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KONAWORLD (April 1, 2008) – Starting the racing season off in rock star
fashion, 26-year-old Barry Wicks claimed his
first ever NMBS victories over the weekend
in Fontana, California, at the first event
of the NMBS. Accompanied at the event by
Kona Factory Team members Kris Sneddon, Ryan
Trebon and Wendy Simms, Wicks strongly
confirmed that his transition from a
top-notch cyclocrosser to fat-tire tough man
is going quite smoothly.
On Sunday, during the STXC race, Wicks out-sprinted
breakaway companion Adam Craig to claim the
crown and his first NMBS win. But Wicks did
get some help from his friends. Sneddon and
Trebon lit the race track up for the first
four laps, which allowed Wicks to take a
comfortable position and conserve energy for
his solo push to the finish. Nearing the
end, Sneddon experienced mechanical issues
when his front derailleur twisted sideways
into his crank. Sneddon and Trebon finished
the race in the top 10.
In the ensuing Super D race, which started with a downhill
run on pavement, Wicks nabbed his second
first-place finish – again narrowly
out-sprinting Craig for the title.
“Two wins in one day is pretty sweet – I feel kind of bad I
had to punk Adam twice,” says Wicks, the
2006 national short track champion.
In the women’s STXC race, Simms reeled in a third-place
finish after a great opening hole-shot and
battling, not only some tough Luna Team
riders, but “legs that felt like monster
trucks.” On Saturday, Simms, who tried to
lock handlebars with the Luna ladies, nabbed
third place in the XC event which was her
best NMBS finish ever.
In Saturday’s men’s XC race, Wicks admittedly hit the
throttle too early and faded towards the end
of the final laps to finish fifth. Sneddon
took sixth place and Trebon finished 26th.
The NMBS replaced the NORBA label when
series directors Jeff Frost and Tom Spiegel
took over the reins in 2004. Gone are the
television cameras, huge cash prizes and
international field enjoyed by the series in
its heyday a decade ago. But one fact remains the same: North
America’s best still show up.
The four Kona riders will compete at the
second NMBS race this weekend in Fountain
Hills, Arizona.
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