Trebon, Van Meter take muddy Cross Crusade #7

PHOTO: The mud was plentiful Sunday for Cross Crusade #7.

PORTLAND – The same storm that soaked the OBRA Cyclocross Championships Saturday in Salem hung around to turn Cross Crusade #7 at Portland International Raceway into another slip-and-slide battle against gravity. But the penultimate event of the eight-race series was just a warm-up for the real show: the SSCXWC09 Thunderdome spectacle to follow.

Morning rains eased as the day wore on but dumped enough to saturate the grass for the early categories tearing through the course. And just when the mud started getting tacky, the skies opened again to freshly tune the fast, slippery course with some really technically difficult muddy sections.

National champion Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA) made it back to the Crusades to claim his second win of the series ahead of teammate and last weekend’s double winner Barry Wicks. In the women’s race, Hudz-Subaru’s Emily Van Meter took her second series win ahead of teammate and series leader Wendy Williams.

As he did for the series opener at Alpenrose Dairy, Trebon warmed up for the men’s A race by cruising away to a solo win in the Crusade singlespeed event. But by the time the A race started about an hour later, Trebon had more company at the front.

Wicks, who won the OBRA championships in torrential rain and gusting winds the day before in Salem, joined Trebon in the lead with Portland’s Molly Cameron in tow. The trio started building an advantage when Cameron decided to press the issue.

“I had the brilliant idea to up the pace on a flat section, and when they counter attacked it put me into real trouble,” Cameron said. “Then I was just sucking wind the rest of the race. Felt pretty run down, wish I had a little more fight in me.”

Cameron, who’s in a tight race for the overall with Team S&M’s Sean Babcock, slowly drifted back to fifth as Shannon Skerritt (Vanilla Workshop) eventually picked up the chase in third after some shuffling.

Meanwhile, Wicks and Trebon drilled it at the front of the race and built a sizeable lead before Trebon left his teammate and rolled easily across the line for the win. Wicks held on for second, finishing ahead of Skerritt and Babcock. Cameron held on for fifth.

WOMEN

The women’s race started out with a trio of riders gaining a little traction on the rest of the field midway through the second lap. River City Bicycles’ Megan Faris and Brigette Brown jumped off the front with Van Meter, while Cross Crusade #6 winner Alice Pennington, (Veloforma), Alalia Berry (Gentle Lovers) and Seattle’s Kari Studley (Velo Bella) chased not far behind. Series leader Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) lagged in ninth.

Van Meter, who won Cross crusade #4 in Hillsboro, shed her two lead companions on the lap and focused settled in to hold her advantage all the way to the line

Her teammate Williams, meanwhile, was riding back through the field and was soon chasing in second, building an advantage she held to the finish. Faris fought off all challengers except Williams and held onto third overall, while Pennington rode a smooth and steady race for fourth.

RACE NOTES
The 2009 Cross Crusade winds up next weekend with the final race in Barton Park near Estacada. Scoring for the series is based on the top six finishes over the eight-race series. Portland’s cyclocross scene stays alive with more local racing before the USGP comes to town Dec. 5 and 6 for the Stanley Portland Cup, the final weekend of that series. It’s all building toward the USA Cycling National Championships a week later in Bend Dec. 10-13.

Check VeloNews.com HERE for more photos.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Cross Crusade #7
Portland International Raceway
Sunday, Nov. 8

Senior Men A
1. Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA)
2. Barry Wicks (Kona/FSA)
3. Shannon Skerritt (Vanilla Workshop)
4. Sean Babcock (Team S&M)
5. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio)

Senior Women A
1. Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru)
2. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru)
3. Megan Faris (River City Bicycles)
4. Alice Pennington (Veloforma)
5. Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M)

Four new Cross Crusade photo galleries uploaded

Galleries from Cross Crusade #4 in Hillsboro on Oct. 25, and races #5 and #6 in Astoria on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, have been upoladed. You can find links to the galleries below.

Cross Crusade #4 on Oct. 25 in Hillsboro is HERE.
(Guest photographer Phil Kindshuh's gallery is HERE).

Cross Crusade #5 on Oct. 31 in Astoria in HERE.

Cross Crusade #6 on Nov. 1 in Astoria is HERE.

Wicks doubles in Astoria, Butler wins women's race

ASTORIA – Sue Butler (Monavie/Cannondale) suited up for the costume race at Cross Crusade #6 Sunday in Astoria and rode to her first series win of the season, while “Cougar Bait” Barry Wicks (Kona) doubled up after taking Saturday’s opener in the Halloween weekend of racing.

