streak against the green and brown landscape. In the end, his winning margin of victory was almost :40 seconds. Even the lead moto driver was impressed by JHK's power and speed, calling him an animal. Having podiumed at Deer Valley every year since 2000, except for two years when the venue wasn't part of the series, JHK has always Deer Valley as one of his favorite courses, because of the altitude and the relentless climbing.
Much like her husband JHK, Heather Irmiger decided that being in the front of the race gave her the best chances. She was joined by three other riders on the first of their three laps on course. As the race progressed, gaps formed between each of the riders with Heather crossing the line in fourth place.
For Willow Koerber, she felt a little flat and began to fade from the altitude, since she comes from about sea level, during the course of the race from sixth to thirteenth by the time she had crossed the line.
In Sunday's short-track action the mocha and cream of the womens team kits book-ended the podium with Heather and Willow placing fourth and fifth respectively. Heather charged up from 20th position after a tangled with another rider on the opening lap. She and Willow rode together most of the final laps of this circuit race to defend their podium spots. Both girls felt extremely satisfied with their performance, especially Willow after the previous days result.
On the mens side with teammate Sam Schultz sidelined with a stomach virus, JHK was going to have to rely on just his legs and 29" Paragon race bike to see if he could make a clean sweep for the weekend. Unfortunately, Saturday's cross-country second place finisher had revenge on his mind. JHK was part of a four rider chase group that could not manage to reel in the solo leader. It then became a sprint for the finish on the final lap with JHK crossing the line in third place.
Another big highlight for the Team was an evening of autograph signing and door prizes for the Park City Young riders. This 100-member group of youth cyclists represents the next wave of aspiring mountain bikers. It's always nice when the kids can proudly display their signed "hero" cards and dream towards the future.
The next stop for the Subaru-Gary Fisher team is this weekend at Mt Ste Anne in Quebec, Canada for another round of the World Cup tour.
Stay tuned for more tales from the trails as the 2007 season unfolds.
The Subaru-Gary Fisher MTB Team is proud to be sponsored by:
Subaru of America, Inc , Gary Fisher Bicycles, SRAM , RockShox, Bontrager Wheelworks and Components, Avid Brakes, Bontrager tires, Crank Brothers pedals, Nike Cycling shoes, performance and casual apparel, 661 gloves, Tokyo Joe's, Stronglight chainrings, Light & Motion, Pedros, Genuine Innovations, Brave Soldier, Yakima , Mountainsmith, Cane Creek, Sara SuperSocks, GU Energy Gel and GU2O Sports Drink.
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