B. Jacques-Maynes, Carey, Thompson, and Abele Stike A wins at CCCX#2
B. Jacques-Maynes, Carey, Thompson, and Abele Stike A wins at CCCX#2
CCCX #2 was held at the former Army Base Ft Ord under beautiful summer like conditions. Which in this case was not ideal, for cross races are most exciting with a little temperature turmoil and weather mayhem added in for good measure. Yet the bright sunshine and picturesque blue sky didnt disappoint any of the racers who competed on a fast and in some sections technically challenging course. Most racers applauded the layout designed by the CCCX staff and really enjoyed the riding. Lap times were over 9 minutes which led to a physically demanding day in the saddle for all competitiors.
In the Elite Men's race Ben Jacques-Maynes showed why he was rated one of the top 10 fastest cross racers in the USA by Velonews. He bided his time racing with the group for a few laps on this course that featured many road sections, before launching a winning move that ended in a victory by 2:31 on 2nd place Steve Reaney (Cal Giant Strawberry). While fit looking Brett Hondorp (Sycip Racing) soloed in another 20 seconds back in third. The final time for the win was 1 hour 10 minutes. The duration, combined with the sun and wind made this race brutally long for some of the riders. Jacques-Maynes claimed his instant $100 cash payout for the win and said he will put it to a college fund for the new addition to his family! A bouncing baby boy! Second place was the stocky built Reaney, who rode a two man duel with Cameron Falconer (Hunter Cycles/DFL) before Falconer blew his cheerios, literally, and suffered a huge bonk. The opertunistic David Wyandt clawed in on the deflated Falconer, and as his new born little girl watched on, Wyandt pimped him at the line to claim 4th place, while the Hunter/DFL rider had to settle for 5th. Making out the top 10 on the day were Aaron Bonar (Sycip Racing), Flyin' Philip Roberts (Ritchey), Rob Evans and Ben Dodge (Rock Lobster/Jeff Traugott Guitars), and Matt Young (Sycip Racing). Thus having three Sycip Racing team mates in the top ten places.
The Elite Wome's race had Stella Carey (Kelly Bike Company) ride to a convincing win. Carey used a single speed set up on her Kelly cross rig to seperate herself from hard charging Shelley Olds (Rock Lobster/Jeff Traugott Guitar) by a time of 1:30. Olds had a strong ride and chased Carey as long as possible before riding in alone for the silver medal and a instant cash payout. Kristen Drum (Village Pedaler) claimed the final cash payout and the CCCX custom bronze medal another minute back. 45 seconds later the ever talented Heather Kirby (Velo Bella) came across the line to take 4th. While Kathleen Hennon (Freewheel) had a smooth ride and rounded out the top 5.
Men's 35 A field was the biggest group of the day for the 2nd race in a row. Thus making it the most competitive division, with its participants boasting many years of racing savy and knowledge. Tim Thompson (Euro Cycling Imports) showed solid form and incredible skill in outlasting the rest of the fine field and claiming a much deserved win. Thompson and Keith DeFiebre (Ritchey/Bay Bikes) broke away from the group on lap one working together with Defiebre leading thru the turns and Thompson doing super pulls into the wind. The on form Mark Howland (Black Market Racing) and Christopher Dougherty (Infineon Raceway) bridged up to the fast leading pair, and a four man break formed at the front of the race on this wide open course in the former army base. This group looked ready to take it to the finish, opening up a lead on all of the chasers. Thompson kept things interesting doing solid surges to test out the group while trying to deliver a win for Euro Cycling Imports. And it was DeFiebre who had to make the chase and bring the wily Thompson back into fold. DeFiebre had a high speed slide out on a off camber dirt turn, and there is no waiting in cross racing, so it was a 3 man break heading toward the end. Dougherty began to suffer back pains which hamperd his bid for the win. And it came down to Howland versus Thompson fighting for the Cash payout and gold medal for the win. Thompson, who used to travel the NORBA curcuit on the pro level, used that race experience to cunningly out fox the super strong Howland and take 1st place with a arm pump celebration by just a scant margin. Twenty seconds later Dougherty was third claiming the bronze medal and some gas money for his drive back home. Defiebre was joined by fine riding Reed Maxwell (Safeway), and those 2 were chased down by strong finisher Mike Mathews (Buy-Cell) on the last part of the final lap. Defiebre claimed the 4th spot by a spoke length over Mathews, while Maxwell had to settle for 6th place on the day. 7th and 8th place finishers were team mates Cesar Chavez and Brock Dickie riding for Buy-Cell, giving that team 3 riders in the top 10. Charles Hess (Bicycle Trip) and Eric Bustos (Cal Giant Inc.) rounded out the top 10.
