JHK, Compton win Teva Games

• Results

By Fred Dreier

Katie Compton at the 2009 Teva Games cross-country.

Photo: Mark Legg

Katie Compton and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski grabbed wins and big payouts at Saturday’s Teva Mountain Games cross-country race in Vail, Colorado. The June 4-7 Teva Games included the cross-country race, a road hillclimb, kayak and rock climbing competitions and other “mountain culture” events.

“The Teva Games is pretty special. I won it a few years ago and told myself I wanted to come back,” said Horgan-Kobelski. “The event is well organized and a lot of people show up. It’s a national-caliber event.”

A smattering of the country’s top professionals toed the line in Vail, as the cross-country race included a $15,000 total cash purse, with each the men and women’s winners taking home $3000. The event also fell one week before the Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek International, held June 13-14 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The event is the third round of USA Cycling’s Pro Cross-country Tour.

Joining Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) on the starting line were 2008 champ Ryan Trebon (Kona), Sho Air-Specialized riders Sid Taberlay, Max Plaxton and Sam Jurekovic, reigning U.S. champ Adam Craig and his Giant teammate Carl Decker and Todd Wells (Specialized).

Compton faced off against Luna riders Georgia Gould and Chloe Forsman, as well as Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Gary Fisher), Kelli Emmett (Giant) and Pua Sawicki (Ellsworth).

Trebon, who hails from Bend, Oregon, twisted the throttle early, drawing out Horgan-Kobelski and Wells. The two Coloradans eventually dropped the Kona rider and spent the remainder of the four-lap race battling each other. Horgan-Kobelski surged on the final climb to distance himself from Wells, taking his first major win of 2009 by a 1:12 gap.

Horgan-Kobelski said the $3000 paycheck has him eyeing a new motorcycle.

Compton, the reigning five-time U.S. cyclocross champ, took the win ahead of Gould, with Irmiger, Sawicki and Colorado rider Judy Freeman (Tough Girl) rounding out the podium.

The cyclocrosser rode on the heels of Irmiger and Gould at the opening of the three-lap race, then put 30 seconds into the duo on a stretch of singletrack. Compton stretched her advantage to nearly a minute, but Gould kept the Spike Shooter rider in her sights, and brought the gap down to 40 seconds on the final lap.

“Georgia was always right there but it seemed like we were going so slow up those damned hills,” Compton said. “I started dropping off on the last lap with fatigue and Georgia closed it up. I just descended as fast as possible.”

The victory is the first major cross-country win of the year for Compton, who said she hopes to transition into the mountain bike racing scene this year. The Colorado Springs resident already owns impressive palmares in short-track racing, but she has previously struggled in the longer races.

“Long climbs at altitude have always been my weakness,” Compton said. “Winning this weekend is a real confidence booster. I lost some weight and I’ve been focusing on becoming a better climber.”

Compton, who finished second in Sunday’s road time trial to Marissa Asplund, ended the weekend with $4200 in total prize cash. She said the cash will go to pay off medical bills from the May 31 Bump N’ Grind race in Alabama. Compton was hospitalized after suffering a freak asthma attack that caused her to drop out of that race.

The Spike rider said she used a prescription Albuterol inhaler for the Teva Games, and that she is in the process of registering a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) which would allow her to compete in UCI-sanctioned mountain bike races with the medication.

