KAILUB CRUISES AT SNOWSHOE GNCC
I
f blasting down steep rocky ski
runs flat out in fifth gear can be
considered routine, then Kailub
Russell had one of those days
en route to the victory at the
Snowshoe GNCC at Snowshoe
Mountain Resort in Snowshoe,
West Virginia, June 23-24.
Generally considered the
crown jewel of the Amsoil Grand
National Cross Country Series,
the Snowshoe GNCC stands
out among off-road races thanks
to its unique and technically
demanding mountainous ter-
rain. The event is consistently
the most difficult of the 13-round
GNCC schedule and a steady
rain throughout the weekend
made this year's event even
more treacherous. However,
Russell didn't let the outrageous
terrain deter him, and took con-
trol of the race from early leader
Thad Duvall midway through the
race.
Duvall would eventually drop
out of the race due to a hand
injury, leaving Russell all alone
out front, where after three hours
of racing, he claimed a "fairly
routine" victory by 48 seconds
over second place.
"I didn't have any crashes or
get stuck, so it was a fairly rou-
tine race," said Russell. "It was
the usual cat-and-mouse game
with Thad at first, but going into
the last lap and a half I was able
to open up the gap. Then on
the last lap I got the pit board
that Thad had crashed and was
out. This is a tough race and I'm
happy to get the win heading
into the summer break, but I'm
bummed for Thad."
Grant Baylor is known to shine
in adverse conditions and this
year's Snowshoe certainly could
certainly be considered adverse.
After the start, the Tely Energy
IN
THE
WIND
P48
Kailub Russell
broke away from
the pack and took
the win at the
Snowshoe GNCC in
West Virginia.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
KEN
HILL