Men's 45 A field is becoming a Mark Abele (Boure) highlight film. Abele, I dont think, has lost a race this year in his division and is now clearly the most marked man of the group. This accomplishment in a group that holds many nationally decorated and talented racers shows just how fine the friendly and personable Abele is riding right now. Abele finished 50 seconds ahead of Jim Gentes (Family Cycling Center), who in the past has sponsored the CCCX series with the Junior Gentes Fund. This sponsorship allows juniors to race at a discounted price, thus the former junior national champoin was giving back to the sport he loves so much! One minute after Gentes finished Euro Cycling Imports Norm Kreiss claimed the bronze medal in this very competitive group. Doug Hatfield (Family Cycling Center) used his cross racing talents to claim 4th on the day 20 seconds behind fireman Kreiss. San Luis Obispo's own Edwin Rambuski (Southern Sierra Cyclists) took a inspirational 5th on the day. A few years ago in this same army base Rambuski took a fall that looked simple but ended with a broken femur. Rambuski shows true character and determination in each race he competes in and seems to have made a full recovery from that incident. Infact he seems to be riding better then ever, and it shows that one can come back from such a major issue and be very competitive. Rounding out the top 10 on the day were Thomas Sullivan (Amsterdam Bicycles), Steve Stewart (Easton/Specialized), Frank Cuaresma (Cal Giant Inc.), Kim Akol (Team Bicyle Trip), and Larry Broberg (Team Bicycle Trip) in that order.
In the Women's 35+ field Beverly Chaney (Roaring Mouse) remained un defeated in the series posting a 45 second win over fast riding Melinda Jones (Team Santa Cruz). Chaney used the home field advantage to her full benifit doing practice runs the night before using a pacer that looked like her son on a bmx bike. Watch out for this kid if he can ride anything like the National Sport Division Mtn. bike champion Chaney. Amy Abele (Vello Bella) took a solid third place on the day and walked home with another custon CCCX medal for her work on the fast track. Henrietta Stern (Hot Flash Chicks) and Samantha Sommers (Team Santa Cruz) rounded out the top five on the day.
The B Women's division saw the closest battle of the day amongst the female races. Katrina Baumsteiger (Southern Sierra Cyclists) and Jammin' Janel Lodge (Black Market Racing) were locked in a epic duel of wills and racing abilities for most of the day. Baumsteiger was the winner of race #1 in the series and did not want to settle for second on the day. Yet the competitive and intelligent Janel Lodge was having none of that and constantly applied pressure to the speedy Baumsteiger. In the end it was a paltry 7 seconds that seperated the two. With the relieved Baumsteiger collecting her second win of the series. Surely this battle royal will continue during the rest of the series! Jana Roberts (Village Pedaler) claimed the bronze medal on the day only a scant 40 seconds ahead of up and coming Juli Schmidt riding for Team Ritchey. Alyse Weyman (Velo Bella) rounded out the top five on the day.
