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Kona Les Gets Cross Country Team dominates US
Nationals-Sonoma, CA
RYAN TREBON WINS US NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
BARRY WICKS US Nationals Silver Medalist
In hot and dusty conditions The Kona Orange Crush descended upon
Northern Cali forni a. Kona Les Gets riders Ryan Trebon and Barry
Wicks put some serious heat on the rest of the field and finished
1st and 2nd at the 2006 US Nati onal Championships in Sonoma, CA.
Both riders picked a great time to have the best rides of their
career, dominating the cross country event.
Trebon pinned it from the gun as usual and went into what he calls
“controlled suffering mode”. He was able to maintain
a gap of over a minute on the chase group of four that contai ned
teammate Barry Wicks, Jeremiah Bishop, Jeremy Horgan-Kabel ski and
Todd Well s for
most of the race. But the seventh and last lap was one of the hardest
of his life and Trebon said, “I knew I had it if I could just
keep in going. Going into the final lap I just told myself there
was no way I was going to let this one go.”
Midway through the race Wells launched an attack to reel in Trebon
but crashed hard and injured his wrist forcing him to withdraw and
left Bishop and Horgan Kabel ski to chase. But the heat, pace and
make up of the chase group favored neither and JHK fell off the
pace first
leaving Bishop to do all the work. But Wicks attacked mid way through
the last lap to take 2nd place, 54 seconds behind teammate Trebon.
Barry Wicks also had a great day and said his legs were stellar
and felt good enough to chase for the lead and in any other event
would have taken his chances. But instead played the consummate
teammate and rode tactically very smart blocking occasionally and
sitting on wheels.
With his teammate ahead going for the win, Wicks was able to sit
in on the chase group which virtually assured him second place and
he went on to notch the best finish of his mountain bike career.
“Ryan had a great race today, I’m really happy for him
and it’s awesome for Kona
Les Gets to go one and two in such an important event. I’m
super stoked wi th my finish too, this is just the beginning. ”
Wicks said.
Mentor and fellow teammate Erik Tonkin was on hand to watch his
protégés throw down. Well kind of as he was racing
as well and also had a good ride finishi ng 15th in the event. Tonki
n, co-owner and over time worker of Sellwood Cycles, helped bring
Wicks to the Kona team and has been a mentor to both Wicks and Trebon
for many years. Team Mechanic Mark “Muffin Man” Matson
deserves mention for his attention to the team bikes and the racers.
He made special plans for a crazy travel schedule so he could attend
to his racers, fly to his sisters wedding and be back in time to
help them out for the Short Track. Matson has been an integral part
of the success of the riders. Kona Les Gets Racing is fortunate
to him as part of the team. When Matson called in the results to
team manager Mark Peterson he remarked, “Now the easy part
is over. I need to get going so I can wash some bikes, get Barry’s
Super D bike totally dialed and break down the tech area so I can
fly to my sisters wedding at 6:00am.” A mechanics work is
never done.
Congratulations are in order for the whole team on a great start
to the weekend!
BARRY WICKS 2006 SHORT TRACK NATIONAL CHAMPION
Ryan Trebon Takes Bronze Medal
Barry Wicks added a 2nd National title for the Kona Les Gets Factory
Racing team, winning the short track event at the 2006 US National
Championships in Sonoma, CA. Wicks remarked after his 2nd place
finish in the Cross Country event on Friday that “this was
just the beginning.” Apparently he was referring to the 2006
National Championship Week-end as well as the near future.
The race unfolded as the Kona Les Gets team had hoped. Turn about
is fair play and on this day i t was Trebon’s turn to work.
He set a hardpace and wore the field down while Wicks was able to
test the waters with a few attacks and see how the rest of the racers
were feeling.
“Ryan pegged i t, led me out and I attacked on the final climb.
I was able to get about six bike lengths by the top and grew them
by the finish,” Wicks said. That was the long and the short
of the race for the most part. “I had awesome legs and Ryan
had my back. Good stuff!
Now we are chilling out checki ng out our starts and stripes.”
Along the way the twin towers still made some time for one of their
biggest fans Kiersten Inserni. She is one of the Velo Bell a-Kona
riders and has been rocking the series on her Kona Stinky 2-4. She
pulled a silver medal in the Downhill in the Junior Women Category
as well.
It was a great finish to a great week-end for Kona Les Gets Racing.
Along the way to winning to National Championship titles, Trebon
took more jewelry home with a bronze medal in the Single Speed Race,
Erik Tonkin scrapped for a 9th place finish in the Short Track coming
from
SEVEN rows back and team seigneur and Kona rider Michelle Camp took
9th place in the Pro Women’s Downhill.
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