US MTB Championships (XC and DS)

So the second day of US MTB Championships are over and both the cross country (XC) champions have been crowned.

In the Men's Pro XC, Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Giant) won his first title. According to USA Cycling, "Craig turned in a dominant performance in the 20-mile race, earning the stars-and-stripes jersey with a winning time of 2 hours, 16 minutes and 31 seconds – a 4:26 advantage over second-place finisher and defending bronze medalist Jeremiah Bishop (Harrisonburg, Va./TrekVW). Michael Broderick (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven) finished third, 6:35 off Craig’s pace to score arguably the best result of his career."

The Women's Pro XC was decided on Friday, when Mary McConneloug (Chilmark, Mass./Kenda-Seven) claimed the national title. McConneloug became the first two-time winner in the women's xc. According to USA Cycling, "Entering the event fresh off her silver-medal performance at the XV Pan American Games last weekend, McConneloug opened up an early lead over the remainder of the 43-rider field before finishing the 15-mile contest with a winning time of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 59 seconds. Defending champion Georgia Gould (Ketchum, Idaho/Luna) finished 1:17 off McConneloug’s pace to claim the silver, while Willow Koerber (Horseshoe, N.C./Subaru-Gary Fisher) placed third, 3:57 back."

In the final pro event on Saturday, Christopher Herndon (Etowah, N.C./Specialized-Cane Creek) won the national title in the men’s dual slalom, while Melissa Buhl (Chandler, Ariz./KHS) captured the women’s crown. The eighth-seeded Herndon beat favored seventh-seeded Rich Houseman (Oceanside, Calif./Yeti-Fox). In the women’s contest, the top seeds progressed to the final as the top-seeded Buhl ousted Kathy Pruitt (Lake Almanor, Calif./Jamis), the number-two seed, for the win.

However, the biggest news of the weekend for NorCal was George Stephenson (Folsom, CA/Northern Lights), won the bronze medal over Joe Haley (Raleigh, N.C./Eastern Bikes-Maxxis) in the men’s category. George has won numerous events at Sand Hill.

For complete USA MTB Championship results, click here.