Subaru-Gary Fisher riders lead medal count at PanAms

Four Subaru-Gary Fisher team riders were chosen to represent the USA at this past weekend's Pan American Mountain Bike Championships, in Santiago, Chile. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Heather Irmiger and Willow Koerber all received automatic nominations to compete in the elite cross-country competitions as the topranked Americans in the UCI standings. Sam Schultz joined them after earning a discretionary selection. And it was the young 23 year old, Schultz who was the top American male in the elite cross country race with a silver medal performance. Sam had this to report following the race.

"Race day went well for me. It was really hot out and the course was crazy. Lots of steep climbs and some super tricky loose and heavily rutted descents. A combination of the dust and the race fatigue made the descents really tricky. I had a good start and moved up into the lead group early on. I stayed pretty much between 4th and 2nd place throughout the race. The eventual winner, Fabio from Columbia, was flying and he seemed to be immune to the heat. There was no way I could hang with him so I settled into my own pace, in 2nd place for most of the day. I was joined by Jeremy on the 5th lap, trading the lead whenever one of us would bobble a tricky climb. It was a long race and I could have handled about one less lap because I was withering in the heat by the end, but I was able to keep it smooth and somehow avoid fully cramping up. I was worked by the end of the race but it felt really good to get back into race mode and I am pretty psyched with how my training is coming along. It was a really good way to start the season and I can't wait for the rest of the races."

Husband and wife team members Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Heather Irmiger has identical third place results. Like the men, the US women were 2nd and 3rd overall. On a less than perfect day while battling some sickness, Willow still managed to record a top-10, eight place finish. Heather had this to say "The course was a bit tricky but I felt really good the whole time - climbing and descending. This was my first race effort of the year and it feels great to come away with a good result."

Like Sam, JHK found the race conditions to be challenging, especially for first race of the season. "It was hot and dry which made for a tough transition straight out of winter here in Colorado. I had a good start and finished the start lap in the top 10. I picked my way towards the front over the next two laps and eventually hooked up with Sam by the middle of the race. We traded places in the final two laps in 2nd and 3rd place, and he made a great move up one of the final switchbacks to take 2nd, while I finished just after in 3rd."

The team"s first official race will be the opening round of the USPro XC Tour this coming weekend in Fontana, CA.

Stay tuned for more trailside news as the 2009 Subaru-Gary Fisher season unfolds across the globe.

The Subaru-Gary Fisher MTB Team is proud to be sponsored by:
Subaru of America, Inc, Gary Fisher Bicycles, SRAM, RockShox, Avid Brakes, Bontrager Wheelworks & Components, Truvativ cranks, Crank Brothers pedals, Fizik saddles, 661 gloves, Tokyo Joe's, Bontrager Footwear & Apparel, Light & Motion, Genuine Innovations, Yakima, Mountainsmith, Cane Creek, ESI grips, GU Energy Gel, GU20 Sports Drink, and Curve base layers and socks, Oakley eyewear.