gregg
12-12-2005, 12:07 PM
Compton and Wells repeat on final day of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships - Day 3
(all photos courtesy of Chris Milliman - http://www.chrismilliman.com )
PROVIDENCE, RI (December 11, 2005) After a weekend of weather that made even seasoned New Englanders scamper for cover, the last day of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships finally saw some sun plus a slew of new National Champions.
Following the women's and men's "Killer B" races for the coveted hand-made "Sandbagger" jerseys, the competition for the stars and stripes started with the Master Men 50-54 category race. There, local legend, Paul Curley, waited a quarter of a lap before simply riding off the front and never looking back.
"I was hoping for the conditions to be as technical as possible because I know there are a lot of riders who are stronger than I am," said Curley. "I was really thankful that the conditions stayed technical. It was something where you really had to do some gambling. I mean I fell as much as anyone else did, but I fell going fast and as long as you're going fast, you're going to stay ahead of the guys that are being cautious and not falling."
The win was Curley's 20th victory in a national championship.
The final day also contained a new event, the Liberty Cup. A showcase of the weekend's stars and stripes winners, the Liberty Cup contained all ages of riders who had won jerseys this weekend plus other notables including Canadian national cyclo-cross champion, Lyne Bessette, and 'cross "rookie," Chris Horner.
A decidedly low-key affair, the riders nonetheless put on a show for the crowds, including a barrier-hopping Jeremy Powers. However, in the end none of the riders could answer to the seemingly unstoppable Todd Wells, who went to the front and rode off with his second win in as many days.
"I was actually going to take it easy today and have fun out there," explained Wells. "But after about four minutes my feet were numb, my legs were numb and I figured if I was going to be suffering I might as well go hard."
The final race of the event was the Elite Women's race. There Katie Compton proved that last year's win was no fluke by putting over a 1:30 into second place finisher, Ann Knapp, even after Compton had to start from the back due to her lack of UCI points.
"I had to start at the back of the group and it took me some time to get through traffic and get to the front of the group," said Compton. "The girls started fast and I knew I had to get close to them. Once I got on their wheels I wanted to sit and see how I could ride but with that course it really helped to be at the front and be picking the lines."
Rounding out the Elite Women's podium was local favorite, Maureen Bruno-Roy, who battled against Rhonda Mazza until a late race bobble by Mazza gave Bruno-Roy the opportunity to slam the door and secure her second podium finish in two days.
Top six elite women are as follows:
1 Katie Compton, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2 Ann Knapp (Kona) Des Moines, Wash.
3 Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication) Arlington, Mass.
4 Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M/Vanilla Bicycles) Portland, Ore.
5 Melissa Thomas (Tokyo Joes/GoLite) Boulder, Colo.
6 Barbara Howe (Velo Bella) Larkspur, Calif.
Results for Day 3 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships are available online at http://www.cyclocrossnationals.com/results_05.htm
Check back at www.cyclocrossnationals.com for 2006 dates, see you next year!
************************************************** *
Well Done - Todd and Troy Wells Earn National Titles - Day 2
PROVIDENCE, RI (December 10, 2005) Day 2 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships added a new chapter to the history books plus saw a few upsets to podium predictions as ice, slush, mud, mechanicals and illness jolted pre-race favorites out of order.
In the U23 Men's race, Troy Wells executed a technically solid race to hold off Jesse Anthony, who flatted on the first lap, and to outpedal Brent Bookwalter, who clung to third place after winning the national collegiate title earlier in the day. After losing signifigant time to a flat, Anthony succeeded in working his way back into second place yet in the end he could never close the gap on Wells, whose consistency earned him the win.
"On the first lap I tried to start pretty hard so that I could stay out of trouble," Wells said. "I actually followed Brent around for two laps to learn the course because I only got to ride one lap and after Brent fell I kind of went to the front and tried to stay consistent and keep my gap at a consistent rate."
Less than two hours later, Troy's older brother, Todd, earned his second national cyclo-cross title on the same course, which had gone from slushy to icy as the sun went down. Although the Wells brothers had already discussed the possibility of both earning a national title, the truth was that racers with names like Anthony, Bookwalter, Page, Johnson, Craig, and Trebon stood in the way of reality.
"Right away myself and Trebon got off and then I crashed running up the stairs and broke my handlebars," said the older Wells. "I had to ride about a lap with broken handlebars and once I got a new bike, Trebon slipped up in once section and I passed him. In the final few laps you're just praying for the lap counter to go down. I was digging deep and I saw Trebon--he must have figured out some of the lines on the course because he had more power on the pavement sections but he wasn't riding the technical stuff as well."