Mud from Saturday’s intermittent rain got tacky when Sunday turned into an unseasonably warm, clear day on Oregon’s northern coast.

Butler, who has been trying to recover from a cold before she heads to the World Cup race in Nomay, France and then straight back to the states for the upcoming USGP races in New Jersey, told her coach she wasn’t going to race this weekend.

“The coach doesn’t know,” said Butler, who worked the pits for husband Tim at Saturday’s races. “I got a text this morning saying, ‘How you feeling?’”

Butler’s result Sunday gave her the answer after she gained an advantage on the first lap, built a comfortable lead, and then held it to the finish.

“I felt pretty good out there,” Butler said. “I was able to keep it under control. It’s not like chasing Katie Compton around, but there’s still so much competition around here you just never know. I kept seeing the nun coming up behind me.”

The “nun” was series leader Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru), who won the first three races before absences and mishaps interrupted her streak. Williams pushed the pace and kept it upright on the slippery, technical course, but she was never able to reel back Butler’s initial advantage.

“The costume was hot,” said Williams, whose outfit may not have been well suited to the unseasonably warm, clear day on the coast. “It was a hard course. The corners and around the barns were really hard. And I was slow on the descents. So I’d just work really hard on the uphills to maintain my position.”

Cross Crusade veteran Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M) and last weekend’s winner Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru) both missed the first day of racing but stormed to third and fourth, respectively, on Sunday. Gentle Lovers’ Alalia Berry rounded out the top five. Saturday’s winner Alice Pennington (Veloforma) had a rough day in triathlon garb, dropping to 10th.

After collecting the win, Butler seemed pretty pleased with her decision to join in.

“It’s kind of fun to be back on Halloween and just feel the scene again and get the crowd support,” she said. “It’s good to be home in front of the home crowd. Even if I didn’t feel good I probably would have raced just to race.”

"Couger Bait" Wicks makes it two in a row



Wicks’ break from the NACT schedule paid off with two wins on his former home turf. On Saturday he stomped away from the soon-to-be-strung-out field during the first lap, but on Sunday the Kona rider took a little more time to lay claim to the race.

“A lot of these guys are going for the series overall, so I don’t want to be too big an influence on that,” said Wicks, who put in several hours of training on the coast before his race started at 3 p.m. “I let them kind of sort things out before I decided to really start riding. Plus, I hadn’t pre-ridden, so I had no idea where we were going for the first lap.”

Wicks and Sean Babcock (Team S&M) opened up a gap on the first lap with Saturday’s runner-up Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) and Eric Sheagley (Veloce/Felt). Sheagley came off the lead pace first, followed by Cameron, who dropped a chain and crashed on an uphill section. Babcock crashed next, falling hard as he was descending through a muddy corner on a section of pavement.

That’s when Shannon Skerritt found himself in second place chasing after Wicks, who was riding smooth and steady in the lead.

“I was hoping I could catch Barry,” Skerritt said. “But he was doing just enough to stay away. He’s smart.”

Skerritt was smart, too, riding hard but cautiously on the slippery course.

“You couldn’t go too hot into some of the corners,” he said. “That’s how I got second; from other people making mistakes and I was making fewer. I’m not the fittest guy out there, but I can handle my bike alright and I’m conservative sometimes in the corners.”

Skerritt’s biggest obstacle turned out to be a barrier crossing where an out-of-line spectator sprayed him in the face with beer because he wasn’t wearing a costume.

“It got a little mean-spirited out there,” he said. “It was a little too much, getting’ the beer sprayed in my eyes. I couldn’t really see at one point.”

Wicks, the professional, prepared himself with a costume.

“I heard they were shooting people with paintball guns if they didn’t have costumes on,” Wicks said. “So I made sure to get one.”

Wicks paced himself to a comfortable win over Skerritt, who held onto second in front of Sheagley in third. Babcock finished fourth, with Kevin Hulick (Gentle Lovers) in fifth. Cameron crossed the line in sixth.

“These Cross Crusade races are probably the most excitement and the coolest races I do all year,” Wicks said. “I race all the big series and everything else, but nothing can compare to the Portland scene. There’s such a culture of it and everything else.”

For more photos check out VeloNews.com HERE.

