Subaru Cup, MTB Marathon Worlds on Tap

There’s lots of racing on tap at the elite level in North America and Europe this weekend.

On Saturday, USA Cycling’s national cross-country series resumes with the Subaru Cup Pro XCT in Mt. Morris, Wisconsin. Across the pond in Italy the marathon mountain bike world championships roll on Sunday.

The Subaru Cup, part of the Wisconsin Offroad Series (WORS) is a popular stop for riders as noisy crowds come out in droves. Last year Sam Schultz (Subaru-Trek) battled with Todd Wells (Specialized), Max Plaxton (Specialized) and his own teammate Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Trek) for the win, his first Pro XCT victory.

In the 2011 Pro XCT, Plaxton leads the overall series with 770 points over Wells who has 730 points. Each has one victoray, with Wells winning the Sea Otter Classic and Plaxton winning at the Mellow Johnny’s Classic. Schultz currently sits in third position.

In the elite women, Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team) won the Subaru Cup last year. She is currently second in the overall, sitting behind Lea Davision (Specialized) by only 10 points. Third is Chloe Forsman (Mountain Bike Development Team) with 550 points. Katie Compton (Giant-Rabobank) could be a factor as well.

Subaru Cup Video Remix Finalist – Martin Tank II from Team WORS on Vimeo.

MTB Marathon Worlds

Meanwhile, the MTB marathon worlds, set for Montebelluna, Italy June 26, includes a who’s who of racers including Julien Absalon, racing the distance for the first time; Christoph Sauser; Alban Lakata; Jaroslav Kulhavy; Burry Stander and more. The American men’s time is Jeremiah Bishop, Michael McCalla and Blake Harlan.

The men’s course is 115.7km (72mi) long with 2,860m (9,300ft) of elevation gain.

The women’s course covers 98.3km (61mi) and has 2,290m (7,500ft) of climbing and will be contested by the likes of Sabine Spitz, Esther Süss and Gunn-Rita Dahle-Flesjaa. American women racing include Amy Dombroski, Sonya Looney and Pua Mata.