Peter Webber Repeats as 40-44 Masters National Champion – Updated: Photo Gallery

Peter Webber wins back-to-back 40-44 National Championships. © Tim Westmore

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BEND, ORE. – Last year, Peter Webber (Boulder Cycle Sport) dominated the 40-44 field to win the 2009 National Championship easily. “This year was way harder,” he said at the finish line, desperately trying to warm up his hands. “It’s wicked cold, the course is soaked. It was really hard.”

Webber waited about a lap before pushing to the front of an exciting Masters race, although he was never much further down than fourth or fifth place. Eirik Schultz (River City Bicycles) took the hole shot, with sentimental favorite and two-time US pro road champ Bart Bowen (Rebound Sports) right on his shoulder. All of the other favorites were right in the mix from the get-go, showcasing the level of ability of an incredibly deep field.

Ward Baker (Justin’s-Titus Mountain Bike Team) took a flyer early in the first lap and got himself a small gap of five seconds as he came back into the “oatmeal bowl” next to Deschutes Brewery. “He couldn’t sustain it, though,” a victorious Webber said at the finish line. Baker faded over the course of the race, eventually finishing inside the top 10.

Partway through lap number two, Webber caught Baker and passed him, just as he’s done in countless Colorado ’cross races this year. Webber’s Boulder Cycle Sport teammate, Brandon Dwight, also caught Baker and was soon leading a small chase pack that included Jon Cariveau (Moots), who was fourth in the singlespeed race on Friday. Dwight and Cariveau traded shots for the rest of the race, while Webber’s lead slowly stretched out to around 25 seconds.

Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo) clawed his way up into fourth place, displacing the (at first) solid block of Colorado Front Range riders. Idahoan Richard Feldman (Durance-Colnago) made a protest for the northwest, riding into fifth place, but the top of the podium remained solid Colorado, with Boulder Cycle Sport taking the one-two with Webber and Dwight, and Cariveau holding on to take third place.

“I really didn’t make a mistake,” a buoyant (but very cold) Webber said at the finish line. “No bobbles, stayed upright.” The conditions during the 40-44 race were probably the worst of Saturday morning, with a steady, soaking rain falling, coupled with temperatures in the mid-thirties.

Webber had to stop talking several times due to the pain in his hands. “This is harder than the race!” he exclaimed. Webber’s next stop, now that he’s wrapped up a second consecutive National Championship, is Mol, Belgium, for the last Masters’ World Championships before that race comes to Louisville, Kentucky in 2012 and 2013. “I love that Nationals has moved to January,” he said. “I’ll be targeting Madison and Masters’ Worlds in 2012.”

Dwight was similarly stoked, and similarly frozen. His only other muddy and sloppy race this year was the superb USGP Fort Collins, and his only answer to how he prepared for these remarkably un-Coloradan conditions was “years of racing ’cross.” The wet and cold conditions took their toll on all racers, podium winners and those who abandoned alike. Eirik Schultz, who had the early lead, crashed hard just before the junction between the back and front sections of the course halfway through the race, when his hands came off the bars. “I couldn’t feel my hands at all,” Schultz said.

Update: More photos here.

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