Here, Katie Compton takes another win in the 2010 season. © Bart Hazen
Bryan Fawley Takes Stage 5 of the Trans-Sylvania Epic.
A true Jack of all Trades, Bryan Fawley (Orbea) showed that the various skill sets he’s developed from road racing, mountain bike racing and, of course, plenty of ’cross racing payed off yesterday during the Mini XC stage of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic. Fawley took the win ahead of Kona Factory Team rider Kris Sneddon. Sneddon had the best time on the day, but Fawley won the Mini XC giving him the stage win. Fawley, was a regular presence on the front of UCI ’cross races throughout last season, grabbing top ten finishes left and right. With the way he’s riding again this season on both the road and mountain bike expect more strong rides from the man from Texas.
Barry Wicks Struggles Through the Pennsylvania Rocks with Mechanicals
Barry Wicks has been spending a lot more time at the mountain bike stage races during the off-season this year as opposed to years in the past, and with plenty of success including wins in the BC Bike Race and the Trans-Rockies races respectively. So, with stage racing becoming more common and exciting, he made the trip to central Pennsylvania to see what State College has to offer in terms of mountain biking. Well, what did he find? Plenty of rocks that were only interested in one thing, smashing rims and slashing tires. A whole bunch of bad luck has killed Wicks’ shot at an overall, but he’s still there for stage wins, if he can keep his bike together.
Craig Richey Takes his Winter Training in Belgium and Shows Pro-Roadies How It’s Done
This past season Craig Richey headed over to Europe to learn how to ride with the best ’crossers in the world and clearly it paid off for him this weekend at the Bastion Grand Square Prix. This was a big win for the ’crosser from Victoria, with huge crowds in town for the Ryder Hesjedal Tour de Victoria. But more noticeable is the level of riders he beat. Both Rob Britton (Bissell) and Nic Hamilton (Jelly Belly) were present in the field, not to mention the droves of strong elite level riders that also line up for these criteriums. So, if you spend the winter racing in Belgium, clearly you gain some sort of extra fitness. Well, look for Craig to continue building that form and grabbing results in the future. Good on you Craig, especially since you won sporting your Cyclocrossracing.com kit!
Amy Dombroski Nurses a Sore Knee Through the Offenburg World Cup
Amy Dombroski is one of the fortunate riders out there that has garnered the support from sponsors to contest a mixed schedule with a focus on ’cross. As she builds up for the fall season, she’s been mixing it up at various road and mountain bike events, most recently the back to back World Cup races in Dalby Forest and Offenburg. After an unfortunate crash in Dalby where Amy banged up her knee, she knew she had to be careful on the fast and technical track in Germany’s wine country. Her knee injury may have held her back, but clearly she still has the guts to drop down the Snake Pit Shoot, Wolf’s Drop and Dual Speed. Get that knee healed up, Amy, and we know you’ll be riding up at the front of the field.
Katie Compton Best US Woman at Offenburg
It’s no surprise to see Katie as the top American for a bike race that involves dirt, especially if the course is fast, punchy and hard. Well, that is exactly what she did at the Offenburg World Cup. Clearly Katie is in the running for the US Olympic team and clearly she has the skill and power to be there. With Katie lining up for a UCI c2 race in Poland this weekend, the extra points will help in her bid to go to London. With Katie heading home soon to focus on training and bringing her speed up on the track, it looks she is well on her way to reaching her goals and hopefully grabbing one of those Rainbow Stripes jersey’s in Koksijde this February.
Todd Wells Continues To Show Why He’s Wearing the Stars and Stripes
Last year, Wells was clearly the most dominant American when it came to winning National Championships. But he was also one of the best positioned Americans throughout the World Cup season grabbing multiple top American Finishes in the cut-throat World Cup races. The already two-time Olympian has made no secret of his desire to race the London Olympics in 2012 and clearly the first part of his season is showing that he deserves a spot on the team with a top ten at Pietermaritzburg, a top 20 at Dalby Forest and a strong 33rd place finish in Offenburg. With a month break before the next round of World Cups here in the US, Wells should be able to bring his form back up and maybe ride back into the top ten or even onto the box.
“The Lung” Takes Everyone Back to School at the Iron Horse Cycling Classic
For those not in the know, the Iron Horse Cycling Classic is a historic race in Durango, CO. The race is one of the most difficult road races in the country, heading from Durango to Silverton: think lots of climbing at altitude. Well, to climb that much clearly you need some good lungs and “The Lung” showed that even at 55 he’s got them. Ned Overend took the win in the Pro/1 race beating everyone else , all of whom were easily his juniors. I guess home course advantage is something. Ned wasn’t the only ’cross racer (he still lines up for ’cross races and grabbed another national title this past winter in the Master’s division) to line up on the day, in the results were Troy Wells, Grant Berry (Former Cyclocross Master’s 39+ National Champion) and former collegiate ’cross National Champion Ben Sonntag.
Kaitlin Antonneau, 13th in the Mt Hood Prologue
Well, it is the road season for many and Kaitlin is showing that her wins at the Collegiate Road National Championships were no fluke. At yesterday’s prologue in the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic Antonneau slotted in with an impressive 13th place against a stand out woman’s field for the NRC race. Good job, now save a few of the matches for ’cross season so you can rack up some more impressive rides when the tires hit the dirt.
Ryan Trebon Makes the Leap
If you’ve been looking at the bikes that Ryan Trebon has been riding, you’ll notice one thing interesting: not that they are absolutely huge to fit the tall man’s frame, but they are all Sram-equipped. There has been no official announcement, but Trebon did tweet “making the leap,” which is Sram’s marketing slogan. So, is Trebon to be one of the many ’crossers using Double Tap technology? After so many years on Shimano, how will he handle the much smaller hoods provided by Sram? Well, clearly in training there have been no problems, but we are a long way from ’cross season. Looking forward to seeing more details on the new program as they arrive and to see Trebon throwing down through the fall.
Working Man’s Edition: Justin Lindine, Showing the Paid Boys How It’s Done
Justin Lindine just doesn’t seem to give up, does he? After top rides around the country, whether they are in hot and humid Austin or in hot and humid central Pennsylvania, Justin has shown that regardless of his working man status he can ride with the big guns and has been doing so at the Trans-Sylvania Epic all week. Currently, Lindine is sitting in fourth only eight minutes behind race leader Jeremiah Bishop (another rider well known to mix it up at ’cross races on occasion) and only 34 seconds behind current third place rider Jason Sager. So, if Justin can stay with Sager over the next few stages and gain a couple of seconds, that puts him on the box and in the big money for the weekend. Good job Justin, you’ve got your work cut out for you with Sager, but keep it up and bring home a big finish for the Working-Men!
