Logan Owen won his ninth consecutive cyclocross national championship when he finished first in the 2014 U23 race
One thing remains the same no matter where Logan Owen races. And it will doubtless hold true tomorrow in Hoogerheide at the 2014 cyclocross U23 world championships.
Sometime before he joins the field in the staging area prior to the start, his mom will text him or otherwise find a way to send him this message: GFWSB. It stands for “Go Fast Win Seabiscuit.”
His grandparents, uncles, parents – pretty much everyone in his family – and he sat down to watch the movie Seabiscuit when it was first released about ten years ago, which would have been before Owen’s first cyclocross national championship victory. The thoroughbred’s comeback story transformed into the motivational mantra GFWSB that fuels Owen when he races.
Logan Owen with his mom and dad in Boulder
After winning his ninth straight ‘cross national championship in January, Owen explained that he’s had to comeback in the past to win nationals. Sharing the mantra between mom and son has become a tradition, one could even say a part of his pre-race preparation.
Every year at ‘cross nationals his mom holds a sign inked with GFWSB. This year the back side of the sign read, “Nine is fine.”
Tomorrow in Holland Owen’s targeting a top ten from his first go in the U23 category at worlds. He said in January that he believes the course suits him well. One strong favorite to beat is Holland’s Mathieu van der Poel, Owen’s major nemesis last year in the 17 – 18 worlds race.
“Last year I was on such good form that I think if I didn’t have all the mechanicals and the crash at the beginning, if I rode a clean race, I think I would have gave [van der Poel] a run for his money. I had really good legs that day,” Owen said. “I haven’t really felt that great at all this season, except for maybe in Italy for road worlds…Hopefully I’m on great form again [in Hoogerheide] and I can challenge him again and maybe that would be my ticket to a top five, having that good of legs again.”
Perhaps the thought of GFWSB will give him the legs he needs.
Owen will be joined by the other men on the U.S. U23 team, Curtis White, Cody Kaiser, Tobin Ortenblad, and Yannick Eckmann. Eckmann is also targeting a top ten result in Hoogerheide.
U23 2014 U.S. cyclocross national championships podium (l – r) Yannick Eckmann 2nd, Logan Owen 1st, Cody Kaiser 3rd
They surrounded the 5280 Stairs like fans swarm l’Alpe d’Huez switchbacks during the Tour de France. They took up position at the ditch, the sand hill, the uphill barriers, and by the blue course tape in-between. Along the start-finish straight they pressed shoulder to shoulder, five deep in places.
The hometown crowds came out in droves for cyclocross nationals at Valmont Bike Park, especially for the elite races. And the athletes noticed.
Here’s what three elite men from Colorado had to say about the crowds and their rides.
Allen Krughoff (Raleigh-Clement)
Allen Krughoff slotted in behind Ryan Trebon, Danny Summerhill, and Jeremy Durrin after the start
Among 105 starters, Krughoff made it around the initial two turns and up the first climb in sixth position.
“I missed four crashes at the start,” he said. “I felt like that scene in Star Wars where they’re going into the Death Star.”
Kathy Krughoff, Allen’s mom, in super-fan mode at Valmont
Never had he sped past and soaked in the cheers of that many supporters in the crowd.
“So great. I made these goofy tee-shirts I bought from the thrift store. It’s just awesome.”
Always one to note the performance of his equipment, Krughoff added, “We had these Clement MXP tires and they’re just insane. It was awesome all around.” The MXP is an all-conditions model.
Krughoff finished fifth with a show of strength that helped earn him a discretionary slot for the world championships.
Speaking about his nationals result, he said, “I consider this a win. That was my top goal – fifth, legitimate goal. I was like, ‘If I get fifth, you can dump the champagne on me.’ So here we are.'”
Jamey Driscoll and Allen Krughoff leave Pete’s Plunge for the last time at 2014 cyclocross nationals
Brady Kappius (Clif Bar)
Brady Kappius takes the high line after dropping down the Valmont ridge
“It was good. I had a good start and then I might have faded a bit. My stomach was giving me issues half-way through,” Kappius said. “Russell [Finsterwald] dropped me like a rock.” Kappius gives his elite mountain bike friend, Finsterwald, pointers on cyclocross skills.
Maxx Chance plays Brady Kappius fan
“When I came through with two to go I figured out I was the last person who wasn’t pulled so the last two laps were just like a joy ride. It was fun.” Only one-fifth of the starters, 22 riders, finished on the lead lap.
