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Andy Zak's only real competition in Sunday's Crystal Springs Inline Marathon proved to be Rob Motta, Jr. But in the end, not even the speedy Motta could keep up with the muscular former ice skater, who powered away on the last hill to win comfortably. Zak and Motta broke away from the main pack with two other skaters on the first lap of the 50K race. Twincam's Danny Dunne had planned to stay with the leaders. But he was racing with a camera — and taking photos — and by the time he realized what was happening, the leaders had established a sizable gap.
Dunne tried to catch up and formed a chase pack with two other skaters, Linus Harth and Brian Oswald. But Zak and Motta pushed the pace, and the chase group was unable to bridge the gap. Zak and Motta worked together, trading leads for the next 45 kilometers. But on the fifth and final lap on the rolling road course, Zak attacked hard on the last hill, and Motta, who was skating with an injured back, was unable to follow. Zak, a former member of the U.S. ice speedskating team, finished 14 seconds ahead of Motta. Brian Oswald finished third, 29 seconds behind Motta. Oswald held off a late charge by Dunne, who finished fourth. The event was the second race of CORA's California Cup Inline Racing Series. Zak, of Las Vegas, NV, finished second in the first race, just behind Eddy Matzger, who did not compete Sunday. Zak leads the race series with 75 points. The next race is the Napa Valley Inline Marathon, July 15. Related reading: | ||||||||
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