For the second year in a row, the NORBA series ventured north to Idaho’s Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint, Idaho. This time around it was stop No. 6 on an eight-race slate that will conclude at the end of August with the series finals in Durango. Here’s a look at all the action from Idaho. Hesjedal, Koerber finish on top
Canadian Olympian Ryder Hesjedal and American Willow Koerber each took wins on a dusty and technical Sandpoint cross-country course to open racing in Idaho.

Hesjedal (Subaru-Gary Fisher), who will be a surefire medal contender in Athens, took the lead early during the three laps of the 10.6-mile loop. Ryan Trebon (Kona Clarks-Les Gets) and Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) joined him made on a break on the first climb up the dirt service road leaving the village. But by the time the riders rolled through the start/finish, Hesjedal had taken the lead.

Lap two saw U.S. Olympian Todd Wells (GT-Hyundai) move into third position behind Hesjedal and second-placed Kabush. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (RLX Ralph Lauren) had a strike of bad luck on lap two, as he rolled through the feed zone with a rear flat tire and abandoned the race.

In the end Hesjedal won going away, with Kabush second. Wells hung onto his third place spot, with Trebon and Adam Craig (Giant-Pearl Izumi) rounding out the podium.

Next it was the women’s turn, and as she did at the last NORBA in Vermont, Koerber (RLX Ralph Lauren) was top of the class.

Series leader Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna), Koerber, and Heather Irmiger (Tokyo Joe’s) led the pack up the first climb, but about half way through the first lap, Argentine Olympian Jimena Florit (RLX Ralph Lauren), Koerber, and Kelli Emmett (Specialized) had broken away.

From there Emmett and Koerber swapped the lead position several times. Emmett took the lead on lap two, only to have it taken away again by Koerber. In the end it was Koerber emerging from the trees in first place to put her stamp on the NORBA Series and prove that Vermont wasn't just a fluke.

With two consecutive NORBA cross-country wins, and a third place finish in a World Cup, Koerber now has the confidence she was missing before. “That was the thing missing for me,” she said. “Believing in myself makes all the difference.”

Koerber was followed across the line by Florit, with Emmett grabbing a career-best NORBA finish in third. Vanlandingham and Dara Marks-Marino (Ford Cycling) were fourth and fifth.

Carter and Kintner take MX
Mountain cross followed the XC action, and it was Americans Jill Kintner (Yeti) and Eric Carter (Mongoose-Hyundai) each earning wins.

Racing on a brand new course, the first turn proved crucial, as it was almost always the first person out of that turn that crossed the finish line first. The opening turn also claimed several victims because it forced all four riders to essentially compete for the same line.

In the men's finals Carter, Nathan Rennie (Santa Cruz Syndicate), Ross Milan and Rich Houseman squared off. Carter led the group out of the first turn and used that position to his advantage, staying in front for the rest of the way down the course. Houseman was second, with Rennie and Milan in third and fourth.

Meanwhile, Kintner continued her dominance of the NORBA mountain cross series, turning her top qualifying run into a solid race win. In the final Kintner lined up against Leana Gerrard, Melissa Buhl (KHS), and Michelle Dumaresq (Santa Cruz).

Just like Carter, Kintner took the lead right at the gun, and flew through the first turn staking her claim on the course. Buhl followed in second, with Dumaresq and Gerrard in third and fourth.

Super D was also contested on day one at Sandpoint, with Cannondale's Amy Hunter-Dillinger taking the women’s race and Amon Pease grabbing the men’s victory.

Dunlap and Kabush grab STXC
The final day at Schweitzer Mountain commenced with a pair of dramatic short track races. Alison Dunlap (Luna) and Kabush scored wins.

Early on Dunlap, Florit, Marks-Marino, Katerina Hanusova (Luna), Kerry Barnholt and Chrissy Redden (both Subaru-Gary Fisher) moved off the front and into the lead. As the race reached the halfway point, Barnholt and Marks-Marino were dropped off the back as Dunlap worked her way up to the front.

As Dunlap attacked only Koerber and Florit were able to keep pace with Redden, Vanlandingham and Hanusova not far behind. Halfway through the final lap, Dunlap made the decisive move on the climb coming out of the last corner and claimed the race win. Florit followed in second and Koerber finished in third. Redden and Hanusova rounded out the podium.

The men's race began at an incredible pace, with the early lead taken by Travis Brown (Trek-VW). He was accompanied by Kabush and Barry Wicks (Kona Clarks-Les Gets). The chase group included Chris Sheppard (Haro-adidas), Trebon and Brent Miller.

Kabush attacked with Brown and Trebon the only riders able to match his pace. Then Kabush and Brown picked up the pace, dropping Trebon. Kabush then dropped Brown with only two laps to go and went on to the win.

Brown and Trebon maintained their second and third positions, with Aussie Trent Lowe (Yeti) and Wells in fourth and fifth.

Also on the agenda on day 2 was the marathon, which began at 7 a.m. and covered 55 miles and over 10,000 feet of climbing on the back side of Schweitzer Mountain. One day after winning the men's cross country, and just hours before taking on the short track race, Hesjedal took on the ultra endurance event, posting a victory in 3:48:34 over Cameron Brenneman who was 10 minutes behind.

Chris Eatough (Trek VW) finished third, with Aaron Potts and Jeremiah Bishop (Trek-VW) rounding out the top five in the open men's category. In the women's open class, Monique Sawicki finished first in 4:57:13, followed in second by Emmett. Shannon Gibson, Angela Sucich and Dorothy Wong completed the podium.

Minnaar, Pruitt take DH races
The downhill closed out the weekend with crowd favorites Kathy Pruitt (Luna) and Greg Minnaar (Team G-Cross Honda) repeating their successes in Vermont.

The women were the first down the mountain. Bernadita Pizarro (Red Bull) flew through the technical sections at the top and took the lead in 5:39.7. But she was deposed by crowd favorite Marla Streb (Luan) who posted a 5:36.6. But Streb was done in by her teammate, as Pruitt powered down the home stretch to her second downhill victory of the season in 5:35, shaving 13 seconds off of her morning qualifying run.

In the men's contest, Dustin Adams (Giant-Pear Izumi) posted the first big time, but was knocked out by reigning world junior DH champ Sam Hill (Iron Horse-MadCatz).

But then came current world champion Minnaar, who grabbed his third NORBA win in a row. For the qualifying run, Minnaar had ridden conservatively so as to not suffer from arm pump for the final. The recovery time between races of around 2.5 hours is usually enough to recover, but this course was more demanding than most.

The strategy worked, as Minnaar outgunned reigning overall World Cup champ Rennie top take victory by less than a second.

The NORBA Series series now moves to Colorado’s Rock Mountains for round No. 7 at Snowmass just outside Aspen.

Haywood fights on
VeloNews received a short note from Sue Haywood over the weekend saying that she is headed to Federal Court on August 6 to see if another arbitration is possible in her battle to claim the lone U.S. women’s cross-country start spot at the Olympics.

“If the judge vacates the first arbitration then I get another [chance],” Haywood wrote. “If not then game over for me going to Athens.”

Haywood was named to the team by USA Cycling on July 16, but lost the spot to Mary McConneloug in an arbitration case a week later.