Where did the Clif Bar rider find the most fun? “The 5280 Stairs were sweet – there were so many people there – and all the technical spots. I was hearing my name every two seconds. It was pretty awesome.”
Hours before the elite race, Maxx Chance (Clif Bar Devo) placed second in the 17 – 18 race. He had plenty of time to change and return to watch his elite counterparts compete. He cheered on Kappius with a poster. “Oh yea, I saw my poster,” Kappius said. “He was trying to hit me with it.”
Danny Summerhill (K-Edge/Felt)
Danny Summerhill on the south side of Valmont and after the shallower Belgian steps
“It’s always nice to race in front of a hometown crowd,” Summerhill told Dirtwire.tv. I would have liked to race a little bit better in front of them, but…”
Summerhill started fast. He placed seventh. In the finish zone he leaned on his Felt bike, quiet and with a heavy face that lacked his warm smile. Clearly he wouldn’t count Valmont among his best ‘cross nationals outings. “I’m not too happy with [my race]. Not the day I was hoping for by any stretch of the imagination,” Summerhill said.
Alex Howes leans over the fencing to blast an airhorn at Danny Summerhill
When asked what happened he offered that he was “just trying to get my hands back together from Bend and they’re not really there. Yea, that’s all I got.” One month earlier on December 7, riders raced in windy, snowy conditions and near zero degree Fahrenheit cold at the Deschutes Brewery Cup in Bend, Oregon. Some later reported frostbike and lack of feeling in their fingers.
At nationals in Boulder, the K-Edge/Felt rider’s supporters weren’t shy. Alex Howes, now a roadie with Garmin-Sharp, blasted an airhorn when Summerhill swung by. The two shared the ‘cross nationals 17 – 18 podium in 2005 when Summerhill earned gold and Howes silver.
Alex Howes and Danny Summerhill (l-r) at 2005 cyclocross national championships (photo displayed at Clif Bar Devo event in Boulder)
Jeremy Powers right after the effort to pass Shawn Milne and take the opening hill in first position
“One thing I learned quite quickly is that pressure and race anxiety is felt by the unprepared. When you are as well prepared as anybody out there, there is no point in being stressed out; just control what you can control.” — Erin Hartwell, U.S. Olympian track cyclist
Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus) took back the stars and stripes at the 2014 cyclocross national championships by riding a completely different race from his last outing with the nationals favorites at Valmont Bike Park and carrying out pre-event preparation that left almost nothing to chance.
Three months ago Powers approached the Boulder Cup at Valmont conservatively, attacking only on the final lap and taking advantage of others’ mistakes to win. He said then that he didn’t want to risk going too hard at altitude. So he carefully measured out his efforts.
In the beginning of lap 2 only Trebon could hang with Powers, with the next rider 15 seconds back
At nationals on Sunday he turned that plan upside down, scoring the holeshot and then driving into first position at the top of the circuit’s initial hill. His speed took Ryan Trebon (Cannondale – Cyclocrossworld.com) by surprise. “I thought it would be a hard final twenty minutes, but Jeremy went from the start, and I had to suffer,” Trebon told the media.
The elevation in Boulder hadn’t changed. But it appeared something had changed in Powers.
He arrived in Boulder the day after Christmas, sixteen days prior to the nationals elite race. Powers, who is from Massachusetts, indicated he felt stronger for his time at 5,400 feet (1,646 meters).
“Today was a great day. I had great legs,” he said after becoming champion again. “Colorado treated me right. Being here early was the right decision. I was able to push and push and push. I never felt like I was out of oxygen.”
Possibly Powers developed increased oxygen efficiency over two weeks at altitude. But if, as research indicates, that wasn’t enough time to create a real physiological boost, how is it Powers appeared and felt more effortless on course than the others?
Perhaps he breathed easily because he gained a psychological edge from dedicating himself to two weeks of pre-race preparation. An edge that reinforced his mental game. Training on Boulder roads and pre-riding the nationals course from the earliest opportunity signified a commitment to produce his best race which translated into performance. When he got to the start line he could fire it up from the gun and push even harder on the first hill because he believed he could dig deeper. Because he was ready.
Probably Powers’ preparation for nationals extends back to the evening of last year’s championship event where passed on the laurels to Jonathan Page. Powers wanted to reclaim the title this year “Pretty bad,” he told ProVéloPassion on Sunday. “I felt like last year I definitely came up short on my own expectations…”
In 2013 he came to Madison tired. He rode like he towed a mechanic’s toolbox off the back of his bike, finishing sixth and three minutes off the winning pace.
