FOUNTAIN HILLS, Arizona, (April 6, 2008) -- U.S. Olympic hopeful Georgia Gould (Luna Chix) and Canada's Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) dominated the KENDA Cross Country, the finale of round two of the National Mountain Bike Series, the NOVA National, powered by SOBE Cannondale, held on a fast, technical, desert course at McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

These two also won the three-day stage race. Both won Friday's Super D time trial; and Kabush won Saturday's Short Track while Gould finished second in the women's race. Kabush and Gould now lead in the National Mountain Bike Series standings, with two of six rounds completed.

MEN
Kabush worked with a lead group of five over three fast laps of the technically challenging, yet relatively flat, 10-mile course. With an abundance of embedded rocks throughout, many riders with superlight tires on hard-tail bikes suffered flat tires.

Kabush was not troubled by rocks. The 2007 NMBS series champion went to the lead on the first lap, with four others. These were: Adam Craig (Giant), Barry Wicks (Kona), Santa Cruz, Calif., the 2006 US Under-23 champion, Sam Schultz (Subaru-Gary Fisher), Missoula. Mont., and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher), Boulder, Colo.

On the second lap, Schultz, riding a hard tail, followed Craig through an alternative line that turned out to be full of sharp rocks. Craig floated; Schultz flatted.

Craig was doing a lot of pace setting as the end of the race drew near. After working with him and others in the lead group for two laps, going into the final three miles, Kabush grew restless and started to attack the group as they crested the repetitive 15-second climbs that reared up from among the cacti. The first two times the group came back together on the following descent, but the effect of these repeated attacks took its toll as Wicks and Horgan Kobelski lost touch with the battling Craig and Kabush. Finally Craig could no longer pull back the Canadian on the descents and so the finishing order was decided.

Horgan-Kobelski took third at 50 seconds and Wicks rolled in fourth at 1:30. Another 45 seconds later, Liam Killeen (Specialized) of Great Britain outsprinted Canada's Mathieu Toulouse (Maxxis), and Carl Decker (Giant), Bend, Oreg. to claim fifth spot.

WOMEN
Georgia Gould, 28, of Missoula, Mont., blasted off at the start of her two-lap, 20-mile race and was not seen by her rivals until the end, which she reached one minute, forty-seven seconds ahead of her team-mate Katerina Nash..

Nash, 31, a Czech native who now lives in Truckee, Calif., might have ridden with Gould all the way had she not gone down hard at the first corner and done herself an injury to the left knee that required stitches after the finish.

A group of eight riders formed to chase Gould, which later reduced to four as the race progressed and riders succumbed to double flats. Canada's Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher), was in fourth place when she double-flatted. Wendy Simms (Kona), and Catherine Pendrel (LUNA) were two other highly-placed riders stopped or delayed by flat tires - a spate of which came in the second half of the final lap.

Australia's Dellys Starr (Dale's Pale Ale) took third place, ahead of Kelli Emmet (Giant), Colorado Springs, in fourth and Kathy Sherwin (SOBE-Cannondale), Heber City, Utah, in fifth.

What they said

Adam Craig (2nd place XC; 3rd Overall)
"It's hard to use this race as a form guide. It's more of a skills/short power course, none of us were really breathing super hard."

"The course was twisty and techy with sharp corners and rocks everywhere. It was about riding your bike: knowing how to corner well and float over the rocks. It was super-fun, with berms and small jumps everywhere. Incredibly fun."

Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (3rd place XC; 2nd Overall)
"I feel really good. I was 3rd today and 2nd overall for the weekend. 2nd overall to Geoff Kabush is really solid, the way he's riding. My goal is to stay healthy until I leave for the World Cups in Europe ten days from now."

Georgia Gould (1st place XC; 1st place Overall)
"It was a fun course, very fast, and the temperature was not too hot. I got the hole shot and didn't look back... It was hard, it was so fast: only 1:20 for 20 miles. I rode a hard tail with tubeless tires, which gave me a lot of confidence, after seeing the rocks in the course last year I definitely wanted a stronger tire."

"I like the stage race format. I wish we could do more of them. We're here, so we may as well race, right? That's one thing about the World Cups: you do all that travelling and then it's just one short race and it's all over and time to pack up."

Katerina Nash (2nd place XC; 2nd place overall)
"I have only myself to blame for that crash, but in the end I had an epic ride, just passing other riders all along. It was a good challenge and it worked out in the end."

"I can only speculate about riding with Georgia today, but I know I've been feeling great the whole week, and was ready to put up a good fight against Georgia today."

:This injury is not good timing for me. My place on the Czech Olympic team is determined by results from the first three world cup races, which start at Houffalize in ten days. Czech Republic has one place, and I have some competition for that place. Tereza Hurikova is a very strong, super-talented 20 year-old. I beat her at the Czech national championships last year, but she has beaten me. We are close; it will be an exciting fight."

About The National Mountain Bike Series
The 2008 National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS) comprises six rounds and is the premier mountain bike racing series in the United States. It is sanctioned by the national governing body of cycling sports, USA Cycling. The series determines the most consistent performers over an entire summer's gruelling competition. For more information and to see the complete 2008 NMBS calendar, visit www.mtbnationals.com. For all non-media inquiries, please send email to: info@mtbnationals.com.

2008 NATIONAL MOUNTAIN BIKE SERIES - SCHEDULE KEY: XC=Cross Country, ST=Short Track, DS= Dual Slalom, 4X=Mountain Cross, DH=Downhill, Super D=Super D

Round 1 March 29 – March 30, 2008 UCI C1	Fontana National Southridge Park Fontana, California XC/DH/ST/4X/Super D
Round 2 April 5 – April 6, 2008 UCI C1	NOVA National McDowell Mountain Regional Park Fountain Hills, Arizona XC/ST/Super D
Round 3 May 17 – May 18, 2008 UCI C2	Santa Ynez National presented by Platinum Performance Ted Chamberlin Ranch Los Olivos, California XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D
Round 4 June 28 – June 29, 2008 UCI C1	Deer Valley National Deer Valley Resort Park City, Utah XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D
Round 5 July 12 – July 13, 2008 UCI C1	East Coast National Windham Resort Windham, New York XC/DH/DS/ST/Super D
Round 6, Series Final August 30 – September 1, 2008 UCI C2	National Mountain Bike Series Finals Tamarack Resort Tamarack, Idaho XC/DH/4Xor DS/ST/Super D