The story of the Men's B races just might have been the lean and talented 13 year old Jeremy Blalock (Joselyns). This youngster was charging against the rest of the field and knew exactly where to gauge his efforts having won the junior division the previous race. The 13 year old was attacking the front and really was doing most of the work that enabled a break to go clear in the first 2 laps. Locked on to the impressive Blalock's wheel were Brian Rogers (Sycip Racing), Murray Swanson (Peninsula Velo) and Martin Suro (Bay Bikes). This move went clear and after Blalock blew up as his thin body ran out of the youthful exuberance, it was left to 3 riders to decide the win. This three man battle was very exciting and it came down to the last few turns to make the placings. The reckless and skilled Rodgers used his technical abilities to just claim a hard fought win over Swanson and Suro in that order. These finishers were one second apart at the finish line, making it the tightest race of the day for the custom CCCX medals. Jeff Patton (Cotcam Cycles/AMD) missed the winning move and had to setle for a solid 4th on the day. The very talented Andrew Hammond (Specialized) took 5th on the day one second ahead of Blalock. Six seconds back came Jordi Cortes (Missing Link/Bianchi). With Ryan Glades (La Peine), Russell Anderson (Sunshine Bikes), and Joe Ernst (Sycip Racing) filling out the top ten spots in that order. Ryan Schlichting (SF Sort & Spine) just missed the top ten by only 10 seconds and looks poised to make that up in race #3.
The Men's C division was won by newcomer to the cross scene Jimmy Sopko (Bay Bikes). Sopko was filling in for Jeremy Keyes (Bay Bikes) who placed 2nd in race #1 of the series, but was on a fishing trip with his dog and in laws. So the virgin cross racer Sopko had to test the fishing grounds of the CCCX series and came out on top of a strong C group. Sopko was "rider down" on the last lap as the pressure of the win was building up in his first cross race. He was able to re group and hold off the fleet Alejandro Quintero (Pen Velo) by the samll margin of 4 secods. Two seconds later talented Travis Tonn (San Jose Bike Club) claimed the final medal postion in this hard fought race. The battle for top three was very close as only 6 seconds later Troy Mayfield (Spokesman) sprinted across the line and took 4th on the day. Credence Shaw (On The Couch Racing) filled out the top 5 with a solid day in the saddle and off the couch. Eric Sterner (Ride SFO), Geoff James, Geoffrey Thompsom, Charles Meehan (Ride SFO), and Antonio Diaz (Wolfpack), filled out the top 10 on the day in that order. Of note, Jesse Nickell (Bicycle Trip), and Norman Spiers (SOCO) just barely missed the top 10 and look poised to combat the rest of the group for a precious top 10 placing.
Men's 35+ B division saw Murray Swanson win to stay undefeated in this division for the series. Swanson always seems to glide around the course like a swan heading south for the winter. He won the race by almost one minute over the gifted rider Tim Endes (Alan Racing). The Bramlett brothers were next in order and their director sportif instructed Jeffrey Bramlett to take the bronze medal while Mitch Bramlett settled for 4th on the day. The daring and always dangerous Deric Dangzalan rounded out the top five in this solid group of racers. William Muir (Stevens Creek/Eorpean) had a fight on his hands for preciuos series points and edged out Chris Rodriguez (Pegasus Bicycles/Allegiant Air) by a mere two seconds to claim 6th place. Next in order were 8th place Chris Baker, 9th place Bob Barwick (Family Cycling Center), and 10th Mike Colombani.
Scott "Dino" De Laurentes used his tremendous fitness and cut muscular build to post a solid win in the Men's 45+ B division. The daring De Laurentis attacked from the gun and ended with a win by 19 seconds over the classy rider Peter Sherrill (Mt. Nittany Wheelworks). William Hall was third on the day claiming the final medal for the group. Matt Dunstan (Scotss Valley Cycle Sport) and Toulumne's own Bruce Lodge (Black Market Racing) were hooked up in a great war for the 4th and 5th places in the group. Dunstan seperated himself from the tenacious Lodge by 15 seconds in the end and relageted Lodge to the 5th spot.
The Junior fields are going very strong for the CCCX series 2005, and it seems that the Bicycle Trip has the most established junior development program going to date. Many of the riders are sponsored by Bicycle Trip, and it shows that this shop clearly has stuff moving in the right direction for the Santa Cruz area's junior riders! Junior Women saw Tania Lokmagozian and Jesse Blalock, who are good friends, do solid races with Tania taking first and the always smiling Jesse taking the silver medal!