This season he adjusted his game plan to arrive at his best later in the season for nationals. And it worked.
Jeremy Powers wins 2014 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross national championship elite race
But he’s not taking full credit for pulling on a kit next season that includes red, white, and blue on more than just the collar.
“…I feel like, any time you are able to win a national championship there are so many things that go into it,” he said on Sunday. “So to win today, it’s not just my win. It’s for a lot of people. Every single one of my family members is here and to be able to do that in front of them, it’s a lifetime of work.”
Stay tuned for more nationals photos and comments from Colorado-based riders Danny Summerhill, Allen Krughoff, and Brady Kappius.
Russell Stevenson and Jake Wells sprint for the win
“Middle-aged” isn’t a very friendly label. It typically gives rise to undesirable connotations like going soft or past the prime of energetic youth. Once middle-age arrives, a woman falling into that category noted, people look through you like you don’t exist.
Masters bike racing, where riders aged 30 or 35 years or more compete, might be described that way. Aside from family and friends, most fans typically look past it to the pro/elite races for excitement.
That would have been a mistake at this year’s cyclocross national championships.
The battle between Jake Wells (Stan’s NoTubes) and Russell Stevenson (Voler) in the masters 35 – 39 age group provided more thrills than the men’s elite race. In the final lap the two traded first and second position multiple times. Sprinting to the line Wells and Stevenson rocked their bikes side by side, the winner decided by millimeters as they threw their bikes forward.
Jake Wells & Russell Stevenson after the 35-39 race finish
Wells’ cyclocross racing age is 36; Stevenson’s, 38. They fought each other. They also fought mother nature. During 45 minutes of racing they faced some of the event’s harshest weather conditions; wind gusts tossed riders a foot or more off their lines, forcing them into course tape tangos as they negotiated turns.
After the finish spectators held their breath as the officials examined the photo finish. Their decision brought elation for Stephenson and disappointment for Wells who led for much of the race until the final lap.
“It’s a bummer to not win; I definitely would have liked to win,” Wells said after the results were announced. “But you can’t ask for much better than that, just a bike throw.”
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- Andy Jacques-Maynes landed in 5th
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- Carrington & Stefko chase Case on the 5280 stairs
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- Teammate Kristin Weber with Chris Case
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- Jake Wells’ daughter greets her dad post-finish
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- Justin Robinson, 2nd last year, 16th in 2014
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- Men’s 35 to 39 into the holeshot
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- Men’s 35-39 podium: Case 4th, Wells 2nd, Stevenson 1st, Stefko 3rd, Jacques-Maynes 5th
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- Steven Stefko, on his way to 3rd, passes a lapped rider
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- Taylor Carrington placed 6th
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- (l-r) Troy Heithecker & Greg Krause on the Belgian Stairs
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- Bryson Perry finished 13th
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- Russell Stevenson had coached Amy Dombroski
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- If action didn’t catch your eye, Wiley Mosley’s kit would have
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- (l-r) Jared Nieters & Eric Collins
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- Jake Wells with a gap on Russell Stevenson
Rebecca Gross becomes the new women’s 30 – 34 national champion, in Valmont Bike Park
Rebecca Gross (Raleigh-Clement) out-paced BethAnn Orton (Team S&M) and then held off a charging Rebecca Blatt (Van Dessel Sports) to win her first national cyclocross championship on Friday.
“Typically it’s a little nerve-wracking to be at the front of the race,” Gross said after her masters 30 – 34 victory. “So that wasn’t really my game plan but it worked out.”
Rebecca Blatt leaves the off-camber “Pete’s Plunge” and heads to the Glades section of Valmont Bike Park
Gross joined the Raleigh-Clement team and traveled to more UCI races this season after riding previously with the Colorado-based Tough Girls. She’s a former masters cyclocross world champion, winner of the 30 – 34 category in Louisville in 2012. Friday provided an opportunity for her to honor that title with another championship result.
“I’m really stoked,” she said on Friday. “I think last year I was the only masters world champion who did not win their national championship – I had a little incident at the front, the very start of the race and bent my derailleur, which kind of kept me off pace the whole race. So I was really hoping for a good result today.”
BethAnn Orton leads in lap one on the 5280 stairs
From the start Gross kept an eye out for Orton and Blatt. The rutty course with icy patches played to Gross’ strengths as a mountain biker. This is her third full ‘cross season. Before racing in the U.S., Gross lived overseas as a member of the military service.