RESULTS
Cross Crusade #6
Astoria, Oregon
Sunday, Nov. 1

Senior Men A
1. Wicks, Barry (Kona)
2. Skerritt, Shannon (Vanilla Workshop)
3. Sheagley, Eric (Veloce/Felt)
4. Babcock, Sean (Team S&M)
5. Hulick, Kevin (Vanilla Workshop)
6. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio)
7. Thompson, Ben (DeSalvo Custom Cycles)
8. Gallagher, Michael (C3 Athletes)
9. Luelling, Brett (Capitol Subaru Cycling)
10. Nichols, Brett (BODE Cycling)
Senior Women A
1. Butler, Sue (Monavie/Cannondale)
2. Williams, Wendy (Hudz-Subaru)
3. Mazza, Rhonda (Team S&M)
4. Van Meter, Emily (Hudz-Subaru)
5. Alalia, Berry (Gentle Lovers)
6. Faris, Megan (River City Bicycles)
7. Bishop, Serena (Sunnyside Sports)
8. Vega, Veronica (Sunnyside Sports)
9. Jenkins, Abby (Super Reflex Concept)
10. Pennington, Alice (Veloforma)

Wicks and Pennington win Cross Crusade #5

PHOTO: Alice Pennington (Veloforma) crashed twice on the first lap but bounced back for the win.

ASTORIA -- Kona pro Barry Wicks came to town Saturday and put the hurt on the Cross Crusade field of regulars on an extremely slippery course in Astoria, while Veloforma’s Alice Pennington fought back from several hard crashes to take her first win in women’s A race after finishing second three times.

Intermittent showers and sun breaks kept the temperatures warm and the course sloppy as the Cross Crusade invaded the northern-most tip of Oregon’s coast for a Halloween weekend doubleheader at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds.

The women’s race proved to be a battle of attrition of sorts as riders fought back from crashes and flats before Pennington finally dug deep and sealed the deal. The Veloforma rider crashed hard within the first few hundred meters of the start after hitting some deep mud at the bottom of a long, fast descent.

“I was really trying to go for it,” she said. “And then I crashed and ended up behind everybody.”

Pennington rolled out of it and quickly remounted the chase, catching three-race winner and series leader Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru), Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports) and Megan Faris (River City Bicycles) at the front . But Pennington’s bad luck wasn’t over. She crashed again on the first lap and was forced to mount another chase. She soon caught Williams, who’d flatted at an inopportune time and was forced to run with her bike for nearly half a lap, which left Bishop and Faris at the front.

“The other two I just reeled in as they got tired,” Pennington said of her effort to take the lead. “Then I just tried to stay upright. Serena (Bishop) starts really fast, and I can’t hang with her in the start. But (the race is) long enough that if you have some endurance you can reel people in. I was due for a win.”

Bishop finished second, one lap down on Pennington, while Faris held on for third. Gentle Lovers’ Erin Playman crossed the line fourth, ahead of Cyclepath’s Julie Browning in fifth.

Williams, who finished seventh on the day, said the flat tire and the long run to the pit pretty much put an end to her chances for a fourth series win.

“It was over,” she said. “And then my pit bike wasn’t shifting so I had to go back in. Luckily Sue (Butler) had put a new wheel on my other bike by then so I just rode out the course. You gotta keep going; in the name of ‘cross.”



WICKS LIGHTS IT UP EARLY IN MEN'S RACE

Wicks wasted little time pinning the gas pedal to the floor and quickly rode off the front of the men’s A race with Portland pro Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) in tow and Vanilla Workshop riders Shannon Skerritt and Kevin Hulick joining Brett Luelling (Capitol Subaru Cycling) in the chase not too far behind.

“I just wanted to go hard at the start and string it out,” said Wicks, who finished second to teammate Ryan Trebon during the Cross Crusade opener at Alpenrose. “I was able to open a little gap, and then I just decided to keep on going with it.”

Cameron, who’d won two Crusade races in a row, eventually fell off Wicks’ winning pace but continued to build a lead on the rest of the field. The order of the chasers behind continued to shuffle as riders buried themselves trying to catch the two leaders, who were by now well off the front. Skerritt eventually emerged in third with Hulick bringing up fourth.

Wicks kept it upright and built a 42-second lead on Cameron with two laps to go, with the rest of the field lagging far behind.

“It’s nice to get out in the lead, “Wicks said “And then you can just kind of relax a little bit, especially on the mud.”