Jr. Men 13 & under saw the Bicyle Trip group dominate the field and really make an impact in the group. This strong team was led by Dylan MacDonald who took the gold medal and Noah Karter taking the silver. Dean Kimmey broke up the Bicycle Trip party and stole the bronze medal with a fine ride in a solid group of young racers. Other Bicycle Trip riders to show well were Raymond Mendoza, Oliver Nickell, Jordan Vanderstoep, Thomas Mendoza, Trent Knebel, and Darik Thunstrom, in that order. Logan Mahler also had a solid race on this long loop that featuread a little of everything for the cross racing juniors.
Junior 14-18 field showcased a on going batttle between two local juniors who have faced each other many times during the past years. In the early days it was Logan Loader (Alan Bikes) who used to get the upper hand on little Jeremy Blalock. But as the competitve Blalock has grown up, the soon to be 14 year old has made up the difference on the older Loader, and it now seems this battle has shifted to the thin figured Blalock's advantage. Thus Blalock put the hurt on the fast starting Loader this past Sunday, and it is now up to Loader to find the form to challenge the 14 & under national Mtn. bike champion Blalock. Blalock won the race by only 30 seconds over a under raced Loader, so look for this battle to continue through out the rest of the season and longer. Tim Reuss (Bicycle Trip) had a solid ride and held off Jesse Nickell (Bicycle Trip) by 20 seconds to claim the bronze medal. Taylor Shamshoian riding for Scotts Valley Cycle Sport finished 5th in this strong junior field.
The Singlespeed division was full of named riders who have made their mark in past CCCX races. One of the featured riders was 2004 CCCX series champion "The Coaster" Brad Koester who races for DFL. But the incredibly long race took its toll, and "The Coaster", who struts his singlespeed stuff through the red light district of San fransisco, fell victim to the length of the race and settled for 4th on the day. Mike Mathews was the winner of this fixed gear division with a fine ride on the nearly 2 mile CCCX cross track. Dylan Snodgrass (DFL) claimed the silver medal in 2nd place and team mate Patrick Mayall (DFL) was the bronze medal winner in 3rd. Michael Martin (Team Santa Cruz) spun his single speed bike to his best abilities and was a solid 5th for the day.
by Dusty Downs
CCCX #2 was held at the former Army Base Ft Ord under beautiful summer like conditions. Which in this case was not ideal, for cross races are most exciting with a little temperature turmoil and weather mayhem added in for good measure. Yet the bright sunshine and picturesque blue sky didnt disappoint any of the racers who competed on a fast and in some sections technically challenging course. Most racers applauded the layout designed by the CCCX staff and really enjoyed the riding. Lap times were over 9 minutes which led to a physically demanding day in the saddle for all competitiors.
In the Elite Men's race Ben Jacques-Maynes showed why he was rated one of the top 10 fastest cross racers in the USA by Velonews. He bided his time racing with the group for a few laps on this course that featured many road sections, before launching a winning move that ended in a victory by 2:31 on 2nd place Steve Reaney (Cal Giant Strawberry). While fit looking Brett Hondorp (Sycip Racing) soloed in another 20 seconds back in third. The final time for the win was 1 hour 10 minutes. The duration, combined with the sun and wind made this race brutally long for some of the riders. Jacques-Maynes claimed his instant $100 cash payout for the win and said he will put it to a college fund for the new addition to his family! A bouncing baby boy! Second place was the stocky built Reaney, who rode a two man duel with Cameron Falconer (Hunter Cycles/DFL) before Falconer blew his cheerios, literally, and suffered a huge bonk. The opertunistic David Wyandt clawed in on the deflated Falconer, and as his new born little girl watched on, Wyandt pimped him at the line to claim 4th place, while the Hunter/DFL rider had to settle for 5th. Making out the top 10 on the day were Aaron Bonar (Sycip Racing), Flyin' Philip Roberts (Ritchey), Rob Evans and Ben Dodge (Rock Lobster/Jeff Traugott Guitars), and Matt Young (Sycip Racing). Thus having three Sycip Racing team mates in the top ten places.
