Wells' third place good enough to clinch series victory
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Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Cannondale) beats Stephen Ettinger (BMC) for the win at the Catamount Classic.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
A rider soars off a five-foot "A" line jump(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Marc-Antoine Nadon (Scott 3Rox Racing) flying off a jump on lap four(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Richard Cypress Gorry (Whole Athlete/Specialized) catching some air on lap four(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Kerry Werner and Emily Shields(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Todd Wells (Specialized) going to the front on lap one(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Todd Wells (Specialized) taking command of the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale) riding in mud and tree cover(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
National Champion Stephen Ettinger (BMC Mountainbike Racing) with about a 30-second lead on lap four(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Mitch Hoke (Kenda/Felt) entering the grassy plain at the top of the course(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Jeremiah Bishop, Todd Wells, Max Plaxton, and Cameron Jette chasing Ettinger on lap four(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Stephen Ettinger (BMC Mountainbike Racing) riding one of the gap jumps(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Kohei Yamamoto (Specialized) was near the front at all times(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Howard Grotts (Specialized) showboating for the crowd(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Todd Wells (Specialized) tells his teammate Kohei Yamamoto to stop the pace-making on the last lap(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Kerry Werner (BMC) and Howard Grotts (Specialized) were together much of the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Cannondale) out-sprints Stephen Ettinger on the long grass finish(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Kohei Yamamoto (Specialized) gave Todd Wells numbers in the chase group(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Cameron Jette (Scott-3Rox Racing) was part of the chase group(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
US Cross Country National Champion Stephen Ettinger (BMC Mountainbike Racing) in his new kit(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Todd Wells (Specialized) leading the race partway through lap one(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale) got off to a poor start and had to play catch-up(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Todd Wells (Specialized) leading the race down one of the "A" lines(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Hamish Batchelor (Fluid Fin Race Team) was one of the foreigners racing(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Sepp Kuss (Rocky Mountain Chocolate) flying off one of the jumps(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
National Champion Stephen Ettinger (BMC Mountainbike Racing) leading the race on lap two(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale) chasing Stephen Ettinger on lap two after crashing(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Cannondale) seemed to be biding his time in the main chase group(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Todd Wells (Specialized) spent much of the race trying to drop Jeremiah Bishop but the two were well matched(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Cameron Dodge (Scott) riding some uphill switchbacks(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Mathieu Belanger-Barrette (OPUS\PGC) riding switchbacks(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
The turns on this course were numerous, tight, and steep(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
A rider makes it up a turn that caused problems for many(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air/Cannondale) riding one of the man-made rock gardens(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Todd Wells (Specialized) riding in third place behind Jeremiah Bishop(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Todd Wells (Specailized) clinches the Pro XCT title by beating Jeremiah Bishop at the Catamount Classic(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Max Plaxton (Sho-Air/Cannondale) won the Catamount Classic Pro XCT in Vermont on Saturday afternoon. Plaxton finished ahead of Stephen Ettinger (BMC) and Todd Wells (Specialized).
A star-studded field had shown up to battle for the Pro XCT title. Olympian Wells, Jeremiah Bishop (Sho-Air Cannondale) and Ettinger toed the line, each with a shot at top honors.
From the beginning, Ettinger took off and held a strong lead of about 20 seconds for the majority of the race. The US Cross Country National Champion was leading the race with one lap to go, but Plaxton closed the gap to him and won the sprint finish.
The battle within the battle was for third place between two men who wanted the Pro XCT overall title: Wells and Bishop. They, along with Kohei Yamamoto (Specialized), entered the finish chute each with equal chance of taking third. In a masterful demonstration of team tactics, Specialized teammates slingshotted Wells into the bronze position to take the Pro XCT overall win.
Yamamoto finished fourth, ahead of Bishop in fifth.
Both Wells and Bishop had comeback kind of races with Wells having to recover from a mechanical early in the race and Bishop having to recover following a big crash.
The opening Monument suits the Australian's versatility, durability and finishing speed so well, yet its trophy has remained within reach, but tantalisingly out of his grasp