Defending national champion Jonathan Page arrived at the race after a trip to the hospital the day before. A stomach illness of sorts bore down on Page with abandon and early this morning the question as to whether he would line up to race was raised. Wearing the Liberty Mutual kit, Page rode a strong, steady race to finish in an impressive third place, despite a bout with illness the day before.
Top six elite men are as follows:
1 Todd Wells (GT/Hyundai) Durango, Colo.
2 Ryan Trebon (Kona) Corvallis, Ore.
3 Johnathan Page (Liberty Mutual) Bedford, N.H.
4 Adam Craig (Giant/Pearl Izumi) Corinth, Maine
5 Tim Johnson (cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) Middleton, Mass.
6 Barry Wicks (Kona) Corvallis, Ore.
After a frustrating incident in last year's master women 30-34 race, which kept Maureen Bruno-Roy from winning, Bruno-Roy claimed her first national cyclo-cross title in the 30-34 category. Citing consistency and power as key improvements over last year, Bruno- Roy seemed to have the race sewn up from the start and rode the race as a preview to tomorrow's elite women's race.
"Tomorrow's race is a bit of a crapshoot where no one really knows who is going to win," explained Bruno-Roy. "We don't really have a defined champion--we don't have somebody who is so far ahead. So many riders tomorrow could take it depending on the conditions and things like that so it's really exciting to be able to contest that race tomorrow."
Other category winners in Day 2 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships include:
Junior Men 17-18
SUMMERHILL, Danny; TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR Centennial, Colo.
Junior Men 15-16
COELHO, Alex; Loveland, Colo.
Junior Men 13-14
SWEDBERG, Benny; Rad Racing Cov, Wash.
Junior Men 10-12
OWEN, Logan; Redline Bremerton, Wash.
U23 Women
BEARD, Clara Diet Cheerwine Banner Elk, NC
Junior Women 17-18
FILIBERTI, Arielle; Team Bike Alley/NERT/Phillips Academy Andover Worcester, Mass.
Junior Women 15-16
SCHNEIDER, Samantha; Endeavour West Allis Wisc.
Junior Women 13-14
ANTONNEAU, Kaitlin; Nova IsCorp Racine, Wisc.
Junior Women 10-12
WHITE, Elizabeth; NEBC Bedford, NH
Collegiate Men
BOOKWALTER, Brent; Lees-McRae College Banner Elk NC
Collegiate Women
METZGER, Melodie; Univ. of California - Berkeley Berkeley, Calif.
Master Men 30-34
ROBINSON, Justin; California Giant Strawberries/Specialized Watsonville, Calif.
Master Women 35-39
STOVER, Marianne; Independent Fabrication Thetford, Vt.
Results for Day 2 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships are available online at http://www.cyclocrossnationals.com/results_05.htm
************************************************** *
Snow, Sleet, Driving Rain and Near Gale Winds Usher in Day One of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships Huffman goes down but gets up atop the podium, Tilford Takes Number Six - Day 1
PROVIDENCE, RI (December 9, 2005) Racers at the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships kicked off three days of spirited competition this morning under a steady snowfall. Snow turned to sleet then turned to freezing rain then back into snow during the master women's 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 race yet despite the increasing slickness six new champions earned their stars and stripes today.
"I raced in Chicago last week and it was snowing just like this but we didn't have the base layer of the icy conditions, we just had grass—dry and then snow on top so it was different conditions," said Patti Kaufman, winner of the master women 45-49 category. "I had a lot of difficulties with the terrain, it was tough, there were a lot of ups and downs. You knew you were going to go down and you just accepted it."
Audrey Huffman struggled to stay upright due to worsening course conditions and succeeded in sustaining a significant lead until a fall in the final few laps delayed her by ten seconds. No matter since Huffman got back up to finish first in the 40-44 category and collect her championship jersey.
Racing in his third national cyclo-cross championship category (first elite, then pro, now masters 45-49) Steve Tilford claimed his sixth title and will move to the front of the line for Sunday's Liberty Cup race.
"This is only the second year I rode masters," said Tilford. "I mainly rode today because there was a chance I could line up on the front row for Sunday's Liberty Cup race. I don't like starting 40 or 50 guys back so if I can race on Friday and line up on the front row on Sunday, I was like "hey, that seems like a good trade off."