The Elite Wome's race had Stella Carey (Kelly Bike Company) ride to a convincing win. Carey used a single speed set up on her Kelly cross rig to seperate herself from hard charging Shelley Olds (Rock Lobster/Jeff Traugott Guitar) by a time of 1:30. Olds had a strong ride and chased Carey as long as possible before riding in alone for the silver medal and a instant cash payout. Kristen Drum (Village Pedaler) claimed the final cash payout and the CCCX custom bronze medal another minute back. 45 seconds later the ever talented Heather Kirby (Velo Bella) came across the line to take 4th. While Kathleen Hennon (Freewheel) had a smooth ride and rounded out the top 5.
Men's 35 A field was the biggest group of the day for the 2nd race in a row. Thus making it the most competitive division, with its participants boasting many years of racing savy and knowledge. Tim Thompson (Euro Cycling Imports) showed solid form and incredible skill in outlasting the rest of the fine field and claiming a much deserved win. Thompson and Keith DeFiebre (Ritchey/Bay Bikes) broke away from the group on lap one working together with Defiebre leading thru the turns and Thompson doing super pulls into the wind. The on form Mark Howland (Black Market Racing) and Christopher Dougherty (Infineon Raceway) bridged up to the fast leading pair, and a four man break formed at the front of the race on this wide open course in the former army base. This group looked ready to take it to the finish, opening up a lead on all of the chasers. Thompson kept things interesting doing solid surges to test out the group while trying to deliver a win for Euro Cycling Imports. And it was DeFiebre who had to make the chase and bring the wily Thompson back into fold. DeFiebre had a high speed slide out on a off camber dirt turn, and there is no waiting in cross racing, so it was a 3 man break heading toward the end. Dougherty began to suffer back pains which hamperd his bid for the win. And it came down to Howland versus Thompson fighting for the Cash payout and gold medal for the win. Thompson, who used to travel the NORBA curcuit on the pro level, used that race experience to cunningly out fox the super strong Howland and take 1st place with a arm pump celebration by just a scant margin. Twenty seconds later Dougherty was third claiming the bronze medal and some gas money for his drive back home. Defiebre was joined by fine riding Reed Maxwell (Safeway), and those 2 were chased down by strong finisher Mike Mathews (Buy-Cell) on the last part of the final lap. Defiebre claimed the 4th spot by a spoke length over Mathews, while Maxwell had to settle for 6th place on the day. 7th and 8th place finishers were team mates Cesar Chavez and Brock Dickie riding for Buy-Cell, giving that team 3 riders in the top 10. Charles Hess (Bicycle Trip) and Eric Bustos (Cal Giant Inc.) rounded out the top 10.
Men's 45 A field is becoming a Mark Abele (Boure) highlight film. Abele, I dont think, has lost a race this year in his division and is now clearly the most marked man of the group. This accomplishment in a group that holds many nationally decorated and talented racers shows just how fine the friendly and personable Abele is riding right now. Abele finished 50 seconds ahead of Jim Gentes (Family Cycling Center), who in the past has sponsored the CCCX series with the Junior Gentes Fund. This sponsorship allows juniors to race at a discounted price, thus the former junior national champoin was giving back to the sport he loves so much! One minute after Gentes finished Euro Cycling Imports Norm Kreiss claimed the bronze medal in this very competitive group. Doug Hatfield (Family Cycling Center) used his cross racing talents to claim 4th on the day 20 seconds behind fireman Kreiss. San Luis Obispo's own Edwin Rambuski (Southern Sierra Cyclists) took a inspirational 5th on the day. A few years ago in this same army base Rambuski took a fall that looked simple but ended with a broken femur. Rambuski shows true character and determination in each race he competes in and seems to have made a full recovery from that incident. Infact he seems to be riding better then ever, and it shows that one can come back from such a major issue and be very competitive. Rounding out the top 10 on the day were Thomas Sullivan (Amsterdam Bicycles), Steve Stewart (Easton/Specialized), Frank Cuaresma (Cal Giant Inc.), Kim Akol (Team Bicyle Trip), and Larry Broberg (Team Bicycle Trip) in that order.
