CANADIANS VINE & McQUAID WIN IN UTAH : trifuel.com

CANADIANS VINE & McQUAID WIN IN UTAH

Source: XTERRA

OGDEN/SNOWBASIN, UT - A pair of Victoria, B.C. bred pros - Mike Vine and Melanie McQuaid - won their respect divisions at the aptly named Nissan Xterra Mountain Championship at Snowbasin today.

Amazingly perfect weather - clear blue skies and temps in the mid-80's - greeted 600 competitors representing 30 states and six countries as they took on a 1-mile swim in Pineview Resevoir, a 17-mile mountain bike that climbed 3,000 feet up to Snowbasin, and finished with a 6-mile mountain run.

It was an uphill battle for the entire field today and nobody handled it better than Vine, who picked up his first win in what to this point has been an injury-and-mechanicals plagued season. His last victory was a year ago at the Mountain Champs in Keystone.

"Was there any doubt?!" Vine jokingly exclaimed to a big crowd at the incredibly beautiful Snowbasin Ski Resort in Northern Utah as he received his $2,500 first place check and trophy.

There was actually quite a bit of doubt through midway on the bike because Conrad "the Caveman" Stoltz was powering up the long gradual climb like no one else. More than halfway through the bike leg Stoltz had probably two minutes on the next closest rider - Michael Simpson - and more time than that on the chase pack that included Seth Wealing, Vine, and Andrew Noble.

As his luck would have it, Stoltz was chugging along "uphill 5mph" when something punctured his tire. It was one of the rare flats on the day and it cost him three or four minutes...and his mojo.

"Ahh, Stoltz," the two-time XTERRA World Champ was overheard saying quietly to himself in his uniquely South African accent. "Stoltz. Stoltz. Stoltz."

A few minutes after it happened Simpson went by (but not before dropping off a can of air so Conrad could get going again ... for which Stoltz kindly gave him a push to get his momentum back). Simpson jumped into first for a while before Wealing and Vine reeled him in.

At about the 25k point just before the bike course hit its summit - in yet another example of camaraderie and sportsmanship - Wealing gave way to Vine anticipating that he'd be bombing the downhill more fiercely.

"Still a little shaky on the downhill," said Wealing, who missed seven days of training in the past couple of weeks before getting a bunch of stitches removed from his thigh (a consequence of a sharp tree branch).

When Vine hit the downhill section of the bike there was no stopping him, or catching him, as he out split everybody in the race on the run.

"I was running scared on the bike and the run," said Vine, who had the best bike (1:28:08) and run (30:12) splits.

"This course suits me really well with the climbing and altitude, and I felt great on the run."

Wealing wheeled out onto the rocky uphill trail run in second about a minute back and stayed in stride for second, which boosted him from No. 5 to No. 2 in the XTERRA U.S. Pro Series standings heading into the finale in Nevada.

Stoltz and Simpson headed out on the run together and stayed tight through about the first 3k until Stoltz took a spill and Simpson took advantage.

"I think he was quite hurt but he said he was O.K.," said Simpson (Note: Stoltz was running on a heavily swollen ankle from when he turned it before the race in Milwaukee).

Reminiscent of his gutsy performance just a couple of weeks ago at the Midwest Championship Stoltz persevered and held off a hard-charging Andrew Noble for 4th place.

Noble, who turned 41 today, was only one-second behind Stoltz and picked up his fifth straight top 5 - the only men's pro to do that this year. He dropped one-spot from 2nd to 3rd in the Series.

The one constant in everyone's story today were the adjectives, "Beautiful, Amazing, Gorgeous, Fun, Tough".

Simpson said "I love this area, it's gorgeous. I was blown away, this is as pretty a racecourse as I've done. I was really happy to do it and definitely coming back last year."

Vine backed him but using his own words "This place rules! It's Fully Worthy!"

In his first XTERRA this season (after becoming a new Dad) Greg Krause had a great race and finished 6th.

WOMEN'S RACE

With her back against the wall in a must-win situation two-time XTERRA World Champion Melanie McQuaid nailed it. She led from near wire-to-wire as she overtook swim leader Janae Pritchett early in the bike, built a big lead and ultimately finished more than four minutes in front of rival Jamie Whitmore.

