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THULE Adventure Race Proves to Be a True Adventure LUNA's Stellar Job in the MTB Time Trial: Nash, Gould Finish First and Second Pros Ready for Saturday's NRC Circuit Race with a Warm-up Road Race on Friday Clif Bar Staff "Peddles" Renewable Energy Day 2 Video On Demand Featuring Adventure Racing, Kids' Bike Rodeo, Soundbites, Interviews, and Highlights THULE Adventure Race Proves to Be a True Adventure
MONTEREY, Calif. (April 13, 2007) Friday morning ended up being the perfect day for the inaugural THULE Adventure Race. After 30-knot winds the day before scared racers and directors alike, Friday morning brought relatively calm seas that provided the opening battle ground for the tumultuous race that followed. "The name itself, there's a real adventure aspect," said Michael Tobin of Team Nike. "Every race is totally different. You don't know what to expect. You don't even know the course until you show up to the starting line. So it's a thinking sport as well as, obviously, an endurance sport." In the three-person team main event, team Dart-Nuun #1, comprised of Glenn Rogers, Aaron Rinn and Jen Segger-Gigg quickly out-distanced its three closest competitors in the scenic paddle out on Monterey Bay. "It was really beautiful - it was glassy but the further out you got, the swells were huge," said Tobin of his chasing team Nike. After the paddle, Dart -Nuun #1 lead disappeared as Team Nike, plotting map coordinates as they rode, caught up with the leaders. At this point the clarity of the race fogged mildly as teams chose different routes to get to the various checkpoints. However by the second transition - from bike to foot - Team Nike found themselves with a tenuous 9-minute lead, closely followed by Dart-Nuun #1. In the ensuing hike, Team Nike's plotting ruled the day. Dart-Nuun #1 missed a checkpoint and was assessed a 30-minute penalty, leaving Nike the victors of the hard fought race. LUNA's Stellar Job in the MTB Time Trial: Nash, Gould Finish First and Second By WENDY BOOHER
"Stutter bumps," off-camber turns, and a white-knuckle course conspired against speed racing in today's Sea Otter MTB Time Trial. "Tricky" buzzed from racers' lips and while there were no reported crashes, no one wins the time trial through being cautious. Katerina Nash and Georgia Gould (LUNA) headed up the rank-and-file order of the women's results, which included Willow Koerber (Subaru/Gary Fisher), Sue Haywood (Trek/VW), Wendy Simms (Kona), and Alison Sydor (Rocky Mountain/Haywood). "I kind of blew through the second corner on the downhill and didn't go down," said Nash. "I felt good although it's very short and feels over before it starts." Pan Am champ, Georgia Gould, followed up Nash's win with a second place finish. Noticeably absent from the top ten was Shonny Vanlandingham (LUNA), who has been struggling with illness for the past few weeks. The men's results either showed who got friendly with their brakes on the fast, dry course or who is saving up for tomorrow's Short Track and Sunday's Cross-Country. First place finisher, Geoff Kabush (Maxxis), smoothed over any missteps in line choices through sheer power (no surprise there) while last year's Super XC winner, Jean Christophe Peraud (Orbea), settled for fourth place after a confusion over whether he jumpstarted caused him to slide from an unofficial first place.
"It went pretty smooth, there's not much room for mistakes on the course," explained Kabush. "I lost one or two seconds because I missed a few lines. You definitely have to be right mentally to be able to ride that course but it's a good little opener for the rest of the weekend." Top 3 Women Top 3 Men Perhaps in preparation for Saturday's Dual Slalom event, Kathy Pruitt (Jamis) was spotted doing "doughnuts" in the parking lot as a warm-up on Friday afternoon. How this worked out for Pruitt we'll never know since she got finger-wagged by Sea Otter's Director of Guest Services - also her older sister, Jeannie Pruitt. Pros Ready for Saturday's NRC Circuit Race with a Warm-up Road Race on Friday In advance of Saturday's NRC Circuit Race, the pros lined up to stretch their legs with a road race through the scenic Fort Ord and Monterey Bay region. A few varied climbs helped speed the burn and helped open up the legs in preparation for tomorrow's "all-or-nothing" circuit race. Top 3 Men Top 3 Women Get ready for a full day of racing on Saturday starting with the debut of BMX at 9 am and continuing on to include the pro/elite NRC Circuit Race, Short Track, and Dual Slalom. Check www.seaotterclassic.com for a complete racing schedule. Clif Bar Staff "Peddles" Renewable Energy By ANDREW KIHN "By riding down here and to and from our hotel daily, we've avoided driving about 3,000 miles this weekend," says Peter Berridge, Northern California field marketing manager. With the average car trip only about three miles, the bike is a powerful tool in many respects. A little more riding could reduce harmful emissions in the fight to stem global warming and lead to healthier communities across the nation. Clif Bar and the Sea Otter Classic are two of many organizations to develop environmental policies for reducing the ecological impacts of business practices. In partnership to protect the environment, Clif Bar and the Sea Otter Classic have committed to work toward purchasing enough clean wind credits to offset the carbon emissions created by this year's event. Clif Bar is a food company that makes naturally organic foods for people in outdoor activities. Its partnership with the Sea Otter Classic emphasizes its mission to protect the places where people like to play. Day 2 Video On Demand Featuring Adventure Racing, Kids' Bike Rodeo, Soundbites, Interviews, and Highlights Video News Release Broadcast quality QuickTime video available for ftp download direct to your non-linear editing system for broadcast. Simply download and import. Video has also been supered with Sea Otter Classic. Shot sheets and super information including names are provided as well. Simply follow the instructions at: About Sea Otter Classic, Inc. ### Online version of this release can be viewed here: www.boohermedia.com/SOC/2007/07SOC_Day2.htm CONTACT: Pamela Heisey
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