Gun Club 2012 Poster Art by James Biliter
by Joe Bellante
The Waffle/Dollar Hand-Up craze popped out of the toaster and into the Ohio Valley Cyclocross Series (OVCX) Saturday, October 6th at Caesars Ford Cyclocross (OVCX #3) in Xenia, Ohio. Despite the thick syrup on some of the nearly 400 racer’s hoods and downtubes, it’ll likely stick around for the rest of the season. In the Elite Men’s race, Mitchell Kersting (Bobs Red Mill) took the holeshot, stretched out the field and cracked the whip on the power demanding course for his first OVCX win of the season ahead of Michigan’s finest Tom Burke (Specialized Michigan) and Sven Baumann (Trek CX Collective/Wolverine Racing). Kersting’s teammate Katie Arnold took the Elite Women’s win, her second this year in OVCX, with Anna Jean Dallaire (Papa Johns) and Tennessee’s Jessica Owings (MOAB Cyclocross) rounding out the podium. Next weekend, OVCX returns to Cincinnati for the most popular race of the series, Gun Club Cyclocross, which starts with an actual shotgun blast and boasts a new feature this year, the DeFeet Flyover.
Featuring a “run-up” through an abandoned outdoor theater, the course showcased power sapping soft corners and straights as well as single-file singletrack, a section of tight chicane in front of the waffle dollar hand-ups of the Don Walker Cycles team tent and uphill barriers. That didn’t slow down the OVCX juniors on the driving end on the Cat 3 field. Spencer Petrov (QCW Lionhearts/Blue), Gunnar Dygert (Bissell/ABG/Nuvo) and Gavin Haley (Red Zone Cycling) put on a Jeremy Powers-inspired bunny hopping clinic seen in the video here.
OVCX#3 Caesars Ford CX Mens Elite Start © Velocity Image
In the men’s Elite race, according to Mitchell Kersting, “I was able to take the hole shot with my teammates in tow. The soft, sandy soil, high grass, and rough terrain strung out the race with me and several others from the Bob’s Red Mill team controlling the front.” The lead group selection was made within the first two laps with Kersting as the carrot in front of Burke and Baumann. “Sven and Tom were chasing hard the entire race and I think they started near the back which is very impressive.” Mitchell heads to USGP next weekend, adding, “I’ll miss my favorite race of the year, Gun Club!” Find complete results online at USA Cycling.
OVCX#3 Caesars Ford CX Mitchell Kersting. © Kent Baumgardt
Along with the shotgun start and spent shells and clay pigeons littering the traditionally technical course, racers at OVCX #4 at a Gun Club will be greeted with a new feature this Sunday October 14th, the DeFeet Flyover. With no stairs, everyone should be able to ride up, over and off. Of course it’s faster wearing DeFeet socks. Also new this year, with Toyota as a sponsor, drive your Toyota to the race for a chance to win some swag. Gun Club promoter, John Gatch joked about the Gun Club concessions saying there will be vegetarian options “for those who don’t eat what they hunt.”
The OVCX Series is presented by Zipp, Papa John’s Pizza, RoadID, BikeReg and Capitol Bicycles.
OVCX#3 Caesars Ford CX Dallaire & Arnold. © Kent Baumgardt
