The season began March 3 in Texas at the 2012
Subaru of Georgetown Mellow Johnny's Classic. The women finished in the
top 10 with Heather Irmiger in 7th and Emily Batty in eighth. The men
all finished in the top 15 - Sam Schultz in fifth, Jeremy
Horgan-Kobelski in eighth and Russell Finsterwald in 15th.
At the second stop of the Pro XCT the US Cup
Triple Crown at Bonelli Park in San Dimas, California, the youngest
member of the team, Russell Finsterwald, was the only team entrant. The
20-year-old scored his first national series win on the short track,
topping off his 10th-place cross-country finish and his seventh-place
Super-D finish that weekend.
While Finsterwald was racing in California, the remaining team members were headed to the first World Cup race of the season in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, with these results.
- In her second season with the Subaru Trek
team, Emily Batty came up with a second-place finish. This was the
highest placing for her in a World Cup event, placing her on the list of
possible Olympic candidates for the Canadian team.
- U.S. teammate Heather Irmiger finished 15th, moving her up in World Cup rankings.
- On the men's side, Sam Schulz had the top U.S. placement for the men, finishing 42nd, and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski finished 72nd.
This first event marked the beginning of
qualifications for the 2012 Olympics. Based on 2011 results, riders are
placed on the long list for their countries. At the World Cup events,
the long list riders that place in the top five will be considered for
the team through May 22, 2012.
On June 15, 2012, the United States will announce its team of two females and two males.
The next World Cup race is April 14-15 in Belgium. The team then returns to the United States for the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. Watch for Drive's upcoming coverage from the Sea Otter Classic.
LOVE Trek Mountain Bikes? Stop by our showroom and see our Trek display model provided by Trek Stop.