What that means is now when the two meet in Nevada on October 1 it will be a true head-to-head battle for the XTERRA U.S. Pro Series title. If McQuaid wins in Tahoe she's the champ, and likewise for Whitmore.

"I wanted to prove I could win at altitude heading into Tahoe and I did that," said an exuberant McQuaid. "Jamie is fast and Janae and Danelle are fast so you have to be on your game to win and today I was."

Indeed. She came out of the water about a minute-forty ahead of Whitmore, put another three minutes on her during the bike, and ran at the same pace.

"In order for her to be a contender in Tahoe she had to win this race so I knew it was all or nothing for her and she brought it today," said Whitmore. "Usually I don't lose that much time on the swim to her, and on the bike I can usually recover but my legs just didn't want to turn over."

Melissa Thomas, at home in the mountains and on long power climbs, put up her best performance of the season to take home 3rd place and move her up three spots from 9th to 6th in the Series. Danelle Kabush was steady all day and finished 4th and Janae Pritchett was close behind in 5th.

The accolades for the course and the scenic Ogden Valley with its vast expanses and majestic mountains rang loud from the women's field as well.

"With the altitude here and how friendly the people are and the great facilities that exist here this would be an incredible place for triathletes to train so I can see as people become more aware of how great Utah is this could become the next Mecca for endurance sports...it's gorgeous," said McQuaid.

"Win or lose this is a great place and I had a blast enjoying all the people and the parties," said Whitmore.

"I saw a Moose pre-riding earlier this week and today I heard stuff moving around in the bushes but I'm not sure what it was. There's all kinds of wildlife here," smiled Thomas.

The XTERRA community has clearly embraced the new home of the Mountain Championship and chants of "can't wait till next year" filled the post-race festivities in downtown Ogden (which included Taste of Historic 25th Street food booths, a highlight video from the race, and the music of Mat Kearney).

2006 Nissan Xterra Mountain Championship Pro Results (Total Purse = $20,000)

TOP 15 PRO MEN

Pl Name Age Hometown Final Time Purse Pts

1 Mike Vine 33 Victoria, B.C., Canada 2:22:30 $2,500 100

2 Seth Wealing 27 Boulder, Colorado 2:23:27 $2,000 90

3 Michael Simpson 26 Vancouver, B.C., Canada 2:25:07 $1,500 82

4 Conrad Stoltz 32 Stellenbosch, South Africa 2:26:50 $1,200 75

5 Andrew Noble 41 Gold Coast, Australia 2:26:51 $900 69

6 Greg Krause 29 Denver, Colorado 2:27:17 $700 63

7 Ryan Ignatz 27 Boulder, Colorado 2:30:56 $500 58

8 Justin Thomas 31 Reno, Nevada 2:32:02 $350 53

9 John Koenig 36 Glenview, Illinois 2:32:31 $250 49

10 Will Kelsay 25 Boulder, Colorado 2:35:42 $200 45

Also receiving points: Brian Astell ($150, 41), Jimmy Archer ($100, 37), Lars Finanger (34), Guy Perry (31), Dennis Manor (28).

TOP 13 PRO WOMEN

Pl Name Age Hometown Final Time Purse Pts

1 Melanie McQuaid 33 Victoria, B.C., Canada 2:43:19 $2,500 100

2 Jamie Whitmore 30 Somerset, California
2:47:39 $2,000 90
3 Melissa Thomas
36 Boulder, Colorado 2:49:56 $1,500 82
4 Danelle Kabush 31 Canmore, Alberta, Canada 2:50:31 $1,200 75

5 Janae Pritchett 29 Crested Butte, Colorado
2:51:00 $900 69
6 Jenny Tobin 37 Boise, Idaho 2:55:50 $700 63

7 Amber Monforte 28 Reno, Nevada
2:55:53 $500 58
8 Ingrid Rolles
33 Cape Town, South Africa 3:12:58 $350 53
9 Jackie Burt 29 Crested Butte, Colorado 3:15:18
49
10 Aracelly Clouse 33 Cameron Park, California
3:19:02 45
Also receiving points: Jennifer Perez (41), Teresa Eggertsen (37), Christy Murphy (34).