“I felt really strong yesterday. I was really excited about the course and I just kind of sat smart and watched what was going on,” she explained. “And then when I saw the opportunity – I think I was riding a couple of the off-camber things a little bit stronger so I took it. I went with it.”
Blatt went for it as well. She passed Orton for second, leaving the latter with third place. Melinda McCutcheon (Canyon Bicycles – Shimano) and BrittLee Bowman (Connecticut Yankee BC) completed the five-deep podium with fourth and fifth.
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- Alyssa Severn, #333
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- BrittLee Bowman finished fifth
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- Pete’s Plunge sentry
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- Rebecca Gross in interview mode
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- Victoria Steen, Meghan Korol (r-l)
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- 30 – 34 podium (l-r) McCutcheon 4th, Blatt 2nd, Gross 1st, Orton 3rd, Bowman 5th
Peter Goguen, the new 17-18 U.S. cyclocross champ
[updated 1/14/2014]
It’s hard to imagine American cyclocross without superstars Katie Compton and Jeremy Powers. But U.S. cycling fans need not worry. If either rider retires by five years from now, fans will still have a lot to cheer about. Perhaps even more so.
Maxx Chance makes ‘cross fun for the fans
By then the elite ranks will be packed with today’s 17 to 18 year-old juniors. Together with the younger riders coming up behind them, the depth of this junior talent treasure trove promises an increased American presence on the future cyclocross scene.
Cyclocross national championships in Boulder presented an opportunity yesterday to witness fifty-seven 17 to 18 men lean over their handlebars at the start line, speed into one of the fastest opening laps at the five day event, and then pour a season’s worth of preparation and hopes into 40 minutes of hard racing.
Just before diving into the first corner, Peter Goguen leads the pack
Peter Goguen (Race CF) from Massachusetts was fastest down the Valmont Bike Park start/finish straightaway. While others reached the first turn with mouths open and tense shoulders, Goguen appeared loose and at ease, as if he rode alone on a training ride.
Maxx Chance (Clif Bar Devo) knew Goguen was the rider to beat and tailed him around the corner and up the first hill. Goguen soon separated himself from the field while Chance remained in second. “Peter drilled it from the gun,” Chance later said. “I held on as long as I could. He got a gap and I just tried to keep it consistent each lap.”
Nearly all of the chasers had recently returned from a stint in Belgium either with EuroCrossCamp or the Clif Bar clan. Austin Vincent (Race CF), Lance Haidet (Bear Devo Team), Cooper Willsey (Cannondale p/b Cyclocross World.com), Boo’s Brannan Fix, Grant Ellwood (Boulder Cycle Sport/Junior Cycling), and Ethan Reynolds (Hot Tubes) made up the early first group behind Chance. The second group included Clif Bar’s Garrett Gerchar, Nolan Brady (RAD Racing), Javier Colton (Bend Endurance Academy), Gavin Haley (Red Zone), and Ian McShane (Sophisticated Living p/b Bob’s Red Mill).
Cooper Willsey ahead of Brannan Fix, Grant Ellwood, and Ethan Reynolds going into lap three
In the initial laps Ellwood quickly moved up. Together with Vincent and Haidet they pursued Chance but wouldn’t catch him.
Vincent defended third place to the finish. Reynolds surged into fourth while Haidet slid back for sixth.
Ellwood rode consistently and finished fifth, a significant result for the mountain biker and alpine ski racer in his first cyclocross season.
Willsey, who said at the finish that he found it hard to breathe and recover after a hard effort he put in during the third lap, got seventh. Brady, Gerchar, and Fix rounded out the top ten.
Those results mattered a lot; they factor into USA Cycling’s selection of the five juniors who will take part in world championships. Goguen, Chance, Willsey, Vincent, and Haley made the selection. They’ll represent the U.S. faces of the future in Hoogerheide, Netherlands during the first two days of February.
Listen to comments from Maxx Chance, Cooper Willsey, Grant Ellwood, and Liam and Cormac Dunn in this video.
