Hawk on podium, Russell takes XC2
Team FMF/Makita Suzuki turned the Mountain Ridge round of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series into a private affair, with Josh Strang defeating his teammate Charlie Mullins after a dramatic three-hour battle in the rocks, mud, forests and fields of Western Pennsylvania. Am-Pro FMF Yamaha’s Barry Hawk finished third to collect his first podium of the season, while Shock Doctor KTM’s Kailub Russell won the XC2 Lites class ahead of Monster Energy/Andrews Yamaha’s Jason Thomas and Shock Doctor KTM’s Cory Buttrick.
Strang’s win marked his fourth in the last five GNCC races, and also the second time this season that he and Mullins finished 1-2. In contrast, championship rival Paul Whibley had a tough day. The New Zealander smashed a waterpump cover and put a hole in his radiator, but still dug out a seventh-place finish in the XC1 class. Strang now holds the …Â Details
Lance Armstrong was apologetic and avoided launching into a verbal war with race organizers following the protest that marred the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, an accumulation of days and days of frustration and I think fear on a lot of people’s parts and then this war of words and this war of power afterwards that we have to avoid,†Armstrong said in a video message posted late Monday, the Giro’s first rest day.
Armstrong played an integral role in a group protest that ended up annulling times in Sunday’s stage because riders considered the city circuit through downtown Milan overly dangerous.
Armstrong was seen discussing the perils of the circuit with the race organization’s car as he pedaled through Milan… Details
Basque surfer Aritz Aranburu (Zarauz, EUK), 23, caused the upset of Round 2 at the Billabong Pro Tahiti last night by eliminating nine-time and reigning ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (Florida, USA), 37, in Round 2 of competition. Aranburu, who found his rhythm in the three to four foot (1 to 1.2 meter) waves breaking over the infamous sharp reef of Teahupoo, not only defeated Slater but also posted an impressive 17.27 point heat score (out of a possible 20), the highest total of the day, to finalize his exceptional performance.
“Kelly (Slater) is the best competitor and the best surfer in the world and I was just trying to stay focused out there so I could get my own waves,” Aranburu said. “Once I got that first score I almost felt more pressure because I was surfing against Kelly and I know what he can do with his priority. I just tried to put the pressure off and luckily …Â Details
A kiteboarder has collided with the Hawaiian Chieftain, an historic boat late, last Sunday on the Columbia River.
The crew of the Hawaiian Chieftain and the kiteboarder himself weren’t hurt, although a crash has happened.
The Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, which operates the Hawaiian Chieftain, said …Â Details
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