18 year old Kyle Strait (Specialized/Oakley/Red Bull) recorded his best ever
results in World Cup racing at last weekend?s finals in Fort William, Scotland,
with an impressive 12th place in Downhill and 7th in the 4X.
The junior rider from Redlands, California was making up for a disappointing
World Championships where a snapped thumb shifter and a crash put him out of
contention for the Junior World Title. In Fort William he finished as the
highest placed junior in the downhill and 4X, coming within inches of his first
World Cup podium.
In the downhill semi final Kyle came in 32nd place with a 4min 30.32secs but
was confident he could take his Specialized Demo 8 faster in the top half of
the course, and then work harder in the physical lower half to pull in more
time in the final. This he did with an interval time that was the fastest to
that point, and finished up being in the top 10 for the day. As he crossed the
line Kyle took the lead and went straight to the hot seat. He was later beaten
by Neil Donoghue, but in the end took 12th and earned 67 world cup points
giving Kyle a ranking of 25th for the season.
?I?m stoked to be 12th in Fort William because my previous best was 14th in
Brazil but not everyone was there, and here there are a lot of Euros that are
super fast. Plus it?s one of the longest courses in the world so that?s harder
for me ?cause I know I?m not as fit as some of the elite guys yet.?
In the 4X Kyle had to fight back from a less than perfect qualifier where he
finished 21st, after a small mistake that caused a loss of rhythm. In the first
heat Kyle progressed with Mick Hannah (AUS). In the second heat Kyle came up
against NORBA Champion Jared Graves (AUS) who snapped his chain out of the
gate, so Kyle went onto win ahead of Hannah. In the quarter finals Kyle and
Hannah came up against Filip Polc (SVK) and Kamil Tatarkovic (CZE). Kyle lead
from start to finish as he began to feel very comfortable on the short Fort
William course. Now in the semi finals and therefore the final 8 for only the
second time in his career, it was time to face number 1 qualifier Gee Atherton
(Animal/Giant) and powerhouse Guido Tschugg (GER). Kyle lead from the start
until the last corner where he ran wide and was passed by Atherton, and in the
final sprint Tschugg?s power got him past Kyle who missed the final but less
than half a wheel.
This brought Kyle to the consolation final up against Greg Minnaar (Team G
Cross Honda), Damien Godet (FRA) and Filip Polc. Once again Kyle lead this race
until the 2nd last corner where Minnaar got past and then another smaller error
washed off speed allowing Godet through in the final straight, giving Kyle 7th.
?I got 7th in Schladming earlier this year but that was mainly through
defensive riding so I was a lot happier with this 7th in Fort William as I got
my P3 within a wheel of a podium, and I also lead or won most of my heats. I?m
really looking forward to next season and getting my first World Cup podium?.
Date:
16/09/2005