XTERRA U.S. PRO SERIES RACING: Utah is the fifth of six stops on the Nissan Xterra National Championship Series for pros. The top 15 at each event are awarded points. Pros can drop one of their scores from the first five events, but must count the points they get (or don't get) at the USA Championship in Nevada. Thus, the final point total combines an athletes best four scores in the first five races, plus the USA Championship race points. He/she with most points in the end is declared Series Champ. The U.S. Series will dish out $210,000 in prize money; $20,000 in Temecula, Alabama, Richmond, Milwaukee, and Utah, $40,000 in Nevada, plus $70,000 will be distributed to the top points scorers in the Series. The Nissan Xterra World Championship Oct. 29 in Makena, Maui is a stand-alone event worth a $130,000.

2006 Nissan Xterra U.S. Pro Points Series Standings (thru 5 events)

MEN West S'east East Midwest Mtn USA

Rank Name Temecula Pelham Richmond Milwaukee Ogden Tahoe Total

1 Brent McMahon 100 100 90 82 0 372

2 Seth Wealing 90 90 58 0 90 328

3 Andrew Noble 69 82 75 90 69 316

4 Conrad Stoltz 0 75 100 53 75 303

5 Brian Smith 45 69 49 100 0 263

6 Dominic Gillen 53 58 69 75 0 255

7 Ryan Ignatz 49 63 45 63 58 233

8 Justin Thomas 63 53 53 41 53 222

9 Brian Astell 37 45 63 58 41 207

10 Mike Vine 58 31 0 0 100 189

Also receiving points: Will Kelsay (176), Jimmy Archer (146), Michael Simpson (82), Nicolas Lebrun (82), Josiah Middaugh (82), Tom Evans (75), Jason Jablonski (73), Francisco Serrano (69), Jim Vance (68), Greg Krause (63), Amon Pease (62), John Koenig (49), Tyler Johnson (49), Ryan Decook (37), Craig Evans (37), Lars Finanger (34), Jeff Sanders (34), Yu Yumoto (31), Michael Boehmer (31), Guy Perry (31), Tim Snow (28), Hank Campbell (28), Dennis Manor (28).

WOMEN West S'east East Midwest Mtn USA

Rank Name Temecula Pelham Richmond Milwaukee Ogden Tahoe Total

1 Jamie Whitmore 100 90 100 100 90 390

2 Melanie McQuaid 90 100 90 90 100 380

3 Candy Angle 82 82 82 82 0 328

4 Danelle Kabush 53 75 69 53 75 272

5 Janae Pritchett 69 49 75 45 69 262

6 Melissa Thomas 0 41 58 75 82 256

7 Jenny Tobin 63 58 63 58 63 247

8 Ingrid Rolles 41 45 53 63 53 214

9 Jennifer Smith 75 63 0 69 0 207

10 Amber Monforte 45 31 49 0 58 183

Also receiving points: Aracelly Clouse (156), Jennifer Perez (151), Monique Sawicki (127), Nicole Newton (110), Shae Rainer (102), Christy Murphy (62), Jackie Burt (49), Linda Gabor (49), Teresa Eggertsen (37), Beth Hibbard (34),

AGE GROUP CHAMPIONS: Cody Waite, a 28-year-old from Denver, Colorado won the men's amateur division in 2:34:40 and Laura Home, 33, from Santa Cruz, California won the women's amateur division in 3:05:22.

2006 Nissan Xterra Mountain Championship - Amateur Champs

Nissan Xterra Midwest Champions (Age Group Women)

Division Name Time Hometown

20 - 24 Suzie Snyder 3:08:06 Colorado Springs, CO

25 - 29 Tracy Stewart 3:07:26 Golden, CO

30 - 34 Laura Home 3:05:22 Santa Cruz, CA

35 - 39 Janice Fliegler 3:18:14 Carson City, NV

40 - 44 Katrin Tobin 3:12:00 Santa Cruz, CA

45 - 49 Kathleen Morell 3:28:08 Ketchum, ID

50 - 54 Barbara Peterson 3:41:14 Berkeley, CA

55 - 59 Cindi Toepel 3:52:38 Littleton, CO

* TOP AMATEURS

Nissan Xterra Midwest Champions (Age Group Men)