Other category winners in today's races include Dale Knapp, master men 40-44; Tove Shere, master women 50-54; and Betty Jordan, master women 55+.
Mother Nature showed 'cross fans and racers a bit of wrath this afternoon when blizzard conditions and wind gusts proved too mighty to continue competition. Today's final two races: the master men 30-34 and collegiate men, race have been postponed until Saturday. Racing starts at 9 a.m. with the collegiate men; master men 30-34 will race at 11:30 with the remaining categories in the order that appears on the website.
Results for Day 1 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships are available online at http://www.cyclocrossnationals.com/results_05.htm
************************************************** *
About Liberty Mutual:
Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a leading global insurer and sixth largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. whose largest line of business is personal auto based on 2004 direct written premium. As of Dec. 31, 2004, LMG had $72.4 billion in consolidated assets and $19.6 billion in annual consolidated revenue. The Company ranks 111th on the Fortune 500 list of largest corporations in the United States based on 2004 revenue.
Liberty Mutual Group offers a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, workers compensation, commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, general liability, global specialty, group disability, assumed reinsurance, fire and surety.
Liberty Mutual Group (www.libertymutual.com) employs more than 38,000 people in nearly 900 offices throughout the world.
About Roger Williams Park:
Known as the 'Jewel of Providence,' the award-winning Roger Williams Park attracts more than 2 million visitors per year. Cited by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America's premier urban parks, Roger Williams Park was designed by Horace Cleveland. Roger Williams Park is located just south of downtown Providence, the capital of Rhode Island.
About USA Cycling:
USA Cycling is the official cycling organization recognized by the USOC and is responsible for identifying, training and selecting cyclists to represent the United States in international competitions. USA Cycling, doing business as the USCF, NORBA, and USPRO, controls nearly two dozen major events each year and issues permits for up to 3,000 more.
About the New England Cyclo-cross Association:
The New England Cyclo-cross Association is the committee formed specifically to promote the 2005 and 2006 Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships. Headquartered in Arlington, Mass., the core members of this committee have experience promoting four national championships and dozens of national caliber events.
The Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships
Dec. 9-11, 2005
Roger Williams Park
Providence, R.I.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Wendy Booher +1-617-308-2500
Media@cyclocrossnationals.com
************************************************** *
(all photos courtesy of Chris Milliman - http://www.chrismilliman.com )
PROVIDENCE, RI (December 11, 2005) After a weekend of weather that made even seasoned New Englanders scamper for cover, the last day of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships finally saw some sun plus a slew of new National Champions.
Following the women's and men's "Killer B" races for the coveted hand-made "Sandbagger" jerseys, the competition for the stars and stripes started with the Master Men 50-54 category race. There, local legend, Paul Curley, waited a quarter of a lap before simply riding off the front and never looking back.
"I was hoping for the conditions to be as technical as possible because I know there are a lot of riders who are stronger than I am," said Curley. "I was really thankful that the conditions stayed technical. It was something where you really had to do some gambling. I mean I fell as much as anyone else did, but I fell going fast and as long as you're going fast, you're going to stay ahead of the guys that are being cautious and not falling."
The win was Curley's 20th victory in a national championship.
The final day also contained a new event, the Liberty Cup. A showcase of the weekend's stars and stripes winners, the Liberty Cup contained all ages of riders who had won jerseys this weekend plus other notables including Canadian national cyclo-cross champion, Lyne Bessette, and 'cross "rookie," Chris Horner.
A decidedly low-key affair, the riders nonetheless put on a show for the crowds, including a barrier-hopping Jeremy Powers. However, in the end none of the riders could answer to the seemingly unstoppable Todd Wells, who went to the front and rode off with his second win in as many days.
"I was actually going to take it easy today and have fun out there," explained Wells. "But after about four minutes my feet were numb, my legs were numb and I figured if I was going to be suffering I might as well go hard."
The final race of the event was the Elite Women's race. There Katie Compton proved that last year's win was no fluke by putting over a 1:30 into second place finisher, Ann Knapp, even after Compton had to start from the back due to her lack of UCI points.
"I had to start at the back of the group and it took me some time to get through traffic and get to the front of the group," said Compton. "The girls started fast and I knew I had to get close to them. Once I got on their wheels I wanted to sit and see how I could ride but with that course it really helped to be at the front and be picking the lines."
Rounding out the Elite Women's podium was local favorite, Maureen Bruno-Roy, who battled against Rhonda Mazza until a late race bobble by Mazza gave Bruno-Roy the opportunity to slam the door and secure her second podium finish in two days.