In the Women's 35+ field Beverly Chaney (Roaring Mouse) remained un defeated in the series posting a 45 second win over fast riding Melinda Jones (Team Santa Cruz). Chaney used the home field advantage to her full benifit doing practice runs the night before using a pacer that looked like her son on a bmx bike. Watch out for this kid if he can ride anything like the National Sport Division Mtn. bike champion Chaney. Amy Abele (Vello Bella) took a solid third place on the day and walked home with another custon CCCX medal for her work on the fast track. Henrietta Stern (Hot Flash Chicks) and Samantha Sommers (Team Santa Cruz) rounded out the top five on the day.
The B Women's division saw the closest battle of the day amongst the female races. Katrina Baumsteiger (Southern Sierra Cyclists) and Jammin' Janel Lodge (Black Market Racing) were locked in a epic duel of wills and racing abilities for most of the day. Baumsteiger was the winner of race #1 in the series and did not want to settle for second on the day. Yet the competitive and intelligent Janel Lodge was having none of that and constantly applied pressure to the speedy Baumsteiger. In the end it was a paltry 7 seconds that seperated the two. With the relieved Baumsteiger collecting her second win of the series. Surely this battle royal will continue during the rest of the series! Jana Roberts (Village Pedaler) claimed the bronze medal on the day only a scant 40 seconds ahead of up and coming Juli Schmidt riding for Team Ritchey. Alyse Weyman (Velo Bella) rounded out the top five on the day.
The story of the Men's B races just might have been the lean and talented 13 year old Jeremy Blalock (Joselyns). This youngster was charging against the rest of the field and knew exactly where to gauge his efforts having won the junior division the previous race. The 13 year old was attacking the front and really was doing most of the work that enabled a break to go clear in the first 2 laps. Locked on to the impressive Blalock's wheel were Brian Rogers (Sycip Racing), Murray Swanson (Peninsula Velo) and Martin Suro (Bay Bikes). This move went clear and after Blalock blew up as his thin body ran out of the youthful exuberance, it was left to 3 riders to decide the win. This three man battle was very exciting and it came down to the last few turns to make the placings. The reckless and skilled Rodgers used his technical abilities to just claim a hard fought win over Swanson and Suro in that order. These finishers were one second apart at the finish line, making it the tightest race of the day for the custom CCCX medals. Jeff Patton (Cotcam Cycles/AMD) missed the winning move and had to setle for a solid 4th on the day. The very talented Andrew Hammond (Specialized) took 5th on the day one second ahead of Blalock. Six seconds back came Jordi Cortes (Missing Link/Bianchi). With Ryan Glades (La Peine), Russell Anderson (Sunshine Bikes), and Joe Ernst (Sycip Racing) filling out the top ten spots in that order. Ryan Schlichting (SF Sort & Spine) just missed the top ten by only 10 seconds and looks poised to make that up in race #3.
The Men's C division was won by newcomer to the cross scene Jimmy Sopko (Bay Bikes). Sopko was filling in for Jeremy Keyes (Bay Bikes) who placed 2nd in race #1 of the series, but was on a fishing trip with his dog and in laws. So the virgin cross racer Sopko had to test the fishing grounds of the CCCX series and came out on top of a strong C group. Sopko was "rider down" on the last lap as the pressure of the win was building up in his first cross race. He was able to re group and hold off the fleet Alejandro Quintero (Pen Velo) by the samll margin of 4 secods. Two seconds later talented Travis Tonn (San Jose Bike Club) claimed the final medal postion in this hard fought race. The battle for top three was very close as only 6 seconds later Troy Mayfield (Spokesman) sprinted across the line and took 4th on the day. Credence Shaw (On The Couch Racing) filled out the top 5 with a solid day in the saddle and off the couch. Eric Sterner (Ride SFO), Geoff James, Geoffrey Thompsom, Charles Meehan (Ride SFO), and Antonio Diaz (Wolfpack), filled out the top 10 on the day in that order. Of note, Jesse Nickell (Bicycle Trip), and Norman Spiers (SOCO) just barely missed the top 10 and look poised to combat the rest of the group for a precious top 10 placing.