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- Garrett Gerchar, Javier Colton, Nolan Brady (r – l)
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- Austin Vincent, Lance Haidet, and Grant Ellwood above the barriers
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- Austin Vincent and Ethan Reynolds crossing “Pete’s plunge”
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- Brannan Fix (right)
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- Chris Key
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- Cormac Dunn
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- Danny Summerhill supports the juniors
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- David O’Brien
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- Grant Ellwood in the bell lap
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- Holly Gerchar, mom superfan
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- Josey Weik (right)
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- Ian McShane
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- Liam Dunn
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- Maxx Chance finishes second
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- Nolan Brady
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- Peter Goguen greets fans at the finish
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- Maxx Chance
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- Peter Goguen at the uphill barriers
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- Lap one on “Pete’s plunge”
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- Kurtis Barth and Sam Rosenberg (r-l)
Most people don’t go to a cyclocross race to be reminded that life is unpredictable. But that’s at least one of the lessons spectators received from watching the women’s 40 to 44 age group race Thursday at the cyclocross national championships in Boulder.
Nina Baum becomes a ‘cross national champion
After winning the race Nina Baum (Stan’s NoTubes Women’s Elite Mountain Bike Team), a really good mountain biker, described herself as “terrible” on the ‘cross bike. She called her result “unexpected.”
Kristin Weber (Boulder Cycle Sport) only races cyclocross. The USA Cycling ranking system, whose outcomes some would treat lightly, predicted a win for Weber in this race. And with good reason. She enjoyed a fantastic season, winning multiple local races and the Colorado Cross Cup competition.
For most that kind of momentum can lead to high hopes. Weber, who lives in Boulder, wanted to win “really badly, because I have not had a good nats yet. I’ve been fifth two years ago, fourth last year, and I was like – of all of the years, this is the year.”
Baum produced the winning ride while Weber placed sixth. Each came to Thursday’s race with the best they could offer at the time. “She was off and I couldn’t even respond. I was like, whoa, she’s flying,” Weber said about the Stan’s NoTubes rider. “Mostly I just didn’t have the legs today. I just knew it pretty much from the gun. What are you going to do with that? So I just tried to do my best and minimize the damage I guess.”
Kristin Weber passes Lauren Costantini at 2014 cyclocross nationals, 40 – 44 race
So much goes into a successful forty minutes of racing – fitness, skills, and curveballs that arrive in the week leading into the big day.
For example, Weber’s children were sick. “…it’s stressful – usually I can roll with that I’m so used to it. That’s not the first time I’ve had two ER visits in one day,” she said, reflecting upon the previous weekend’s family events.
Then she crashed warming up on Wednesday. Before Thursday’s race she rubbed embro all over her neck and back to ease discomfort there.
“It can be so many variables that make it all come together when you have this caliber of women; the best in the country are here…I’m bummed but sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t,” Weber said on Thursday. “I had an awesome season and this was just a mediocre day.”
While they achieved different results, both women held one additional thing in common aside from an unexpected outcome on the bike: their kids matter the most.
Kristin Weber’s son, Will, had a question for mom after the race
For Weber, it’s her young two daughters and son. “I just have perspective. I have three kids that are way more important than bike racing [which] is my hobby…”
For Baum, it’s the kids on a cycling team she coaches called Get Out! New Mexico.
Winning a cyclocross national championship, she said “is nice because I feel like I’m representing the kids that I coach which is great…I just think of them when I race ‘cross. Mountain biking is more for me. But this is, I do it with them, I do it for them. I would probably not be racing ‘cross at all if I wasn’t coaching a kid’s team…”
Several of her kids raced on Friday. Two got top five results. They showed up and gave their best. And likely they’ll try again. Because you never know what can happen next.
Nina Baum’s winning Cannondale
[Video to come]
Tim Allen, 2014 single speed cyclocross national champion
Before now Tim Allen (Feedback Sports) wasn’t the first name that came to mind for most when ticking off the country’s top single speed cyclocross riders. His results list includes just one single speed ‘cross race. It took place five days ago. He only procured a bike with one gear a few days prior to that, stripping the gears off one of his Foundry steeds to create it.
Tim Allen’s single speed set-up
So he snuck into the one gear national championship race on Wednesday under the radar, but not for those who have raced Allen at the elite level in Colorado or seen him race.
He’s got a fast ‘cross start, a mountain biking background that includes single speed competition, and fitness and bike handling skills that produced multiple local wins this season.
Why single speed ‘cross now? He wanted to preview the Valmont Bike Park course before the elite race on Sunday. “Also, since I have two Foundrys I decided one of them should become a ss!” he told ProVéloPassion. The guy likes to play with his bikes.
He arrived for the single speed championships hopeful, though without thinking he’d leave Valmont with a gold medal. But he did. “There was so much competition…I didn’t really know what to expect,” he said.
