Maxwell and Schempf Tie-Up BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series Titles – UPDATED – Full Results

by Fatmarc Vanderbacon

Taneytown, MD, USA:  Thanksgiving means tradition and family gatherings throughout the country. As the BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series wrapped-up its 2009 season, it brought together the MABRA cyclocross family for one last time and awarded the Maryland/DE/DC State Championships. The final race in the series, the MABRA Championships in Taneytown Maryland, offered 50% more points than other races in the series.  This meant that many categories were to be decided here. In the Elite men’s race, six riders were still mathematically in the running for the overall series championship. Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted the riders, but the week’s weather left a parcourse that was soft.  Sections of the course had deep, peanut butter mud that forced the riders off of their bikes.

The Elite women’s race included Jennifer Maxwell of ATAC sportswear p/b The Bike Rack, riding an awesome run of three consecutive wins.  Maxwell would capture the MABRA Series championship if she simply finished today’s race. Arley Kemmerer, who was out of the running for the series championship, was looking to add another important victory to her palmares as well. From the gun, Kemmerer charged for the front and held that position all race. Kemmerer ran a methodical race, driving at the front and displaying her strength and considerable handling skills on route to victory. Maxwell, not content to use the race as a coronation parade, chased hard and nailed down a hard-fought second place. Lenore Pipes and Amy Breyla, both of C3-Athletes Serving Athletes, took third and fourth respectively. Libby Sheldon of T.E.A.M. Fuji was fifth.

With Six men still in the running for the highly coveted BikeReg.com MABRA Championship, the Elite men’s race had the potential for great fireworks. Last weekend’s two races quickly became tactical team battles, with BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series points leader Jared Nieters (Haymarket Bicycles) taking the win ahead of his young teammate Joe Dombrowski last Saturday, and C3-Athletes Serving Athletes’ Wes Schempf making a statement with his victory Sunday.

From the gun today, Schempf launched a vicious attack, taking a stranglehold on the race and refusing to relent. Dombrowski was the only rider able to respond, but a hard crash on the third lap would take him out of contention. For the second consecutive series race, Schempf dominated wire-to-wire to take the victory. Schempf commented on his tactics, “I just felt like my best chances were to get clear, ride my race and not let the race come down to a group at the end. If things played out, perhaps I could collect my second series championship.”  Meanwhile, the series championship was playing itself out behind Schempf. Nieters fought valiantly and was working very hard, but couldn’t pull Schempf back, finishing in fourth place. Schempf received a boost in his hopes for the overall title, as teammate and four-time Pennsylvania State Champion “Bad” Andy Wulfkule worked his way through the field and into a very strong second place finish. Greg Wittwer of the Alan Factory North America team finished third, with Adam Driscoll of Adventures for a Cure finishing fifth.  The team efforts of the C3-Althletes Serving Athletes teammates paid off as Schempf came from behind in the standings at the last possible moment to capture his second consecutive BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series Championship.

Elite Women Results

Elite Men Results