The Elite Men's Podium (L to R), Goguen, Lindine, Myerson ©Lodrina Cherne
13 Regional Champions Crowned on Last Day of New England Season
FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS – 13 riders were crowned with the newly-conceived New England Regional Cyclocross Championship this weekend at the friendly confines of Coolidge Park in Fitchburg, MA. The first annual event hosted 240 riders during the two days, with exciting racing on a frozen, challenging course. The unusual cold snap New England has endured this past week made for a hard-packed and bumpy but fast parcours that the riders has to tame in order to become New England champion.
The Elite men’s race saw the New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series winner Adam Myerson (Cycle-Smart) take on a field including BikeReg-Joe’s Garage top dogs Justin Lindine and U23 rider Manny Goguen, and New England’s top Masters Jonny Bold (Corner Cycles) and Kurt Perham (Bikeman.com). Lindine showed right away that he was at home on the fast, firm parcours, and he left the rest of the leaders behind after the first two laps to capture the Elite men’s title. Goguen, with the U23 crown all sealed up, attacked on the last lap to beat an oncoming Myerson for second in the race and his second podium on the day.
The women’s race saw Maureen Bruno-Roy (Bob’s Red Mill) take the lead on lap 1 and not look back as she won her second championship on the weekend (she earned the Women’s 35+ title a day earlier). Lauren Kling (B2C2 p/b Boloco) outsprinted Hope Strode (Wheelworks Racing) for sixth in the race and earned the Women’s 3/4 title, and Emily Curley (Blue Steel Cyclery) defeated her teammate Victoria Gates for the Junior Girls 15-18 title.
One of the most competitive races highlighted the Saturday program, as the Masters Men 35+ race hosted New England talent Bold, Perham, Kevin Hines (Corner Cycles), and Mid-Atlantic powerhouse Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo). These four riders, who have won numerous National Championships, battled each other for the entire 45-minute program before Aspholm left the group behind to take the win. Bold’s second was enough to earn him the New England championship, with Perham outsprinting Hines for the final spot on the podium.
Other newly-crowned New England champions include Fitchburg-native Jeff Landfried (Northampton Cycling Club) in the cat 3 men’s race, Sam Morse (Corner Cycles) in the Masters Men 45+ race, William Sawyer (Gearworks-Spin Arts) in the Masters Men 55+ race, Marilyn Ruseckas (Seven Cycles-No Tubes) in the Masters Women 45+ race, Jaalen Pottle (JRA Cycles) in the Junior Boys 10-14 race, Nate Morse (CLNoonan-Bay Hill Capital) in the Junior Boys 15-18, and Anna Savage (Minuteman Road Club) in the Junior Girls 10-14 race.
Race promoters are already in the planning phase of the 2011 New England Regional Cyclocross Championships, due to take place on December 17-18, 2011.