The Kona rider earned a comfortable win, with Cameron finishing second. Skerritt and Hulick hung onto third and fourth, respectively. Luelling crossed the line in fifth. Team S&M’s Sean Babcock, the winner in Rainier and a rider who’s normally at the front of the Cross Crusade races, had a tough, crash-filled day and finished well off the winning pace in ninth.

“It’s helpful to have Barry come out,” Babcock said. “Because he kind of sets the pace like Erik (Tonkin) does sometimes. But unfortunately, I crashed too many times to keep up with him. The course is hilly with a lot of greasy corners. It was a super fun course, but it got the best of me today.”



For more photos check out VeloNews.com HERE.

RESULTS
Cross Crusade #5
Astoria, Oregon
Saturday, Oct. 31

Senior Men A
1. Wicks, Barry (Kona)
1. Cameron, Molly (Portland Bicycle Studio)
3. Skerritt, Shannon (Vanilla Workshop)
4. Hulick, Kevin (Vanilla Workshop)
5. Luelling, Brett (Capitol Subaru Cycling) 9
Senior Women A
1. Pennington, Alice (Veloforma) 8
2. Bishop, Serena (Sunnyside Sports) 7
3. Faris, Megan (River City Bicycles) 7
4. Playman, Erin (Gentle Lovers) 7
5. Browning, Julie (Cyclepath Racing) 7
Singlespeed
1. Fabrizius, Erik (Veloshop)6
2. Patla, Seth (River City Bicycles)6
3. Redden, Andy (NoLimitz/ICE)6
4. DeMoe, Luke (HTFU)6
5. Rollert,John (WebCyclery.com)6
Masters Women A
1. Burns, Beth (Veloce/Felt)5
2. Rueter, Kim (Sorella Forte)5
3. Scott, Renee (Sunnyside Sports)5
4. Morin,Rhonda (Sorella Forte)5
5. McClenahan,Colleen (Sorella Forte)5
Masters Men A
1. Schulz, Eirik (Specialized River City)8
2. Butler, Tim (River City Bicycles)8
3. Schindler, Mike (Sunnyside Sports)8
4. Snyder, Chris (bicycleattorney.com)8
5. Mitchem, John (Guinness Cycling Team)8

Complete OBRA results for this race are HERE.

Cameron, Van Meter notch wins at Cross Crusade

HILLSBORO, Ore. -- Portland Bicycle Studio's Molly Cameron made it two in row Sunday by taking the Men's A race at Cross Crusade #4, while Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru) notched her first win of the season in the Women's A race.

The skies finally opened up and dumped enough precipitation to bring out the mud for the first time this Cross Crusade season, and the rain had riders slipping and sliding over the pancake-flat course at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro.

With series leader Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru), winner of the first three races, in Kentucky for the USGP Derby City Cup, teammate Van Meter surged to the front to pick up Williams’ ongoing battle with Alice Pennington (Veloforma).

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play,” Van Meter said of her opportunistic win.

Van Meter and Pennington opened a huge gap on the rest of the field almost immediately. The pair rode together for most of the first lap until Pennington went down on an off-camber, slightly uphill section.

“My buddy told me that she had crashed,” Van Meter said. “So I just put my head down and tried to get as big a gap as I could. Then I just tried to ride it smart and smooth and keep it upright. It was slick, really slick.”

Pennington, who’s finished second three times in the series and third once, chased hard to try and bring back Van Meter, but the Veloforma rider couldn’t close the gap.

“I would pull back a little bit,” Pennington said of her chase. “I think the closest I got was five seconds. But I just never had it to catch her. I think she knew I was chasing hard, so she never let up.”

Van Meter cruised across the finish line solo for the win, with Pennington just a handful of seconds behind. Sunnyside Sports’ Serena Bishop crossed the line next for third. River City Bicycles’ Brigett Stoik finished fourth, just ahead of Tina Brubaker (Vanilla Workshop).

In the Senior Men’s A race, Cameron joined series leader Sean Babcock (Team S&M) and Michael Gallagher (C3 Athletes) at the front of the race, where they wasted little time opening a gap on the rest of the field. The trio shared the work, steadily building their lead until first Gallagher fell off the lead pace, followed by Babcock. Alone at the front, Cameron continued to apply the pressure and started building a solid lead when Babcock went down in the deep mud.

“It was definitely a different style of racing today,” Babcock said. “It was flat, and it was pretty slippery.”

Babcock, who came into the day with a solid series lead, began to whittle away Cameron’s advantage as the race drew to a close, but the Team S&M rider ran out of time.

