Glorious weather! Just glorious! Some CX temperatures were present for the first race, but the temps and the racing soon heated up. Jim Behning had a fun course in store for the racers. The crick had a bridge over it to keep the endos from getting a bit too spectacular. There were 2 really long climbs and a lot of shorter ones. He even through in a flat section for the crit racers. The dismount was the concrete stairs behind the offices; a few riders rode up them! The kids enjoyed a short lap near the start/finish line. Many of them did many, many laps until they were told to stop.
The Men’s 1-2 race seems to be pretty consistent from week to week this season. David Gunnerson (Otterhaus/K&F Construction) and Nick Van Winkle (Specialized-BMW) went off the front. No one could catch them. Nick’s teammate Hank Beaver came the closest; he would place third. It came down to a sprint. With a bike throw, Nick won first by a tire width.
The Women’s 1/2/3 was a bit of an unknown today. Ali Lecraw (Sorella Cycling p/b Hincapie Sportswear) is off of a summer of guest riding for the pro women’s squad Colavita in some of the country’s biggest crits. Ali’s strong engine helped them get several podiums this year. Maria Carrelli (706P) was not about to let Ali have the glory. Grace Anne Ingram and Nicole Brasser (Cadence Devo) would also be in the mix for the podium. Ali got the holeshot on the first lap and put about 5 seconds up on Maria with Grace Anne within striking distance. By the end of the 2nd lap Maria caught Ali. They would stay together the rest of the race. No one would come close to them again. Just when it looked like it would be a sprint finish, Maria wiped out in the final turn. Loose conditions plagued riders on different parts of the course all day. Ali cruised in for first with Maria just behind in second. Grace Anne was third.
David Gunnerson was not tired enough from the Men’s 1-2 race, he took the win in Single Speed as well. One gear veterans Mathew Reeves and David Kemp (CX Mafia) rounded out the podium. Guy-with-a-cowboy-hat surprised everyone and got a top 5 or 6. We don’t know, we just report on what goes on.