Results

Men’s cross-country | Click for: Women’s results

• 1 186 HORGAN-KOBELSKI Jeremy Boulder 1:45:26
• 2 1088 WELLS Todd BETTER LATE TH 1:46:38 1:12.58
• 3 198 JUREKOVIC Sam Colorado Springs 1:48:56 3:29.84
• 4 1074 CRAIG Adam Bare Naked Tea 1:50:06 4:40.53
• 5 274 TABERLAY Sid South Pasadena 1:50:42 5:16.27
• 6 132 CARES Colin Boulder, CO 1:52:24 6:57.79
• 7 1067 TEAM DAN Team 1:52:47 7:21.45
• 8 152 DECKER Carl Bend, OR 1:53:12 7:45.91
• 9 245 PLAXTON Max Victoria 1:53:38 8:12.31
• 10 242 PETERSON Cody Bend 1:53:45 8:19.60
• 11 446 Brown Travis Durango, CO 1:55:25 9:59.57
• 12 1083 MIDDAUGH Josiah 1:55:57 10:31.40
• 13 1065 TEVA MEN Team 1:56:19 10:53.59
• 14 298 ALDERS Bryan Boulder, CO 1:56:29 11:03.32
• 15 193 ISHAY Rotem Durango 1:56:54 11:28.52
• 16 335 TREBON Ryan bend 1:59:01 13:34.84
• 17 456 ZANNI Len Carbondale, CO 1:59:56 14:29.78
• 18 251 ROBINSON Barkley Steamboat Springs 2:00:49 15:23.23
• 19 1070 SCHEEFER Travis 2:01:09 15:42.69
• 20 286 WOODRUFF Tj Tucson 2:02:17 16:50.70
• 21 126 BINGHAM Brad Steamboat Springs, CO 2:02:30 17:04.31
• 22 384 BEATON Matt 2:02:51 17:24.86
• 23 471 WEST Mike Boulder, CO 2:02:51 17:25.28
• 24 282 WELLS Jake Avon 2:03:25 17:59.65
• 25 272 STUCKI Dylan Durango 2:04:02 18:35.68
• 26 438 PORTILLA Benjamin Ft Collins, CO 2:04:16 18:49.94
• 27 264 SOUSA Rob Thornton 2:04:37 19:11.35
• 28 473 MAGELKY Kelly Golden, CO 2:04:55 19:28.71
• 29 273 SYNDER Adam Durango 2:04:59 19:33.19
• 30 256 SAITO Yuki Denver 2:05:28 20:02.59
• 31 321 KOLES Jan winter park 2:06:07 20:40.87
• 32 239 PARKE Adam Steamboat Springs 2:06:33 21:07.21
• 33 420 PEARCE Colsh Denver, CO 2:06:39 21:13.34
• 34 177 HARLAND Blake Boulder, CO 2:07:01 21:35.34
• 35 255 SAGER Jason Ogden 2:07:40 22:14.59
• 36 382 GORBOLD Paul Avon, CO 2:08:11 22:44.73
• 37 227 MICKIEWICZ Bryan Lakewood 2:08:34 23:07.83
• 38 1068 MACY Travis 2:09:16 23:49.96
• 39 1051 KLOSER Mike 2:09:44 24:18.23
• 40 290 YOUNG Jason Boulder 2:10:28 25:01.72
• 41 230 MORGAN Jamie Oak Creek 2:10:42 25:16.03
• 42 1071 CREEK TO PEAK Team 2:10:43 25:17.01
• 43 327 POWLISON Spencer Boulder 2:12:39 27:12.79
• 44 108 FRIEDBERG Michael Vail, CO 2:13:22 27:56.49
• 45 233 NOTA Josh Edwards 2:14:45 29:19.55
• 46 1086 MCGOVERN Ryan 2:14:55 29:29.41
• 47 376 POWELL Seamus New York, NY 2:14:57 29:31.22
• 48 237 ONODERA Ken Kyoto 2:16:15 30:49.20
• 49 437 KAMAN Tyson Ft Collins, CO 2:17:52 32:26.20
• 50 268 STATMAN Kat Longmont 2:18:34 33:08.49
• 51 1077 ANDERSON Ian 2:18:56 33:30.29
• 52 387 FRASER Damien Vail, CO 2:19:53 34:27.30
• 53 246 POTTS Aaron Fort Collins 2:21:36 36:09.95
• 54 1073 BEAL Brooks 2:22:50 37:24.20
• 55 1069 KOVACS James 2:29:13 43:46.97
• 56 1072 SUTTER Ryan 2:31:39 46:13.28

Women’s results | Click for: Men’s results

• 1 138 COMPTON Katie Colorado Springs 1:34:22
• 2 314 GOULD Georgia Fort Collins 1:35:00 38.25
• 3 191 IRMIGER Heather Boulder 1:36:34 2:11.99
• 4 257 SAWICKI Pua Yucaipa 1:38:19 3:57.15
• 5 385 FREEMAN Judy Boulder, CO 1:41:35 7:13.16
• 6 1066 SHERWIN Kathy Teva Woman 1:42:45 8:23.31
• 7 169 GERSBACH Jennifer Avon 1:43:05 8:43.12
• 8 1052 REEVES Gretchen 1:43:33 9:10.95
• 9 160 EMMETT Kelli Colorado Springs 1:43:39 9:17.13
• 10 1078 ANDERSON Sari 1:44:07 9:45.63
• 11 121 BAUM Nina Albuquerque 1:44:12 9:50.71
• 12 238 PARK Krista Madison 1:44:15 9:53.48
• 13 185 HORANYI Eszter Boulder 1:44:25 10:03.24
• 14 133 CAREY Amanda Victor 1:45:34 11:12.35
• 15 386 HOLMES Heather Park City, UT 1:48:49 14:27.02
• 16 472 BLAY Becca Boulder, CO 1:48:59 14:36.88
• 17 128 BONIFACE Kelly Steamboat Springs 1:49:36 15:13.80
• 18 221 LOONEY Sonya Boulder 1:50:15 15:53.63
• 19 195 JOHNSON Kristin Durango 1:50:59 16:37.52
• 20 326 POWERS Erika Sandy 1:51:23 17:00.81
• 21 476 BISHOP Lindsey Boulder, CO 1:53:54 19:32.10
• 22 394 TILLEY Jennifer Boulder, CO 1:54:31 20:09.44
• 23 332 SHERWOOD Kay colorado springs 2:12:41 38:19.66