Jeep 48Straight / King of the Mountain Cancelled?

Tough times in the auto industry has touched the MTB community:

"Jeep 48Straight Cancelled?
Looks like Jeep has pulled out of sponsoring the 48Straight winter series. We're looking into details regarding the details or potential cancellation of the summer series. Go to 48straight.com"

Via Decline Magazine » Jeep 48Straight Cancelled?.

Carter and Buhl Take Jeep 48Straight Series Titles

It looks like some good racing down in San Luis Obispo from the writeup over at Decline Magazine:

"The title winners at San Luis Obispo received $5,000, with cash earnings for each finisher through 16th place. The season champion received additional sponsor bonuses from Paul Mitchell and the keys to a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Overall, the prize purse for Jeep 48STRAIGHT topped $100,000, making it one of the highest cash payouts in the sport.

The podium standings for San Luis Obispo included:

Men
1. Brian Lopes - Laguna Beach, Calif.
2. Eric Carter - Temecula, Calif.
3. Greg Minnaar - South Africa

Women
1. Fionn Griffiths - Great Britain
2. Melissa Buhl, Chandler, Ariz.
3. Kathy Pruitt - Santa Cruz, California


The Jeep 48STRAIGHT event from San Luis Obispo will air on CBS Sports on November 1."

See the full article over at Decline Magazine.

Bad News From Jeep KOM

Bad news from the Jeep King of the Mountain competition in Colorado this weekend:

American four-cross and BMX rider Tara Llanes (Giant) broke her back during the third round of the Jeep King of the Mountains series, on Saturday in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Llanes crashed during the semi finals, where she dueled with longtime rival Jill Kintner.

Llanes was airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center where she underwent seven hours of surgery to address the massive trauma suffered on her lower back. Doctors also diagnosed a C-7 fracture which was deemed stable prior going into surgery.

Accoding to her family, Llanes is currently breathing without assistance, but reports no feeling below her waist.

Let's hope she's alright.

UPDATE (09/04/07): A bit more information from Bicycling Magazine. Check out Tara's MySpace page for up to date information.

First Round of 2007 KOM

The first round of the made for TV Jeep King of the Mountain dual slalom type races were held in Park City, Utah this weekend. According to the press release: "In the men’s competition, Prokop began the day with a crisp sweep of Australia’s Wade Bootes to reach the semifinals. There he met up with Cody Warren of Alpine, Calif., who he dispatched in consecutive races to earn a spot in the Championship Heat. The surprise of the day may have been Warren’s effort to reach the semifinals, including a crash induced, time differential victory over Laguna Beach, Calif.’s Brian Lopes, the top racer in the world. On the other side of the bracket, Australia’s Jared Graves was equally as dominant in the early rounds, first defeating open qualifier Chris Van Dine of Park City, before blasting past Eric Carter. In the Championship Heat, Graves shocked Prokop with a flawless run, just crossing the finish line ahead of the defending champion. In the second race, however, Prokop displayed his brilliance and charged hard to make up the time differential and grab the title. Carter edged out Warren in the Consolation Heat to capture third place in the standings.

In the women’s competition, Kintner came out of the gates on fire. In the first two rounds, both sweeps, she topped South African Joanna Petterson of Kauai, Hawaii and Denmark’s Anneke Beerten to reach the finals. Melissa Buhl of Chandler, Ariz. was putting on her own display, with a two-race victory over open qualifier Gale Dahlager of Park City before a difficult semifinal match-up against Tara Llanes, of Los Alamitos, Calif. Llanes captured the first race in stunning form before suffering a particularly bad fall into the rocks lining the racecourse in the second heat. Buhl advanced to the Championship Heat, but was no match for Kintner, who claimed the title. Beerten held on for third place in the Consolation Heat despite a heroic performance by the injured Llanes, which was noted by an ovation from the crowd in attendance."

Men’s Standings
1. Michal Prokop (Czech)
2. Jared Graves (Australia)
3. Eric Carter (Temecula, Ca)
4. Cody Warren (Alpine, Ca)

Women’s Standings
1. Jill Kintner (Seattle, WA)
2. Melissa Buhl (Chandler, AZ)
3. Anneke Beerten (Denmark)
4. Tara Llanes (Los Alamitos, CA)

2007 Jeep King of the Mountain

The Jeep King of the Mountain is back for 2007 and once again they will be racing down in San Luis Obispo.

This year's invitation only 4x / Dual Slalom / MTB racing dates will be:

• Aug. 4 – Park City, UT (Canyons Resort)
• Aug. 18 – San Luis Obispo, CA (Madonna Inn)
• Sept. 1 – Beaver Creek, CO (Beaver Creek Resort)

More details over at Dirt Rag. Check out last year's coverage in the archives.

JEEP KOM Results

This weekend's Jeep King of the Mountain (San Luis Obispo) results are in. It looks like Michal Prokop edged out Brian Lopes to take the men's final while Jill Kintner ousted Melissa Buhl for the ladies title.

MEN’S FINAL STANDINGS

1. Michal Prokop – Czech Republic
2. Brian Lopes – San Clemente, CA
3. Eric Carter – Temecula, CA
4. Wade Bootes – Australia
5. Chris Powell – Carmel Valley, CA
6. Mike King – San Diego, CA
7. Travis Collins – San Luis Obispo, CA
8. Brian Schmith – Lancaster, CA

WOMEN’S FINAL STANDINGS

1. Jill Kintner – Seattle, WA
2. Melissa Buhl – Chandler, AZ
3. Tara Llanes – Corona, CA
4. Katrina Miller – Australia
5. Fionn Griffiths – Great Britain
6. Marla Streb – Los Osos, CA
7. Bobbi Kae Watt – Broomfield, CO
8. Arielle Martin – Provo, UT

Full results and commentary on the website.

2006 JEEP King of the Mountain Schedule

The JEEP King of the Mountain mountain biking world championships has announced their 2006 schedule:

San Luis Obispo, CA (7.08.06)
Elkhart Lake, WI (8.12.06)
Beaver Creek, CO (9.03.06)

The JEEP KOM pits world class riders like Brian Lopes, Jill Kitner and Wade Bootes in a hybrid dual slalom event. While the race is limited to invited participants, the event also features fun rides and a sports expo. CBS Sports will televise this event on August 13th, 2006.

More information about this event is also available at Mountain Bike Action.