Marc Willers and Alise Post dominate the ABA SoCal Nationals in Chula Vista
The latest round of the American BMX Association Nationals, American Bicycle Association’s (ABA) SoCal Nationals, went down at the US Olympic Training Centre in Chula Vista, California, over the weekend, 16-17 April. The New Zealand BMX rider, Marc Willers, won the finals of both the Men’s Elite-class rounds to extend his lead in the United States championship series. On the other hand, Minnesota’s Alise Post also clinched victory in both Women’s Elite-class rounds to move to the 15th place in the championship standings.
Just two weeks ago, Willers had faced disappointment in the Union of Cycliste International (UCI) Supercross World Cup final in South Africa after crashing in the final. However, he had decided to leave that experience behind and made his way to Chula Vista with a positive attitude.
In the first round of the Nationals that took place on Friday, Willers came on strongly in the final. He got an amazing start and managed to get into the lead by the first bend. He maintained this lead throughout the course of the race to finish first. America’s Dave Merman and Nic Long finished in second place.
The second round of the Nationals Elite-class took place on Sunday. Once again, Willers showed a remarkable performance in the final. He managed to get an excellent start and took the lead very early in the race. He continued to build up his lead through the course of the race and eventually finished in first place. Australia’s Kahlen Young finished in runner-up position while San Diego’s Sam Willoughby rounded out the podium after finishing in third place.
“That now gives me six wins, a second and a third. We are only four months into the year and I already enough points to be up for the Pro Title that isn't decided until November,” said the estatic Willers.
So far, Willers has won six out of the ten races that he’s participated in this season. With an excellent weekend result, Willers has moved to top on the championship ranking table with 1668 points. Texan Kyle Bennett is sitting in second place with 1265 points while Willoughby is in third with 1157.
In the Women’s Elite-class field, Redline’s Post managed to walked away with a successful result in both, Friday as well as Sunday, finals. On Friday, her skillful and consistent riding saw her off to victory ahead of Florida’s Amanda Carr and Amanda Geving.
She managed to grab another victory in the Sunday final of the Elite Class after prevailing over an impressive line-up of female riders. Arizona’s Dominique Daniels finished in second place while New York’s Alaina Henderson took third to secure the last remaining spot on the podium.
The victories in Chula Vista moved Post to the 15th spot on the US Championship rankings with 304 points. She would have been probably much higher in the rankings if it was not for the injuries that had kept her off the bike till last month.
Daniels is currently leading the championship’s women rankings with 2051 points, while California’s Brooke Crain is in second place with 1494 points.
The next stop of the ABA BMX National Series will be at the Buffalo Country Fairgrounds in Kearney, Nevada, where the Cornhusker Nationals will take place from 29 April to 1 May.
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