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Vanlandingham to join XTERRA Saipan
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Posted on Apr 09 2009
Shonny Vanlandingham, tagged as the most successful and decorated rider in the National Off-Road Bicycle Association series, is set to compete against the world’s top triathletes in the XTERRA Saipan Championship on April 18.
She will be crowding the likes of Julie Dibens of Great Britain, Renata Bucher of Switzerland, along with other international and local participants.
Vanlandingham joined the World XTERRA Championships for the fifth time last year finishing third behind Dibens and Bucher.
Dibens, who arrived last April 5 to acclimatize herself with the weather, said the world’s Top 3 will be having a tough race this time on Saipan because of the intricate swim, bike, and run courses the local XTERRA has to offer.
“She is definitely coming to Saipan,” confirmed Dibens.
She said Vanlandingham will be one of the bikers to be reckoned with.
Vanlandingham has 15 NORBA National race wins and three NORBA Series Championship titles to her credit. She won the U.S. National Short Track in 2005, the U.S. National Series XC in 2004, 2005, and 2006 as well as the Mountain Bike Marathon National Championship in 2007.
The 40-year-old Texan lives in Captain Cook, Hawaii where she owns a coffee plantation.
Over the past seven years more than 40 of the world’s finest triathletes and mountain bikers have made the trek to Saipan for the annual XTERRA Saipan Championship.
Among them are Olympic triathletes, XTERRA World Champs, and mountain bike phenoms from more than a dozen countries.
Contending on the men’s side is defending champ Andrew Noble of Australia, 2008 XTERRA Japan Champion and 2009 Guam Series champion Sam Gardner of Great Britain, Ulli Katzer of Austria, Jim McConnel of Great Britain, Takahiro Ogasawara and Taro Shirato of Japan, and for the first time since winning the inaugural race on Saipan back in 2002—Mike Vine of Canada.
Meanwhile, Wolf Mojica of organizer Tagaman Inc. announced yesterday that MARPAC will be the major sponsor of the event.
