Rider airs the "snow drop" while Bart Bowen chases © Wade Miller
Bend, OR – The weather could not be any better for racing ‘cross in Bend, Oregon with Cyclocross Nationals right around the corner. Hosted at the Seventh Mountain Resort, the Crossaflixion course featured lots of fast sweeping turns with huge opportunities for hard accelerations. It started out as an icy cold morning but the sun broke through the cold and gave way to some beautiful Central Oregon ‘cross racing conditions.
The Elite mens race started with a first lap lead out by Ben Thompson (Desalvo Custom Cycles), but the Twin Towers of Kona (Barry Wicks and Ryan Trebon) were there to keep him in check, eventually getting around and permanently distancing Thompson.
Wicks kept the pace up, showing he is getting into Nationals-form and is ready to put the pressure on the other contenders for a podium spot. Trebon cruised in for second, Thompson held third, while Cody Peterson (Hutch’s) and Bart Bowen (Rebound Sports) battled their way to 4th and 5th.
Trebon flying the stars n' stripes, hopes for another in a couple weeks © Wade Miller
In the women’s Elite class, Tina Brubaker (Vanilla) had a strong lead in the first half of the race only to be caught and passed by Renee Scott (Sunnyside Sports) who held a strong gap through to the finish of the race. The women racers showed fearless skills, airing it out at the snow drop feature where many of the men took the safe route and kept their wheels on the ground.
Future ‘cross pros (youths) took on the kiddie cross race to the deafening cheers of family and friends. The boys race featured a three bike sprint all the way to the finish, while in the girls race two young girls battled it out to the end. A great time was had by all, parents and kids alike.
Event sponsor Thegearpeddler.com was on site for a drawing to give away a free Manhattan Cruiser won by one lucky amateur entrant. Adding to folks’ merriment was a plentiful supply of cold beers and hot coffee as well as excursions with kids in tow to the ice skating rink at Bend’s best kept secret resort, Seventh Mountain Resort.
See our coverage of Crossaflixion #1 here.
Results:
Elite Men
| 1 | Barry | WICKS | Kona – FSA | 00:58:52.352 |
| 2 | Ryan | TREBON | Kona – FSA | 01:01:14.385 |
| 3 | Ben | THOMPSON | DESALVO CUSTOM CYCLES | 01:01:29.040 |
Elite Women
| 1 | Renee | SCOTT | SUNNYSIDE SPORTS | 00:36:34.806 |
| 2 | Tina | BRUBAKER | Vanilla | 00:36:56.963 |
| 3 | Karen | KENLAN | BEND BIKE N SPORT | 00:38:18.385 |
Full Results and more info posted at Freshairsports.com and Obra.org
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