Tracy Moseley and Andrew Neethling of Trek World Racing took the wins at this weekend's ProGRT. It was a big weekend for Trek and Transition, and downhill racing in the US for that matter. Read on for the full article.
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Photos by Ryan Cathrall
Words by David Peacock
ProGRT numero doce concluded yesterday at Plattekill, NY, much to the delight of the super sophomore team Trek World Racing. In its second season, the main riders for TWR have been compiling an impressive list of results thus far, no thanks to the unbelievably light Trek Sessions (a recent weigh-in tagged Justin Leovs bike at just under 37 lbs). Both Andrew Needles Neethling and Tracy Moseley vanquished all challengers astride theirs, and in doing so proved that in New York, theres nothing you cant do, or something along those lines.
Men:
1. Andrew Neethling 2:43:48
2. Bryn Atkinson 2:44:47
3. Justin Leov 2:45:20
4. Duncan Riffle 2:47:44
5. Kieran Bennett 2:47:99
6. Logan Binggeli 2:48:91
7. Jared Rando 2:49.28
8. JD Swanguen 2:49.70
9. Mikey Sylvestri 2:49.83
10. Jurgen Beneke 2:51.35
Women:
1. Tracy Moseley 3:00:49
2. Melissa Buhl 3:05:47
3. Jill Kintner 3:09:14
4. Darian Harvey 3:29:93
5. Rae Gandolf 3:45:12
Juniors:
1. Bryson Martin 2:59:06
2. Nate Furbee 3:06:58
3. Samual Pensler 3:07:63
4. Trevor Trinkino 3:08:46
5. Alexandre Couture 3:11:97
6. Austin Benge 3:12:22
7. Logan Mulally 3:12:75
8. Alec Toney 3:14:45
9. Teddy Benge 3:19:56
10. Andre Schumer 3:22:33
Bryn Atkinson on his way to second place and first in the series thus far.
This was Moseleys second win of the series, having already defeated the competition in Port Angeles, and she rode with authority, posting close to a 5 second lead. Neethling posted a time of 2:43:48, topping Bryn Atkinson by just under a second. Third place honors went to New Zealander Justin Leov, also of Trek, while Duncan Riffle and Kieran Bennett filled the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. TWR also established a small victory away from the podium, as Neko Mulally was at the race enjoying the event and providing support for his friends and teammates. He was quoted as saying that the weekend was bittersweet, as he was unable to ride but fortunate enough to hang with his compadres. We all wish Neko an expeditious recuperation period; his return will undoubtedly be triumphant.
The course itself held up beautifully throughout the weekend. It was briefly mentioned that the track might be getting a bit dry, but showers on Sunday morning took care of any and all dust issues. This left it in perfect condition, the soil having soaked up an appropriate amount of water, and complaints were the last thing from any of the racers minds. With the somewhat hellacious experience of the recent World Cup in Maribor under many participants belts, and still fresh on their minds, the opportunity to race on a dry track was not taken for granted. Making like a jellyfish and getting down seemed to be the popular endeavor of this weekend, and Needles and Moseley just happened to do it best.
With his second place on Sunday, Bryn Atkinson shored up his overall lead in the standings. Jill Kintner managed a third place finish as well, cementing Transition Racing as one of the top teams in US racing right now. It was also a welcome sight to see Duncan Riffle stand on the podium yesterday. He has been doing well for a while on the World Cups, but a top result on home soil will surely do wonders for his confidence moving forward.
Thats it and thats all for now from New York. Well be back in August for the World Cup finals at Windham, but first its off to Northstar for the next ProGRT on June 26th. Until the next race, cheers!