“I’m super excited, couldn’t be happier,” Allen said about his nationals victory. “Home course. The bike was awesome and the course was a perfect mountain biker’s course. It really catered to my riding style.”
Race action
The intensity of the start probably didn’t surprise Allen. One of the local favorites, Will Iaia (Groove Subaru Excel Sports), described the two hundred meters or so after the whistle at Valmont.
“The start’s always good here with that long stretch,” Iaia said. “You can definitely get those single speeds up the highest you can get ‘em…Brady Kappius got out how he always does – super super fast, and I was just trying to hold his wheel…I think that’s kind of where the race was decided. Whoever hit that [first] corner in the top 5 or 6, that was going to be your top 5 or 6.”
Corey Stelljes & Brady Kappius (l – r) on the steep off-camber section nicknamed “Pete’s Plunge” after course designer Pete Webber
Clif Bar’s Brady Kappius shot through the initial right-hander first. Iaia flew after him, followed by Allen, Craig Etheridge (Raleigh-Clement), Edwin Bull (Van Dessel Factory Team) and the rest of the field in single file with Colby Pearce (Trek Cyclocross Collective) ninth in line.
That right turn brought the field uphill to Valmont’s high point. The course design milked that ridge for all it’s worth, sending the riders down a steep descent, back up to a sandy section, down again, and then back to the top via the 5280 run-up. Riders next negotiated a wide off-camber section that dropped sharply down the hill.
Men’s 2014 national championship single speed podium
Then the pack swung into the lower section of the course where a shallow set of stairs, barriers, and the pit are located. Allen stole the lead there from Kappius about half-way into the opening lap. One circuit later, six seconds separated Allen from Kappius, then a large gap stretched to the next set of chasers – Iaia, Pearce, and Corey Stelljes (Racers Against Childhood Cancer).
These five riders would make up the podium. The remaining guys behind them aimed for their best races. Of the 107 registered, 88 started.
By lap three Allen had extended his lead to upwards of twenty seconds. The chase group raced aggressively, trying to catch Kappius and shake each other. Pearce made a go for it but couldn’t hold the effort and fell back. His push excited the race announcers, whom Allen heard.
“I was a little nervous because I kept hearing them say Colby was coming on really strong and I knew he was riding really well,” Allen said. “But I also knew it was a short race, only being 40 minutes. I’m used to racing 60 minutes. So I had that too. Once I got a gap I knew I had to stay smooth, ride smart and hope for the best.”
With Allen gone, and two laps to go, Stelljes, Kappius, and Iaia fought for position and second place. Stelljes, who is from Madison Wisconsin, said his RACC team which includes mountain bikers, cyclocrossers, and triathletes, is a charity based in the Milwaukee area.
The RACC rider raced for a bit in second position on course. Kappius squeaked by him coming past the steep off-camber descent.
Jesse Swift’s post nationals bike
More mud accumulated on frames, pedals, and shoes as the race went on. “On the run-up you can usually ride really fast into it and carry momentum up,” Gates Carbon Drive’s Jesse Swift explained, “but it was all day long you were just dragging. You could feel the weight of the bikes on the run-ups.” Pearce later estimated he carried an extra eight pounds of frozen mud on his bike into the finish.
Stelljes experienced trouble clipping into his pedals.
“My mind just kept saying go, go go. I felt like I had a ton of energy, a ton of power out there, but I had to be clipped in to use it so it was kind of a surging race for me,” Stelljes said. “I think Brady got clipped in a couple of times a little quicker than me and he rode a really good tactical race, stayed in front of me coming into the finish and held me off.”
Brady Kappius holds onto second at the single speed national championship finish
With first gone, it appeared the Clif Bar rider poured everything he had into claiming second. In the three-way sprint to the finish line, neither Iaia nor Stelljes could pry it away from him. All three received the same time. Stelljes placed third and Iaia fourth. Pearce arrived 19 seconds later for fifth.
Wednesday’s result was Kappius’ best in three years, but a win would have been better. “Tim was just too strong,” he said. Kappius is scheduled to race in the elite contest on Sunday, as will Allen and the other top five single speed finishers.
Allen is a first time single speed cross racer, but not a first time national champion. In 2005 he won a junior mountain bike championship.