Top six elite women are as follows:
1 Katie Compton, Colorado Springs, Colo.
2 Ann Knapp (Kona) Des Moines, Wash.
3 Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication) Arlington, Mass.
4 Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M/Vanilla Bicycles) Portland, Ore.
5 Melissa Thomas (Tokyo Joes/GoLite) Boulder, Colo.
6 Barbara Howe (Velo Bella) Larkspur, Calif.
Results for Day 3 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships are available online at http://www.cyclocrossnationals.com/results_05.htm
Check back at www.cyclocrossnationals.com for 2006 dates, see you next year!
************************************************** *
Well Done - Todd and Troy Wells Earn National Titles - Day 2
PROVIDENCE, RI (December 10, 2005) Day 2 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships added a new chapter to the history books plus saw a few upsets to podium predictions as ice, slush, mud, mechanicals and illness jolted pre-race favorites out of order.
In the U23 Men's race, Troy Wells executed a technically solid race to hold off Jesse Anthony, who flatted on the first lap, and to outpedal Brent Bookwalter, who clung to third place after winning the national collegiate title earlier in the day. After losing signifigant time to a flat, Anthony succeeded in working his way back into second place yet in the end he could never close the gap on Wells, whose consistency earned him the win.
"On the first lap I tried to start pretty hard so that I could stay out of trouble," Wells said. "I actually followed Brent around for two laps to learn the course because I only got to ride one lap and after Brent fell I kind of went to the front and tried to stay consistent and keep my gap at a consistent rate."
Less than two hours later, Troy's older brother, Todd, earned his second national cyclo-cross title on the same course, which had gone from slushy to icy as the sun went down. Although the Wells brothers had already discussed the possibility of both earning a national title, the truth was that racers with names like Anthony, Bookwalter, Page, Johnson, Craig, and Trebon stood in the way of reality.
"Right away myself and Trebon got off and then I crashed running up the stairs and broke my handlebars," said the older Wells. "I had to ride about a lap with broken handlebars and once I got a new bike, Trebon slipped up in once section and I passed him. In the final few laps you're just praying for the lap counter to go down. I was digging deep and I saw Trebon--he must have figured out some of the lines on the course because he had more power on the pavement sections but he wasn't riding the technical stuff as well."
Defending national champion Jonathan Page arrived at the race after a trip to the hospital the day before. A stomach illness of sorts bore down on Page with abandon and early this morning the question as to whether he would line up to race was raised. Wearing the Liberty Mutual kit, Page rode a strong, steady race to finish in an impressive third place, despite a bout with illness the day before.
Top six elite men are as follows:
1 Todd Wells (GT/Hyundai) Durango, Colo.
2 Ryan Trebon (Kona) Corvallis, Ore.
3 Johnathan Page (Liberty Mutual) Bedford, N.H.
4 Adam Craig (Giant/Pearl Izumi) Corinth, Maine
5 Tim Johnson (cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) Middleton, Mass.
6 Barry Wicks (Kona) Corvallis, Ore.
After a frustrating incident in last year's master women 30-34 race, which kept Maureen Bruno-Roy from winning, Bruno-Roy claimed her first national cyclo-cross title in the 30-34 category. Citing consistency and power as key improvements over last year, Bruno- Roy seemed to have the race sewn up from the start and rode the race as a preview to tomorrow's elite women's race.
"Tomorrow's race is a bit of a crapshoot where no one really knows who is going to win," explained Bruno-Roy. "We don't really have a defined champion--we don't have somebody who is so far ahead. So many riders tomorrow could take it depending on the conditions and things like that so it's really exciting to be able to contest that race tomorrow."
Other category winners in Day 2 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships include:
Junior Men 17-18
SUMMERHILL, Danny; TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR Centennial, Colo.
Junior Men 15-16
COELHO, Alex; Loveland, Colo.
Junior Men 13-14
SWEDBERG, Benny; Rad Racing Cov, Wash.
Junior Men 10-12
OWEN, Logan; Redline Bremerton, Wash.
U23 Women
BEARD, Clara Diet Cheerwine Banner Elk, NC
Junior Women 17-18
FILIBERTI, Arielle; Team Bike Alley/NERT/Phillips Academy Andover Worcester, Mass.
Junior Women 15-16
SCHNEIDER, Samantha; Endeavour West Allis Wisc.
Junior Women 13-14
ANTONNEAU, Kaitlin; Nova IsCorp Racine, Wisc.
