Coronado grad on rise with pro contract
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- Created on Sunday, 11 July 2010 03:53
- Written by Nathan
By BRIAN GOMEZ, THE GAZETTE
Russell Finsterwald jumps on his mountain bike the same way. The feel of the handlebars hasn’t changed. Neither has the indescribable adrenaline rush he experiences as he whips around corners, maneuvers across winding trails and blazes down straightaways.
Something is different, though. He’s riding for a professional team for the first time in his career, and that childish grin he wore is gone, replaced by a steely glare of confidence.
The Coronado High School graduate has made a quick ascent through the under-23 ranks, with a slew of promising results that paint a bright future and increased financial support from corporate sponsors that take the enormous strain off his checkbook.
Photos from the International Classic.
A seventh-place finish Saturday in the 4.9-mile short cross country portion of the Carmichael Training Systems International Classic at Cheyenne Mountain State Park creates a chance for Finsterwald to contend in Sunday’s final stage of the International Cycling Union (UCI) event, the last stop on the USA Cycling pro mountain bike cross country tour.
Finsterwald, 18, took fifth in Friday’s time trial, a 4.4-mile trip contested on the infamous “medicine wheel” trail, and stayed determined in the short cross country portion featuring the “cougars shadow” trail, with an extended climb and a technical downhill on a twisting single track dotted with large boulders. The closing stage is a 1.4-mile UCI criterium.
Since Finsterwald inked a one-year contract with Subaru-Trek in January, he has finished ninth at the Pan American Championships, 13th at a Swiss Power Cup and 15th at the last pro cross country tour stop, in June in Wisconsin. He placed 20th at the pro cross country tour opener, and he won the Ascent Cycling Series closer last month in Colorado Springs.
The seven-rider Subaru-Trek team, formerly known as Subaru-Gary Fisher, covers all of Finsterwald’s travel – his flights, his hotels, his rental cars and his meals on the road. His entry fees for competitions also are covered, and Subaru-Trek provides him with a racing bike and a training bike. The only out-of-pocket cost for Finsterwald is his racing license.
“I wasn’t sure where I’d be going into the season,” Finsterwald said, “but I’ve definitely kind of exceeded my expectations that I set. … I don’t feel much pressure from the team. I feel more pressure I put on myself because I don’t want to lose the opportunity I have.”
Never before has Finsterwald been so focused on mountain biking. He didn’t start racing until he reached high school, urged by his aunt. He previously competed for Springs bike shop ProCycling, and his only tips came from training rides alongside Alison Dunlap and Danny Pate. Plus, his parents footed most of his bill – $10,000 to $15,000 a season.
Subaru-Trek offers Finsterwald a platform to learn essentials, such as building endurance, from 90-minute races in the junior ranks to 2-hour races at the pro level. He also receives lots of knowledge from his accomplished teammates, including Boulder residents Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Heather Irmiger and Durango resident Willow Koerber.
“It’s definitely something I want to do, so I think I’ve gotten a little more serious because I want to pursue this,” said Finsterwald, who will attempt to defend his cross country and short track cross country titles at the national championships this week in Granby before heading to Switzerland and Italy later this month for World Cup events.
Finsterwald said Subaru-Trek will renew his contract “as long as I’m consistently getting decent results and showing progression. … I think things are going in the right direction.”
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