Mani, Kaiser are Tulsa Tough at Cyntergy Hurtland C2 on Sunday – Report, Results

TULSA, O.K.—Cyntergy Hurtland continued for a third year, and second as a UCI-sanctioned event, with one of the largest, single-day payouts for Elite Women and Elite Men on the Professional Cyclocross (ProCX) calendar. A total purse of $18,500 brought out strong fields for a full day of racing at Owen Park.

Under sunny and calm autumn skies, Caroline Mani (Van Dessel/Atom Composites) took the top prize for the Elite Women in a solo ride to the finish. A two-man sprint was won by Cody Kaiser (Lange Twins/Specialized) of El Dorado Hills, Calif., edging out last year’s winner Skyler Mackey (KCCX Team).

Mani Grabs Control Early in Women’s Elite Race

The competition in the Elite Women’s race featured four riders in the Top 20 of the ProCX standings, and all four riders have been on the podium this year. Mani jumped to the early lead, which she never relented. Sunny Gilbert (Van Dessel Factory Team) of Ballwin, Missouri had the French woman in her sights in the early laps, but could not gain any time. With one lap to go, she had second place clinched.

Caroline Mani leads the way up a set of stairs on the Hurtland course. 2017 Cyntergy Hurtland. photo: Propeller Communications

“It was a good challenge because Sunny is strong. She had a really good race last weekend, so I knew I had to be stronger,” said Mani, who is fourth overall in Elite Women’s ProCX standings. She races for France, so did not compete in the Pan Am Championships last weekend, and only raced Derby City Cup. She finished fourth in that C2 race. “I went off right away to try get a gap, and maintain it, and be careful. I crashed really hard in the pre-ride. So I know you can go down really quickly.”

With two wins at HPCX in New Jersey, Austin, Texas-native Samantha Runnels (Squid Bikes) battled with Gilbert for the early laps. She would finish third, 55 seconds back. Amanda Nauman (SDG-Muscle Monster) of Laguna Hills, Calif., would follow in fourth.

“I am really happy I came. The course is awesome. I think you did an amazing job,” added Mani, who captured her first win of the ProCX season in Tulsa. “Pushing the prize money is a big deal. You know, us racers we complain about prize money. So I wanted to support that because it’s a C2 and a pretty big deal.”

Caroline Mani celebrates her win. 2017 Cyntergy Hurtland. photo: Propeller Communications

Mani has finished in the Top 10 in all of her 11 other races in the ProCX calendar. It was the second podium of the ProCX season for Gilbert, who won the C2 race at Jingle Cross in Iowa in September. She has six Top 10s, including eighth place at Derby City Cup last weekend.

Women’s podium: Mani, Gilbert and Runnels. 2017 Cyntergy Hurtland. photo: Propeller Communications

Kaiser Outduels Hometown Hero Mackey

The Elite Men’s race was a see-saw battle between Kaiser and hometown-favorite Mackey. The eight-lap battle started with Tristan Uhl (Team CCR Racing) of Texas taking the holeshot. In no time, it would set up for a four-rider duel for the early part of the race, with two North Carolina riders, Travis Livermon (Maxxis-Shimano Pro) of Winston-Salem. and Alex Ryan (MOB CX Team) of Lewisville, keeping pace with Kaiser and Mackey.

“Today’s race at Hurtland in Tulsa was awesome,” said Kaiser about his first ProCX win of the season. He sits in 12th position in the ProCX standings. “We got off to a pretty rippin’ start, and then basically from two or three turns in, Skyler and I started throwing punches at each other. We had a group of four, then three, then down to the two of us. We just kept towing the line back and forth.”

The men head up the flyover. 2017 Cyntergy Hurtland. photo: Propeller Communications

“With two to go I attacked. With one to go he attacked. He put me on his toes, I hope I put him on his toes. And then going into that last off-camber section at the two steps and lots of turns, I think I just turned the screws a little bit more and got the win from there.”

Livermon dropped back with three laps to go, but never went away. He was closing on the final lap, and only finished two seconds behind Mackey to earn third place. Ryan would finish more than a minute and 53 seconds back for fourth.

“All in all a great, great race. I was really stoked to be able to come down and make it happen,” said Kaiser, who traveled from Louisville, Ky., where he finished 14th at the Pan Am Championships.

Men’s podium: Kaiser, Mackey and Livermon. 2017 Cyntergy Hurtland. photo: Propeller Communications

In addition to cyclocross races, Cyntergy Hurtland offered fans a new Parkathlon experience, a day of tailgating at the park with life-size outdoor games such as Jenga and Connect 4 and a cornhole tournament.

Three ProCX events are scheduled across the U.S. next weekend, Nov. 18-19, with six days of Category 2 racing. The Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series continues with Supercross Cup in Suffern, N.Y. Racing and a full course of family activities next to the “World Cup-style” venue will be hosted for a second consecutive year at Rockland Community College.

Racing in Indianapolis, Ind. will return to the Indy Cycloplex for the 2017 Major Taylor ‘Cross Cup. In addition to ProCX points for Elite Women and Men, there will be competitions for Junior 17-18 Men. It is also a stop for the Ohio Valley Cyclocross (OVCX) Series event.

And on the West Coast, the weekend of cyclocross in the Los Angeles area has a new name and a new home. CX MoVal (Moreno Valley) will be held at March Field Park, neighboring March Air Reserve Base. The event is co-hosted by the City of Moreno Valley Recreation and Parks and SoCalCross. Categories will feature ProXC points for U23 Men as well as Junior 17-18 Men, Elite Women and Elite Men.

Women's Results: 2017 Cyntergy Hurtland

Men's Results: 2017 Cyntergy Hurtland