Division Name Time Hometown

15 - 19 Kyle Kennedy 2:51:39 Vancouver, Canada

20 - 24 Luke Way 2:38:01 Calgary, Canada

25 - 29 Cody Waite 2:34:40 Denver, CO

30 - 34 Brian Grasky 2:38:07 Tucson, AZ

35 - 39 Calvin Zaryski 2:44:38 Calgary, Canada

40 - 44 Andrew Duenow 2:51:49 Anchorage, AK

45 - 49 Matt Morell 2:53:58 Ketchum, ID

50 - 54 Dawes Wilson 3:08:39 Vail, CO

55 - 59 David Rakita 3:18:27 Durango, CO

60 - 64 Woody Paylor 3:56:06 Red Deer, Canada

65+ Hans Dieben 4:34:14 Chula Vista, CA

MAUI QUALIFIERS: By virtue of their performance today the following athletes qualified for the Nissan Xterra World Championship in Makena, Maui on October 29.

Division

Name

Hometown

20 - 24

Suzie Snyder

Colorado Springs, CO

25 - 29

Tracy Stewart

Golden, CO

25 - 29

Sara Watchorn

Salt Lake City, UT

30 - 34

Molly Bockmann

Boulder, CO

30 - 34

Ashlie Angel

Durango, CO

35 - 39

Lara Usinowicz

Evergreen, CO

35 - 39

Lori Harvey

Boise, ID

40 - 44

Jennifer Powers

Park City, UT

40 - 44

Caroline Colonna

Taos, NM

45 - 49

Kathleen Morell

Ketchum, ID

45 - 49

Grace Bollinger

Littleton, CO

55 - 59

Cindi Toepel

Littleton, CO

Division

Name

Hometown

15 - 19

Kyle Kennedy

West Vancouver, B.C. Canada

20 - 24

Luke Way

Calgary, Canada

25 - 29

Cody Waite

Denver, CO

25 - 29

Luke Jay

Littleton, CO

30 - 34

Phillip Glenn

Reno, NV

30 - 34

Damian Gonzalez

Stockton, CA

30 - 34

Peter McMullen

Draper, UT

35 - 39

Calvin Zaryski

Calgary, Canada

35 - 39

Stephen White

Vail, CO

35 - 39

Ashley Burt

Gunnison, CO

40 - 44

Andrew Duenow

Anchorage, AK

40 - 44

Kevin Sheldon

Breckenridge, CO

40 - 44

Mark Gavach

Boulder, CO

45 - 49

Matt Morell

Ketchum, ID

45 - 49

Casey Fannin

Birmingham, AL

50 - 54

Dawes Wilson

Vail, CO

55 - 59

David Rakita

Durango, CO

60 - 64

Woody Paylor

Red Deer, Canada

65+

Dave Ballantyne

Laguna Niguel, CA

NEXT UP: Nissan Xterra USA Championship in Incline Village, NV, October 1.

The Nissan Xterra Mountain Championship is title sponsored by Nissan Xterra, and presented by Paul Mitchell and XTERRA Gear. Sponsors include the Nevada Commission on Tourism, XTERRA Wetsuits, Cannondale, Gatorade, Travelocity, GU, Suunto, Zorrel, Greater Ogden Athletics Legacy, Utah Sports Commission, and Snowbasin.

A special thanks to the many volunteers, the Utah Sports Commission, GOAL Foundation, and Snowbasin. Thanks also to all of the local sponsors: Autoliv, Bank of Utah, Biker's Edge, Boman Kemp, Bud Light/Wasatch, Gold's Gym, Kimberly Clark, KSL, McKay Dee Sports Medicine, Ogden City, Out of Bounds Creative, Petersen, Inc., RAMP of Weber County, Rooster's, Select Health, Snowbasin, The Standard Examiner, Utah Sports Commission, VanCott & Bagley, and Zion's Bank .

TEAM Unlimited, a Hawaii-based television events and marketing company, owns and produces XTERRA. This year there are 100+ events in 17 countries around the globe, including 50 in the Nissan Xterra USA Championship Series. Over the past 18 years "TEAM TV" has produced more than 235 television shows resulting in two national Emmy nominations, three regional Emmy's and 30 Telly Awards for production excellence.