National Championships Day 3: Masters and Espoirs Battle, Four Repeat

Cyclocross Magazine is in Kansas City bringing you live coverage of the national championship races along with daily reports and photo galleries, while trying to do a bit of racing ourselves. Day 3’s report is below. Also see our live coverage archive, Day 1 and Day 2 reports,  along with our Collegiate and Singlespeed, Men and Women’s reports from Day 4 of the 2008 Cyclocross National Championships from Kansas City.

by USA Cycling, photos by Larry Rosa

Six more national titles were awarded on the third day of competition at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships. After Nick Weighall (Millcreek, Wash./Rad Racing) secured his nomination to the U23 world championship squad, high winds dried out the climbing course at Tiffany Springs Park, making for some fast and furious masters racing.

With one of the most powerful young cyclocross fields ever assembled, the U23 men’s race featured some heavy weights squaring off in a contest showcasing the future of American cyclocross racing. Soon after Nicholas Keough (Sandwich, Mass./Jittery Joe’s-Sonic Cyclocross) grabbed the front of the 53-rider field out of the gate, a group of three joined him to lead the race through the first pair of laps. Weighall, Keough, Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Clif Bar) and Will Dugan (Burlington, Vt./RGM Watches), who blew up from the fourth row, set the pace until Weighall broke the group apart with about three laps to go.

“I heard the guys bobbling a bit on the climb and at the top so I just tried to take off,” explained Weighall.

With former junior world championship silver medalist Danny Summerhill (Englewood, Colo.) and his Clif Bar teammate Howe in hot pursuit, Keough was able to track down Weighall with two laps remaining. Shortly before the final bell Weighall, who won the 2008 U.S.G.P. series overall U23 title, made his break. He was able to stretch his lead to nearly 10 seconds before Keough poured it on. The 19-year-old Keough however couldn’t close the gap on the pre-race favorite and Weighall brought home his first national title. With too much time to make up, Summerhill and Howe grabbed third and fourth, more than a minute later, while last year’s champion Bjorn Selander (Hudson, Wis./Ridley Factory Team) finished in fifth. With his win in the U23 men’s race, Weighall secured his nomination to the five-man squad USA Cycling will send to the Netherlands to contest the UCI U23 Junior Cyclocross World Championships in late January.

“He’s a really good sprinter, so I didn’t want it to come down to that,” said Weighall of Keough. “I didn’t want Summerhill back up at us either.”

The early morning U23 women’s race was all Amy Dombroski (Boulder, Colo./Velo Bella-Kona) as the former ski racer completed back-to-back-to-back U23 national titles on the bike. Dombrowski went hard out of the gate and never looked back, lapping much of the field and winning the gold by nearly five minutes over her closest competition. Lees-McRae College’s Ally Stacher (Banner Elk, N.C.) finished second while 18-year-old Ashley James (Delafield, Wis./IScorp) grabbed the bronze.

“I treated it like every other race, going out hard and trying to maintain as you never know what can happen,” said Dombroski. “It was definitely a goal to defend the title, but tomorrow’s elite race is where the real challenge will be.”

The master men’s 30-34 contest was also dominated by a solo rider. Multi-time collegiate national champion, Andy Jacques-Maynes (Watson, Calif./Specialized-Giant Berry Farms) easily defended his national championship riding comfortably out front and taking the Stars-and-Stripes by just under one minute. The real battle was between Weston Schempf (Sinking Spring, Pa./C3-Sollay.com) and Ali Goulet (Salt Lake City, Utah/Ridley) who fought it out throughout the entire 45 minute race, before Goulet was able to win the sprint to the finish and take silver. After Sam Kreig (Pocatello, Idaho/Kreigcycling-Sienna-ICE) crossed the line in fourth, Justin Robinson (Santa Cruz, Calif./Giant Berry Farms) won a mass sprint to take the final podium spot.

After winning last year’s event on a last minute bobble by the leader, Brandon Dwight (Boulder, Colo./Boulder Cycle Sport) was out to prove he deserved the Stars-and-Stripes and he did just that. Amongst one of the largest fields of the year and probably the fastest race of the day, the men’s 35-39 contest played out much like a dirt criterium. A trio including Dwight, Matthew Kraus (Pleasantville, N.Y./Richard Sachs – RGM Watches) and Eric Sheagley (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Veloce-Felt) broke free in the early going with a chase group quickly forming. Nearly halfway through the race things began to break apart up front with Dwight turning on the gas and bringing home the national title.

“Last year it was so snowy that it was a little bit of luck and a little bit of skill, but this year it was whoever gets up that hill the fastest,” said Dwight.

After starting in the back half of the nearly 100-rider field Roger Aspholm (Haworth, N.J./Westwood Velo) fought his way to the front to win the 40-44 men’s national title. Aspholm dueled with former master time trial world champion, Richard Feldman (Ketchum, Idaho/Durance Cycleworks) for the majority of the race which proved to be one of the most exciting of the day. After pushing the pace, Feldman fell to the silver spot and Michael Wissink (Walled, Mich./Specialized) surged to grab the bronze.

Mark Kutney (Charlottesville, Va./Van Dessel Factory Team) and Henry Kramer (Menlo Park, Calif./California Giant Berry Farms) made things interesting, attacking and even taking early leads in the men’s 50-54 competition. Ultimately however hall of famer Ned Overend (Durango, Colo.) took control and brought home yet another national title.

The 2008 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships will conclude with Sunday afternoon’s featured events as the elite men and women will vie for a nomination to the world championship team. The collegiate men and women will also square off after the single-speed race begins the early morning action.

Saturday’s National Champions:

U23 Women: Amy Dombroski (Boulder, Colo./Velo Bella-Kona)

U23 Men: Nick Weighall (Millcreek, Wash./Rad Racing)

Master Men 30-34: Andy Jacques-Maynes (Capitola, Calif./Specialized-Giant Berry Farms/p.b. KMC)

Master Men 35-39: Brandon Dwight (Boulder, Colo./Boulder Cycle Sport)

Master Men 40-44: Roger Aspholm (Haworth, N.J./Westwood Velo)

Master Men 50-54: Ned Overend (Durango, Colo./Specialized)

Photo Gallery:

Full Results: