The Luna Pro Team’s Katerina Nash and Scott-3Rox’ Geoff Kabush won U.S. Pro Cup Elite titles over the weekend, with Nash taking the win at the final round as well. The races were held June 28-29 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Nash and her teammates were in contention from the start of the race, as Georgia Gould and fellow Luna rider Catharine Pendrel took an early lead. Gould traded the front spot with other riders throughout subsequent laps, until an attack toward the end put Nash in the lead through the finish line, with Gould in second place and Pendrel in fourth. “Georgia did a great job, and I barely got to her in the end, so a great day for the team. The overall win is kind of emotional for me. I’ve raced for a really, really long time, and it’s the very first time I’ve won an overall cross country series,” Nash told cyclingnews.com. Pendrel and Gould also did well overall, with Pendrel in second place and Gould fourth for the season. Scott 3Rox’ Mikaela Kofman cracked the overall top ten, taking ninth place in the final standings and tenth place for the day.
Kabush, who took second place in the Elite Men’s race, needed just an 11th place or better finish for the day in order to win the title. Although not a member of the lead group in the opening laps, he made steady progress and took a podium spot with a late-race sprint. “I’m really excited for my Scott 3 Rox Racing Team to take home the belt for this first US Cup. It’s great to see the excitement building for cross country racing here in the US, and I’m also excited to take home this title. It’s definitely great to take home a big check as well, so big thanks to Scott Tedro for putting all of this together,” he told cyclingnews.com. Another Maxxis-sponsored rider was also on the podium, as Rocky Mountain’s Ralph Gagne took third place for the day and sixth place overall for the season. Kabush’s teammate Derek Zandstra also did well in the series’ overall standings, earning fourth place for the season and seventh for the day.
Luna’s Gould took another turn in the winner’s circle the following day when she won Elite women’s short track. Nash took an early lead before Gould attacked and gained the front spot, holding it until the end of the race. Nash took second place for the day.
Maxxis congratulates Katerina Nash, Geoff Kabush and Georgia Gould on their victories and championships, and thanks them for choosing the brand of champions.
