Sho-Air/Specialized’s Taberlay Takes U.S. Cup Unification Title.
USA Factory Team Specialized/Sho-Air | September 21, 2009
Team Sho-Air/Specialized’s Sid Taberlay capped of the 2009 season with a “bookend” win at the U.S. Cup Unification Race at Bonelli Park. Taberlay the men’s Kenda Cup West Pro Champion, and runner up in the PRO XCT series opened the season with a win at Bonelli in March and closed off the year with another convincing victory at Sunday’s Unification Shootout.
The men’s field blasted off around high noon, under bright sunny skies with temps soaring in the high 80’s. Immediately a group of 6 formed off the front including Team Sho-Air’s “moonlighter” Ben Bostrom of A.M.A. street bike fame, Team Turbo’s Ignacio Torrez of Mexico, Sean Donovan, Team Sho-Air riders Manny Prado, Sid Taberlay and Dana Weber.
Prado experienced a flat tire less than 15 minutes into the first lap and was gone from the lead group. He would later claw his way back to a 5th place podium spot, but wouldn’t factor with the leaders.
At the front, Bostrom set the early tempo for his team leader Taberlay and had many spectators wondering who and where this guy had come from.
Heading into lap 2 Bostrom experienced a mechanical and dropped back off the group of five. Shortly after, Torrez made the first acceleration and whittled it down to Sid Taberlay and Sean Donovan, as Trek’s Dana Weber lost contact.
Donovan was already showing signs of difficulty as he Yo-Yo’d off the leaders, but somehow managed to claw his way back onto the duo a few times.
Then out on the back section of the course, Taberlay showed his cards and laid down an attacked that only Mexico’s Torrez could follow. KHS/Cytomax’s Sean Donovan was unhitched for good with this latest attack, and quickly gave up ground to the leaders.
From there the crafty Taberlay played cat and mouse with Torrez as they each took pulls testing each other, looking for a chink in the armor.
The heat of the day was also adding to the difficulty, as riders began to deteriorate under the intense racing and sun.
Late into lap three, Taberlay saw an opening and punched it at the top of a climb before a fast, tricky decent. Immediately the Aussie opened up a 5 second lead on Torres.
From there Taberlay began putting real estate between himself and the Mexican rider on the 4th and final lap.
Eventually the five-time Australian National Champion put in two minutes and twenty seconds into 2nd place Torres and four minutes into eventual third place finisher Sean Donovan. Rounding out the podium in fourth was Trek’s Dana Weber, with Team Sho-Air/Specialized Rider Manny Prado making it back to fifth after a first lap flat tire.
At the end of 2009, Taberlay took the US Cup Unification Title, The Kenda Cup West Title, four PRO XCT podiums with one win and a second overall in the series.