“Molly accelerated on the flat sections and just slowly opened things up,” Babcock said. “And then I crashed (in the mud section) and she really got a gap on us; pretty smart racing.”

Cameron hung onto the lead and cruised in for a comfortable win. Babcock dropped Gallagher from the chase and finished second. Gallagher held on for third, ahead of Capitol Subaru Cycling’s Brett Luelling and Gentle Lovers’ Mark Blackwelder.

“I’m really stoked,” Cameron said after the win. “I’m really happy to be winning races. I’ve been working so hard. It’s fun. It’s been fun battles. I was stoked when it was the three of us off the front because it’s fun to have a good battle. (Babcock’s) riding really strong, and I’m riding really strong. So we’ll see.”

RACE NOTES
Kona rider Erik Tonkin finished sixth Sunday in Oregon after winning the most-aggressive rider at Saturday’s USGP in Kentucky, where he fought from the back row to the front of the race, rolled a tire and then did it all over again to finish 18th. The Herculean effort had some of his Oregon opponents worried.

“I saw that result and I knew Erik was going to show up on Sunday and clobber us,” Cameron said. “But when I attacked and he wasn’t around, I figured he was feeling (Saturday’s effort). But it’s crazy that he pulled that off. He does that all the time.”

More than 1,250 racers participated in the fourth installment of the eight-race series, a slight dip from the record 1,453 who showed up for the series opener. Next week’s Cross Crusade goes coastal with a Saturday and Sunday Halloween weekend doubleheader in Astoria.

Check out even more photos on VeloNews.com HERE.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Cross Crusade #4
Hillsboro
Sunday, Oct. 25

Senior Men A
1. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio)
2. Sean babcock (Team S&M)
3. Michael Gallagher (C3 Athletes)
4. Brett Luelling (Capitol Subaru Cycling)
5. Mark Blackwelder (Gentle Lovers)
Senior Women A
1. Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru)
2. Alice Pennington (Veloforma)
3. Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports)
4. Brigett Stoik (River City Bicycles)
5. Tina Brubaker (Vanilla Workshop)
Singlespeed
1. Erik Frabrizius (Veloshop)
2. Seth Patla (River City Bicycles)
3. Nick Gibson (Yakima)
4. James Crowe (Revolver Cycles)
5. Spencer Bushnell (Therapeutic Associates Inc.)

The forecast calls for rain ... finally

UPDATE: The forecast has changed. Now they're saying the rain may hold off until Sunday evening.


That's right. The local TV weather folks are calling for lots of rain Sunday. The Cross Crusade at Washington County Fairgrounds could be the first race in the series to be decided in the mud. So break out the grabby tires and the ugg boots. It's on!

A bit of video from Sherwood Cross Crusade #3

The hole shot of the Men's A race.



Series leader Sean Babcock (Team S&M) got a front flat while leading the race. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) and Erik Tonkin (Kona) weren't too far behind.



(Submitted by OBRA member Emiliano Jordan)

Cameron wins first ever Cross Crusade CX; Williams continues winning streak

UPDATE: The complete Cycling Action photo gallery for this race is now posted online HERE.



SHERWOOD -- Popular Portland ‘crosser Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio) took the win during the Cross Crusade Sunday in Sherwood when series leader Sean Babcock (Team S&M) flatted in the closing laps of the Men’s A race. Despite taking a tumble on the last lap, Masters national champion Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) continued her dominance over the Women’s A field when she won her third straight in another tight back-and-forth battle with Veloforma’s Alice Pennington.

Approximately 1,300 racers showed up at the Sherwood Equestrian Park south of Portland for the third installment of the eight-race series. The incessantly bumpy and often-vertical course started on some upper pasture slopes before swooping into the woods for some extended singletrack and then a grinding climb with a heartbreaker kicking pitch back to the finish. The course offered a little bit of everything, but the clearing skies failed to provide the key ingredient for mud.

Williams and Pennington wasted little time renewing their duel in the 60-minute Women’s A race. The Hudz-Subaru rider struck first, opening a small gap with Serena Bishop of Bend’s Sunnyside Sports while Pennington chased behind after dropping her chain.

“That happened on the second lap,” Pennington said of the mechanical mishap. “That’s where I lost contact with Wendy and the Sunnyside rider.”

While Williams whittled Bishop off her lead pace at the front, Pennington mounted a furious chase behind and was able to catch up with the Sunnyside rider with about two laps remaining.