Looking ahead, Wednesday’s national title may not be his last. “I’m definitely going to keep riding sscx!” he wrote after the championship race. “I really enjoy not thinking about shifting…”
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Gallery
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- Tim Allen crowd pleaser
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- Samer Khodor (#49) lapped but happy
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- Nic Handy placed 13th
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- Kappius passes Stelljes
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- Jared Nieters finished 8th
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- Daniel Porter placed 6th
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- Colby Pearce
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- Andy Harmon
[updated 1/8/2014]
Between the absence of Adam Craig, the presence of mountain biking legend Travis Brown, and conditions which should be muddy but with Colorado weather can change quickly, the men’s single speed cyclocross national championship race on Wednesday will be one of the highlights of five days of racing for stars and stripes at Valmont Bike Park.
Craig (Giant Factory Off-Road Team) is effectively boycotting 2014 nationals to make a statement; he believes December is a better month for the event. Last year he easily rode away from the single speed field and won in street-style fashion riding with cut-off jeans over his skinsuit. The loss of Craig puts a gold medal within reach for many talented riders in the huge field of 106 (in 2013 the field numbered 58).
They’ll confront a course that locals are calling the hardest ever design for the venue; it includes a steep off-camber downhill right after the 5280 run-up stairs which in muddy conditions could turn into a crash-fest for less experienced bike handlers.
Brady Kappius
After pre-riding the course Tuesday, Clif Bar’s Brady Kappius wrote, “Going to be a hard one. The course is great and the conditions will just add to it. The strongest rider will win for sure.”
Kappius hopes to put an end to two years of bad luck. In 2013 his chain tensioner broke and he didn’t finish. In 2012 he finished fifth after course tape delayed him. This year he’ll ride a single speed frame, which should reduce the chance of mechanical problems.
Last year’s muddy conditions resemble the type of track that may face tomorrow’s contestants. “Looks like it’s going to be pretty muddy out there and I’m happy with that,” Kappius wrote earlier today. “The dirt at Valmont sheds pretty well so I’m not too worried about bike exchanges especially with a single speed.”
Colby Pearce likes to race single speed and elite races in one day
About fifty percent of the registered field are listed as Colorado residents. The state’s single speed ‘cross champion Colby Pearce (Trek Cyclocross Collective) is among them. When asked about the conditions and how that might affect the racing, Pearce wrote early on Tuesday, “It will be very challenging to ride SS tomorrow in these conditions.” Racers, he thought, would be unrecognizable by the time they cross the finish line in their mud-splattered kits.
Later, Pearce added, “There was often only one rideable line in many places today. Hopefully as more riders race and do laps this will improve but we won’t know for sure until tomorrow.
“One thing we do know is this won’t be a pretty boy So Cal style race – we will be grimey! It could have easily been bone dry…but we got some authentic ‘cross weather instead.”
Coloradoans Tim Allen (Feedback Sports), Will Iaia (Groove Subaru Excel Sports), and Gates Carbon Drive riders such as Jesse Swift and Mitch Westall should be counted among the favorites as well. Alpha Bicycle Co’s Nic Handy could pull off a great ride too.
Tim Allen wins Altitude Adjustment Cross single speed race
Allen rode and won his first single speed ‘cross race last weekend at Altitude Adjustment Cross, but he’s no stranger to racing on a single gear. He’s laid down tracks at mountain bike single speed world championships. Iaia dominated the early season local races; he placed sixth in 2013.
Last year’s podium after Craig in first included Aaron Bradford (Bicycle Bluebook), Isaac Neff (Trek Cyclocross Collective), Jared Neiters (SEAVS/Haymarket), and Adam Myerson (Team SmartStop p/b Mountain Khakis) in fifth. Neiters and Myerson are registered to race in Boulder.
Together with Raleigh-Clement’s Craig Etheridge, who has pocketed a nice collection of UCI wins this season, and Durango’s former mountain bike single speed world champion Brown, spectators can expect a scintillating battle up and down the hill and across the undulating flats of Valmont.
Will Iaia in Colorado state championship sand, Nic Handy (right) and Jesse Swift (left)
Georgia Gould wins day one of Altitude Adjustment Cross in heavy snow
[updated with new content 1/7/2014]
She’s back.
And Georgia Gould’s not surprised – as a seasoned and accomplished cyclist why should she be – that she’s racing like her cyclocross season began in September even though it started just three weeks ago at the Colorado state cyclocross championships.
She had taken a three month break from competition, but her wheels didn’t collect dust in the garage.
“I haven’t been training and racing for ‘cross but I’ve been riding my bike a lot,” Gould said on Saturday after racing again. “So it wasn’t just like, ‘Oh I think I’ll race state championships this weekend,’ like, off the couch.”