Junior Women 10-12
WHITE, Elizabeth; NEBC Bedford, NH
Collegiate Men
BOOKWALTER, Brent; Lees-McRae College Banner Elk NC
Collegiate Women
METZGER, Melodie; Univ. of California - Berkeley Berkeley, Calif.
Master Men 30-34
ROBINSON, Justin; California Giant Strawberries/Specialized Watsonville, Calif.
Master Women 35-39
STOVER, Marianne; Independent Fabrication Thetford, Vt.
Results for Day 2 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships are available online at http://www.cyclocrossnationals.com/results_05.htm
************************************************** *
Snow, Sleet, Driving Rain and Near Gale Winds Usher in Day One of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships Huffman goes down but gets up atop the podium, Tilford Takes Number Six - Day 1
PROVIDENCE, RI (December 9, 2005) Racers at the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships kicked off three days of spirited competition this morning under a steady snowfall. Snow turned to sleet then turned to freezing rain then back into snow during the master women's 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 race yet despite the increasing slickness six new champions earned their stars and stripes today.
"I raced in Chicago last week and it was snowing just like this but we didn't have the base layer of the icy conditions, we just had grass—dry and then snow on top so it was different conditions," said Patti Kaufman, winner of the master women 45-49 category. "I had a lot of difficulties with the terrain, it was tough, there were a lot of ups and downs. You knew you were going to go down and you just accepted it."
Audrey Huffman struggled to stay upright due to worsening course conditions and succeeded in sustaining a significant lead until a fall in the final few laps delayed her by ten seconds. No matter since Huffman got back up to finish first in the 40-44 category and collect her championship jersey.
Racing in his third national cyclo-cross championship category (first elite, then pro, now masters 45-49) Steve Tilford claimed his sixth title and will move to the front of the line for Sunday's Liberty Cup race.
"This is only the second year I rode masters," said Tilford. "I mainly rode today because there was a chance I could line up on the front row for Sunday's Liberty Cup race. I don't like starting 40 or 50 guys back so if I can race on Friday and line up on the front row on Sunday, I was like "hey, that seems like a good trade off."
Other category winners in today's races include Dale Knapp, master men 40-44; Tove Shere, master women 50-54; and Betty Jordan, master women 55+.
Mother Nature showed 'cross fans and racers a bit of wrath this afternoon when blizzard conditions and wind gusts proved too mighty to continue competition. Today's final two races: the master men 30-34 and collegiate men, race have been postponed until Saturday. Racing starts at 9 a.m. with the collegiate men; master men 30-34 will race at 11:30 with the remaining categories in the order that appears on the website.
Results for Day 1 of the Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships are available online at http://www.cyclocrossnationals.com/results_05.htm
************************************************** *
About Liberty Mutual:
Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a leading global insurer and sixth largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. whose largest line of business is personal auto based on 2004 direct written premium. As of Dec. 31, 2004, LMG had $72.4 billion in consolidated assets and $19.6 billion in annual consolidated revenue. The Company ranks 111th on the Fortune 500 list of largest corporations in the United States based on 2004 revenue.
Liberty Mutual Group offers a wide range of insurance products and services, including personal automobile, homeowners, workers compensation, commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, general liability, global specialty, group disability, assumed reinsurance, fire and surety.
Liberty Mutual Group (www.libertymutual.com) employs more than 38,000 people in nearly 900 offices throughout the world.
About Roger Williams Park:
Known as the 'Jewel of Providence,' the award-winning Roger Williams Park attracts more than 2 million visitors per year. Cited by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America's premier urban parks, Roger Williams Park was designed by Horace Cleveland. Roger Williams Park is located just south of downtown Providence, the capital of Rhode Island.
About USA Cycling:
USA Cycling is the official cycling organization recognized by the USOC and is responsible for identifying, training and selecting cyclists to represent the United States in international competitions. USA Cycling, doing business as the USCF, NORBA, and USPRO, controls nearly two dozen major events each year and issues permits for up to 3,000 more.
About the New England Cyclo-cross Association:
The New England Cyclo-cross Association is the committee formed specifically to promote the 2005 and 2006 Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships. Headquartered in Arlington, Mass., the core members of this committee have experience promoting four national championships and dozens of national caliber events.
The Liberty Mutual U.S. National Cyclo-cross Championships
Dec. 9-11, 2005
Roger Williams Park
Providence, R.I.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Wendy Booher +1-617-308-2500
Media@cyclocrossnationals.com
************************************************** *