Men's 35+ B division saw Murray Swanson win to stay undefeated in this division for the series. Swanson always seems to glide around the course like a swan heading south for the winter. He won the race by almost one minute over the gifted rider Tim Endes (Alan Racing). The Bramlett brothers were next in order and their director sportif instructed Jeffrey Bramlett to take the bronze medal while Mitch Bramlett settled for 4th on the day. The daring and always dangerous Deric Dangzalan rounded out the top five in this solid group of racers. William Muir (Stevens Creek/Eorpean) had a fight on his hands for preciuos series points and edged out Chris Rodriguez (Pegasus Bicycles/Allegiant Air) by a mere two seconds to claim 6th place. Next in order were 8th place Chris Baker, 9th place Bob Barwick (Family Cycling Center), and 10th Mike Colombani.
Scott "Dino" De Laurentes used his tremendous fitness and cut muscular build to post a solid win in the Men's 45+ B division. The daring De Laurentis attacked from the gun and ended with a win by 19 seconds over the classy rider Peter Sherrill (Mt. Nittany Wheelworks). William Hall was third on the day claiming the final medal for the group. Matt Dunstan (Scotss Valley Cycle Sport) and Toulumne's own Bruce Lodge (Black Market Racing) were hooked up in a great war for the 4th and 5th places in the group. Dunstan seperated himself from the tenacious Lodge by 15 seconds in the end and relageted Lodge to the 5th spot.
The Junior fields are going very strong for the CCCX series 2005, and it seems that the Bicycle Trip has the most established junior development program going to date. Many of the riders are sponsored by Bicycle Trip, and it shows that this shop clearly has stuff moving in the right direction for the Santa Cruz area's junior riders! Junior Women saw Tania Lokmagozian and Jesse Blalock, who are good friends, do solid races with Tania taking first and the always smiling Jesse taking the silver medal!
Jr. Men 13 & under saw the Bicyle Trip group dominate the field and really make an impact in the group. This strong team was led by Dylan MacDonald who took the gold medal and Noah Karter taking the silver. Dean Kimmey broke up the Bicycle Trip party and stole the bronze medal with a fine ride in a solid group of young racers. Other Bicycle Trip riders to show well were Raymond Mendoza, Oliver Nickell, Jordan Vanderstoep, Thomas Mendoza, Trent Knebel, and Darik Thunstrom, in that order. Logan Mahler also had a solid race on this long loop that featuread a little of everything for the cross racing juniors.
Junior 14-18 field showcased a on going batttle between two local juniors who have faced each other many times during the past years. In the early days it was Logan Loader (Alan Bikes) who used to get the upper hand on little Jeremy Blalock. But as the competitve Blalock has grown up, the soon to be 14 year old has made up the difference on the older Loader, and it now seems this battle has shifted to the thin figured Blalock's advantage. Thus Blalock put the hurt on the fast starting Loader this past Sunday, and it is now up to Loader to find the form to challenge the 14 & under national Mtn. bike champion Blalock. Blalock won the race by only 30 seconds over a under raced Loader, so look for this battle to continue through out the rest of the season and longer. Tim Reuss (Bicycle Trip) had a solid ride and held off Jesse Nickell (Bicycle Trip) by 20 seconds to claim the bronze medal. Taylor Shamshoian riding for Scotts Valley Cycle Sport finished 5th in this strong junior field.
The Singlespeed division was full of named riders who have made their mark in past CCCX races. One of the featured riders was 2004 CCCX series champion "The Coaster" Brad Koester who races for DFL. But the incredibly long race took its toll, and "The Coaster", who struts his singlespeed stuff through the red light district of San fransisco, fell victim to the length of the race and settled for 4th on the day. Mike Mathews was the winner of this fixed gear division with a fine ride on the nearly 2 mile CCCX cross track. Dylan Snodgrass (DFL) claimed the silver medal in 2nd place and team mate Patrick Mayall (DFL) was the bronze medal winner in 3rd. Michael Martin (Team Santa Cruz) spun his single speed bike to his best abilities and was a solid 5th for the day.
by Dusty Downs
posted by funkdaddy at 3:46 PM
1 Comments:
thanks to the good writhing~!it was very interested to read.
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