Luna Pro Team’s Gould became the new state champion with Meredith Miller (California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized) and Marin-Sky’s Nicole Duke in the mix for the podium.
On Saturday she enjoyed victory again at day one of Altitude Adjustment Cross in Longmont, Colorado. Gould crossed the finish line with a wave and smile as a course worker waited to sweep the line clear of rapidly falling snow.
“I had such a rough end of the mountain bike season that right now I just want to feel good in a race,” Gould said. “I had fun today. It was a good course.”
Gould looked smooth again on Sunday when she won day two of the Longmont event. Now that she’s three for three, she wouldn’t mind extending that streak.
Speaking on Saturday about the upcoming cyclocross national championships in Boulder, Gould sounded optimistic. And realistic. While Colorado locals Miller and Duke were registered for the Longmont event, they didn’t start. So three weeks have passed since Gould’s only outing this season versus some of the country’s top women and she hasn’t faced juggernauts like Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) or Cal Giant’s Elle Anderson, for example.
“But I’m feeling good. Really my biggest goal is to just – obviously I want to win, but that’s kind of a tall order for not doing a whole cyclocross season,” she said regarding her chances at nationals. “I’m going to just go out and just give it my best shot and hope that I feel good and soak up the awesome Colorado crowd that I’m sure will be out there.”
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Altitude Adjustment Cross Day 1
The juniors came out to play on Saturday. Katie Clouse (Canyon Bicycles) and Laurel Rathbun, riding in a Hammer kit, lined up in the first row. When Gould rolled up to the second row, she chose Clouse’s wheel.
Elite ladies start, Altitude Adjustment Cross day one
Rathbun won the holeshot. Katherine Santos (Red Zone Cycling) and Clouse started fast as well.
Gould decided to lay back a bit and slotted in about fifth wheel. Given the slippery conditions in the snow and sub-freezing cold, she knew a silky ride would count. “That’s the biggest thing for me, is staying within myself. The smoother you can be the better,” she explained post-race. “So I just kind of was patient at the beginning, because it tends to be kind of mayhem at any start; everyone’s jockeying. I just bided my time and tried to stay smooth and have fun.”
She moved up in the first lap, pulled into the lead by lap two, and carefully carried it home to the win with a nearly two minute gap.
Rapid Racing’s Kristal Boni started well and steadily advanced past Rathbun and Clouse by mid-race. Twelve year-old Clouse, who had traveled from Park City for pre-nationals training, held third on course until she broke her chain and pulled out. Rathbun’s efforts earned her third.
Kristal Boni descends from the Longmont course’s high point
Boni finished second after a smart and strong race.
“I felt really good and this course was so fun. I think the snow really suits me,” the masters world champion said later. “I just had a blast and tried to keep it nice and smooth, definitely slipped out a few times…I think a lot of it was go slow to go fast, you know, through the corners. Some of the corners especially on the pavement have gotten really slippery.”
Saturday’s experience set Boni up well for the single speed, 40 – 44, and elite races she will contest this week at nationals. “I’m super excited,” she said. “It’s a great result to have before next week.”
Altitude Adjustment Cross Day 2
Sunday dawned colder than Saturday, with temperatures barely reaching 20 Fahrenheit and a shy sun that alternately peeked out then returned behind the low clouds. A smaller ladies field started and Gould dominated from the get-go.
Katie Jay Melena (Bicycle Blue Book), Emma Dunn (Feedback Sports), and Rebecca Gross (Raleigh-Clement)] chased the Luna rider in search of second. Gross emerged the strongest of the group to finish next best after Gould. Dunn placed third with Melena fourth.
Julie Lockhart, legend in Longmont
Among those at the back of the field, one competitor in particular drew the most attention. Seventy-four years-young national champion Julie Lockhart trailed the elite field as she raced the women’s 55+ category for the second consecutive day. When Gould passed Lockhart on course the Luna rider cheered on the legend. “Awesome, awesome,” she said.
See the Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado website for full results from Altitude Adjustment Cross.
Gallery [more to come]
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- Georgia Gould chose to line up behind junior Katie Clouse
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- Rebecca Gross before Altitude Adjustment Cross start
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- Mackenzie Green (left) at the top of the run-up
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- Katie Clouse, Laurel Rathbun, and Kristal Boni negotiate the Longmont sandpit
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- Katie Jay Melena
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- Gould ahead of Rathbun and Clouse
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- Laurel Rathbun
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