Berden makes his way through the sand during cyclocross at Sea Otter. © Mike Albright
Ben Berden has become, in the past few years, a staple in the American ’cross racing scene, and as a Raleigh-Clement racer, of course he was at the start line of the Raleigh Cyclocross race at Sea Otter last weekend. From the holeshot to the finish, Berden was untouchable, and we caught up with the race winner to find out what he’s been up to in the offseason.
Cyclocross Magazine: So, you took the win—how was it?
Ben Berden: I don’t fool around! Five months of not doing this, just base miles. It was fun.
CXM: Cyclocross in April?
BB: It’s fun for me!
CXM: This is it until September though? [Teammate Jamey Driscoll just announced his intention of racing mountain bikes for Raleigh-Clement in the offseason.]
BB: The next one is going to be Vegas or something. But we’re doing a lot of gravel racing this summer. We’re doing a 12 hour mountain bike race, Nicole [Duke] and I. And we’ll do some gravel. I can handle a mountain bike and I enjoy it, but I’m not racing.
CXM: How was the course?
BB: Like this winter—dry! Hopefully next season will be muddier.
Of note on Berden’s bike now is the fact that, with the addition of a single ring in the front, he elected to keep his shifters and now has both Shimano Ultegra right and left shifters set up to shift the rear derailleur. He’s been enjoying this setup, he told us, and for now, intends to keep it.
Berden’s double rear shifters. © Cyclocross Magazine
Also noticeable in the photo above are Berden’s Lake shoes—stay tuned for new gear from them for next season!
To get a sneak preview of what Berden will be riding in the fall, check out Raleigh’s new upgrades to their lineup, unveiled at Sea Otter.
Check out all of our tech goodies from Sea Otter 2014, and keep checking as we start to get rolling into the long weekend.
