Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

I T I Irl I I E. a lJl *=' _--- /- Russell Bobbitt kept lofferty honest en ierrte ro o second-ploce finish. a - I Stephon Edmondson mointoins third in lhe rerier gfter finishing rhird. The course, mostly single track, was tight and rocky, with plenty of creeks and slip- pery banks. Lafferty held a narrow three-point advantage over the competition after the first lap by dropping iust I I points, com- pared to 14 for both Edmondson and Bobbitt. However, Edmondson might have finished the lap in better shape, had it not been for a problem before the second check. "l watered-out my bike in a creek before the main gas area and lost about 45 seconds getting it started," Edmondson said. "That probably cost me a point, for su re." Rich Lafierty and Hoess ended the lap with l5 points each, followed by Delaware KTI'4 rider Tim Taber with 16. The short-course riders were done for the day after the first 50 miles, leaving only the A and AA rides to negotiate the final lap. And by now. a liSht rain was beginning to fall again, and ruts were starting to develop in certain areas, which made pass- ing a problem. However, Lafferty, Bobbitt and Edmondson each bettered their scores through the first half of the lap. The next-to-last check of the day included a section known as the "Waterfall," which was nor ridden during the first lap. lt consisted of a downhill run through 100 yards of a swift-moving creek, and at different points along the way there were ledges that created small waterfalls, which rhe riders iumped from. Lafferty and Bobbitt each dropped I I points through this section, while Edmondson lost l2- By the time the top riders reached the final section, a 20-mile trail of tight woods with lots of creek crossings, the rain had increased considerably and was now accompanied by hail and lightning. The ruts were 8efting deeper and the creeks were now running full, but Lafferty man- aged the elements well. dropping only l0 points at the final check. Bobbitt and Edmondson were still in a tight battle for the runner-up position, however, a mental error by Edmondson before the final check cost him a point, and both riders dropped l2 points at the check. "l messed up going into the last section and didn't fix my mileage on my compur- er, ' he said. "l ended up goinS in a minuae late, so it cost me a point going in and one 8oin8 out. But that was pretty much my only real mistake all day." When the cards were counted, Lafferty claimed a relatively easy win with 34 points, while Bobbitt edged Edmondson for second by a single point. 4l-42. Hoess finished fourth with a total of 48, while l'lastin claimed fifth with 65. "That last 20 miles was the wildest thing l've ever ridden," Edmondson said. "The lightning couldn't have been more than 30 yards away from me at one time. I about fell over it hit so hard. There was quarter-size hail coming down and pouring rain. There were a lot of really slick spots and if you got out of a rut, you were all over the place.'' Rich Lafferq/, who had been sitting in fourth position before the final check, watered-out in a stream and ended up with 39 points for the check and 74 points for the day, dropping him to loth. "l iust went into a stream and started to go around a guy and lost my footing, fell over and drowned my bike out," Rich Lafferty said. "l had to push it out of the stream, up onto the bank, take the tank otf and flip it upside down. lwas really bummed with how the last section went for me because, except for that, the event was pretty fun." "We dropped most of the points on the second lap, when the ruts started getting deeper," Michael Lafferty said- "We dropped quite a few points on the Waterfall, but the toughest part was that last bit. Riding the course twice made the ruts a little deeper, and it got to be a little tough and that iust starts working on you a little at the end. But when the rain started cominS down hard, lthought, 'Okay, just hold on for a few more miles."' C]{ I Sa[{T Jor SraTE PlrK Paf,x HrLrs, MrssouRt Rrsu[s: AP r 30, 2qr6 (nouND 4 or ll) AA: L raicha.l Laffe.ty (KIM)i 2. Ru$ellSobbitt (KTH): l. St€phen Edmon&on (fiH)r4. Fred Hoe$ (6c)i 5. Cody Matin (KTFI): 6. Leonard Keen (KIl'1)t 7. Cole Knkpatrick (KrM): I Slair Sorrano (Yam): 9. Tim Taber (KIM)i 10. Rth AMA FiIF RACING NATIONAL ENOURO SERIES POINTS STANOINGS (Aft€. 4 or I I rcundr): I r4,ke Lifiefty ( 106/2 winri2. aur*llBobbhr (91/l win); l. srEphen Edmonden (77);4. FEd Hoe$ (59); 5. Ri.h L.fierly (57)i 6. Blair B€Mno (36)i 7 Ldard Ken (14): 8. P,tri.k GarEhan (30);9- Nick Fahnnffr (10)r 10. Cody Hsrin (28). CYCLE NEWS . MAy 12,2006 5t

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