It was a hot day on the SBX course for the U.S. as Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton, VT) and Faye Gulini (Salt Lake City) took first at the Visa Snowboardcross Cup team SBX event in Telluride.


In the team SBX format, national teams of two race each other. Four racers go down the course and once they cross the finish line, a sensor drops the gate of their teammate and the racing ensues till the first athlete crosses the finish line.

The Olympic silver medalist Jacobellis, who aced each of her heats, was teamed up with newcomer Gulini who, at just 17, was able to hold off world-class competitors for the Team win.

"I was so proud of her. She was riding so well down the whole course. She definitely nailed it and that's what it's going to take to hold off the Canadians," Jacobellis said of Gulini. "It's amazing as a rider to see her develop at such a young age.”

As for the women's strategy - Jacobellis led for the holeshot and Gulini made sure the gap never got closed.

"I have a weaker pull, so having Lindsey go first to give me that holeshot definitely made a huge difference," Gulini said.

Jacobellis and Gulini were followed in second by Canadians Maelle Ricker and Dominique Maltais and Switzerland's Simona Meiler and Tanja Frieden were third.

The snowboardcross athletes now have a break before heading to Bad Gastein, Austria, Jan. 9-11.
 
OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 Visa Snowboardcross Cup
Telluride, CO
Dec. 20, 2009

Team SBX

1. USA 1 (Jacobellis, Gulini)

2. Canada (Ricker, Maltais)

3. Switzerland 1 (Frieden, Meiler)

4. Switzerland 2 (Francon, Aubry)

5. Japan (Doi, Kuwashima)

7. USA2 (Chythlook-Sifsof, Yamada)