Stoltz, Vanlandingham win XTERRA World Championship
Press Release / 25.10.2010
The Caveman is not done clubbing the XTERRA competition. Not by a long shot. <br /><br />
Conrad “The Caveman� Stoltz (pictured) of South Africa made history by winning the 15th Annual XTERRA World Championship for the fourth time. Stoltz, who celebrated his 37th birthday the day before the race, is the first pro to win four XTERRA world titles.<br /><br />
He did it in trademark Stoltz fashion – leaving the competition in the dust with his daredevil mountain bike skills.<br /><br />
Stoltz (pictured) completed the course in 2 hours, 31 minutes, 7 seconds, which was more than five minutes faster than his closest competition. It was the second-largest margin of victory in XTERRA World Championship history.<br /><br />
“This feels the best by far,� said Stoltz, who also won the XTERRA world title in 2001, 2002 and 2007. “2007 was rewarding because I was able to come back from injuries. This year, there was a lot of emotional pressure.�<br /><br />
After crossing the finish line, Stoltz dedicated the win to his father, who is battling cancer in South Africa.<br /><br />
“No matter what the outcome of this race, I think my parents would be happy for me,� he said. “But I think bringing this big one home … is going to be the biggest gift I could give them.�<br /><br />
Stoltz came out of the swim in seventh place 20 seconds behind swim leader Seth Wealing, but more than made up for it with a record time in the mountain bike. He passed all the leaders early in the bike stage, and had a four-minute lead halfway through the course.<br /><br />
“The course was harder than I thought,� he said. “It was looser here than it has been in years – really loose, so I knew I was making time with every stroke of the pedal. The 29er just rolled over this loose, bumpy stuff.�<br /><br />
By the end of the bike, Stoltz had a five-minute lead on the field, and he maintained it during a lonely run. His bike time of 1:23:48, beat the previous mark that he set in 2002 by 24 seconds. Stoltz received $20,000 for the victory.
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