Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized) won the final race on USA Cycling's Pro Mountain Bike Cross-Country calendar (Pro XCT), the Missoula XC on Marshall Mountain in Missoula, Mont., to overcome a 10-point deficit to Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team) and top the final women's standings. Despite hometown hero Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru-Trek) winning the last race on the Pro XCT schedule, Max Plaxton (CAN/Specialized USA Factory Racing) topped the men's standings.

Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Factory Racing) finished between Plaxton and Schultz in the final standings. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek) finished fourth 30 points ahead of Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Rabobank-Giant).

Davison and Gould were followed by Emily Batty (CAN/Subaru-Trek) in third place while Chloe Forsman (Tucson, Ariz./BMC MTB Development Team) placed fourth and Krista Park (Madison, S.D./Cannondale-No Tubes) finished fifth in the final women's XCT standings.

In earning her first win on the Pro XCT, Davison was nearly two minutes faster than her closest competitor, Heather Irmiger (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek), and three minutes faster than Katerina Nash (CZE/Luna Pro Team) in the final results. Nash took a slight lead on the second of the four-lap women's contest. Davison capitalized on Nash riding off the singletrack to take the lead and never reliquished it. Proving to be the fastest climber and a strong descender, Davison gradually expanded her lead throughout the remaining two laps of the race.

Schultz won with a time of 1:18:49, one minute faster than his teammate Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek) and 2:34 faster than series winner Plaxton. The top three finishers in the final results stayed together through the first four of five laps of a course that has a lot of steep climbing, sharp descents and not a lot of recovery. Schultz countered to regain the lead and maintain his advantage through the descents, although the three riders stayed tightly packed. Schultz emerged in front on the final lap and, using the raucous energy from friends and family scattered throughout the course, rode away from Plaxton and Horgan-Kobelski for the win.

PRO XCT standings
Men
1. Max Plaxton (CAN/Specialized USA Factory Racing) - 1,140
2. Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./Specialized Factory Racing) - 910
3. Sam Schultz (Missoula, Mont./Subaru-Trek) - 890
4. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Boulder, Colo./Subaru-Trek) - 750
5. Adam Craig (Bend, Ore./Rabobank-Giant) - 720

Women
1. Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt./Specialized) - 1,090
2. Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna Pro Team) - 910
3. Emily Batty (CAN/Subaru-Trek) - 880
4. Chloe Forsman (Tucson, Ariz./BMC Mountain Development Team) - 810
5. Krista Park (Madison, S.D./Cannondale-No Tubes) - 738

Team
1. Specialized USA Factory Racing - 287
2. Subaru-Trek - 246
3. BMC MTB Development Team - 204
4. Luna Pro Team - 194
5. Kona Bikes- 136

For complete standings, visit the Pro XCT web site.

Pua Mata expands Pro UET lead as Prado assumes men's top spot

The USA Cycling Professional Mountain Bike Ultra-Endurance Tour (Pro UET) continued Saturday with the Galena Grinder in Ketchum, Idaho.

MEN

With only two events remaining on the Pro UET calendar, after winning the Galena Grinder, Manuel Prado (Huntington Beach, Calif./Team Sho-air) holds a 60-point lead over Colin Cares (Boulder, Colo./Kenda-Felt) in the Pro UET men's standings. Jay Henry (Avon, Colo.), Jonny Hintze (Salt Lake City, Utah/Bikers Edge) and Jonathan Schottler (Columbia, Mo./Michelob Ultra-Big Shark are tied for third place with 40 points each.

In the final results of the men's race, Prado topped the field, besting Hintze and Brett Nichols (Garden City, Idaho) on the 45-mile course.

WOMEN

Pua Mata (Huntington Beach, Calif./Team Sho-air) all but cemented her position atop the Pro UET women's standings by winning her third of three events, thus far. Mata had already won the Spa City Extreme 6-Hour in March and the Firecracker 50 earlier this month.

Three women are tied for second place, trailing Mata by 80 points. Jennifer Smith (Gunnison, Colo./Alpine Orthopaedics), Andrea Wilson (Cordova, Tenn./Mid South Velo) and Jana Repulski (Boise, Idaho) each have 40 points. Kelly Boniface (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Rebecca Rusch (Ketchum, Idaho/Specialized) are tied for fifth with 30 points apiece.

Mata actually finished the race second among all riders - male and female - only three minutes behind Prado in the final results.

PRO UET standings
Men
1. Manuel Prado (Huntington Beach, Calif./Team Sho-air) - 120
2. Colin Cares (Boulder, Colo./Kenda-Felt) - 60
3. Jay Henry (Avon, Colo.) - 40
3. Jonny Hintze (Salt Lake City, Utah/Bikers Edge) - 40
3. Jonathan Schottler (Columbia, Mo./Michelob Ultra-Big Shark) - 40

Women
1. Pua Mata (Huntington Beach, Calif./Team Sho-air) - 120
2. Andrea Wilson (Cordova, Tenn./Mid South Velo) - 40
2. Jennifer Smith (Gunnison, Colo./Alpine Orthopaedics) - 40
2. Jana Repulski (Boise, Idaho) - 40
5. Kelly Boniface (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) - 30
5. Rebecca Rusch (Ketchum, Idaho/Specialized) - 30

For complete standings, visit the Pro UET web site.

COMING UP

The penultimate event on the Pro UET calendar is the Hampshire 100 in Greenfield, N.H., on Aug. 21.

After Wildflower Rush Warren tops men's Pro GRT standings; Kintner extends her lead on women

With only one event remaining on USA Cycling's Pro Gravity calendar (Pro GRT), Cody Warren (Alpine, Calif./DRD X-Fusion Intense) and Jill Kintner (Ferndale, Wash./Transition Racing) lead the men's and women's standings. The calendar's final event is the Northstar Downhill, on Aug. 27-28 at Northstar at Tahoe.

Warren holds a narrow lead of only four points on Aaron Gwin (Temecula, Calif./Trek World Racing) in the men's standings. Kintner's lead of 80 points on Jacqueline Harmony (Sedona, Ariz./All Mountain Cyclery-Vixen Racing) is more substantial.

PRO GRT standings

Men
1. Cody Warren (Alpine, Calif./DRD X-Fusion Intense) - 104
2. Aaron Gwin (Temecula, Calif./Trek World Racing) - 100
3. Curtis Keene (Capitola, Calif./Specialized-SRAM) - 70
3. Justin Leov (NZL/Trek World Racing) - 70
5. Richard Rude, Jr. (Golden, Colo./Yeti Fox Factory) - 68

Women
1. Jill Kintner (Ferndale, Wash./Transition Racing) - 180
2. Jacqueline Harmony (Sedona, Ariz./All Mountain Cyclery-Vixen Racing) - 100
3. Darian Harvey (Durango, Colo./Vixen Racing) - 80
3. Joanna Petterson (Kapea, Hawaii/Specialized) - 80
5. Lauren Daney (Stafford, Va./Specialized Grom.) - 71

For complete standings, visit the Pro GRT web site.

Source: Dave Gaylinn, USA Cycling
www.usacycling.org