“On the next lap I caught up with Wendy,” Pennington said. “But it took the whole race. And then I just didn’t have it. She just stomped it on the last climbs and I didn’t have it anymore.”

Williams, who said the course required lots of power “and maybe some finesse through the corners,” took a tumble on the last lap but was able to quickly regain her rival.

“Alice just passed right on through,” she said of the last lap dramatics. “Luckily I was able to catch back on and we went through the barriers together. I got onto the road first and just put the hammer down. I didn’t want it to go to a sprint finish.”

Pennington has now finished second to Williams twice, and she finished third in Rainier behind Seattle rider Kari Studley. Williams continues to pile onto her series lead and shows no signs of letting up, which doesn’t seem to deter Pennington.

“It’s just a matter of getting more fitness so that I can actually attack and drop her,” Pennington said.

In the men’s race, the powerful duo of Erik Tonkin (Kona) and Babcock set off on a blitzkrieg pace reminiscent of their field-detonating effort the week before at Rainier.

“We were hoping to try and break down that lead group a little smaller and then see if we couldn’t getaway,” Babcock said. “So that worked out really well.”

The plan worked very well, just like it did the week before when Babcock won with Tonkin following in second. In fact, the pair finished third and fourth during the opener at Alpenrose, and but for the presence of Kona stars Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks snagging the top two spots, Tonkin and Babcock have had a virtual headlock on the Men’s A series.

But Cameron, who just returned from several NACT races back east, including a 6th place finish at UCI Cincinnati, wasn’t content to sit back and watch that happen. The Portland pro chased hard after a slow start and soon caught Tonkin, who had slipped off the Team S&M rider’s lead pace.

“Babcock’s definitely the strongest rider in Oregon right now,” Cameron said. “And I knew this course really suited Tonkin and Babcock because it’s so mountain-bikey and lots of singletrack, but I got up to the front pretty well.”

The cyclocross world cup veteran quickly hit a snag and pitted on the first lap for a mechanical, and by the time Cameron got back to the front, Babcock had motored away from Tonkin, who was chasing in second.

“I felt OK, and I was still motoring,” Cameron said. “I motored up to Erik and I attacked every time up the climb. We were reeling Babcock in, but I tried to drop Erik for three laps, and when Babcock finally stuck it, me and Erik were both wasted and backed off for a lap.”

That’s when Babcock built a lead of about a minute and seemed to be cruising to his second series win. But the plan and its flawless execution unraveled when his tire started to lose air. And with Cameron charging fast from behind, it didn’t look good for Babcock.

“I was hoping I could get to the pit before I got caught, but Molly and Erik were going pretty fast,” he said.

With Cameron and Tonkin riding away to the finish, Babcock seemed relegated to chasing for leftovers. But Tonkin -- who previously joked that he’s training Babcock to take his spot when Kona fires him -- played the perfect-teammate card and eased up, allowing the young rider past to collect the second-place series points.

“Erik and Sean were playing good teammates,” Cameron said. “I just opened a good gap, and he couldn’t close it down. It was a really good course. I have to admit, of all the places I could win, I’m just completely shocked I could win here. There’s a lot of singletrack. I think I just got a lucky break.”

But it’s a lucky break that could pay big dividends later as Cameron tries to battle past the Babcock/Tonkin one-two punch and take the overall series crown.

“(Babcock) can outclimb me any day of the week,” Cameron admitted. “But if we can get some good tactical races and some good technical races, I might be able to take him.”

Cameron said the race for the overall is still very wide open.

“Tonkin will be there,” Cameron said. “And Chris Sheppard (Santa Cruz/Shimano/WTB) should be back out here soon. And who knows when Barry (Wicks) and Ryan (Trebon) will be back. But I’m here for the rest of the series.”

Babcock will be back, too, and he said next week’s decidedly flatter course at the Washington County Fairgrounds should create another big battle for series points.

“We’ll probably have to figure where on the course we can really attack; maybe in a bumpy section or in a turns section,” Babcock said. “Kevin Hulick (Vanilla Workshop) is really good at the accelerations and the cornering like that, so it could get interesting. It’ll be good.”

And how did Babcock feel about this week’s bad luck and his missed chance for consecutive wins?

“It was the perfect course for it,” he said. “But with that flat tire, it made it kind of difficult. Oh, well. There are a lot of races left in the season.”

(Check back later for the complete Cycling Action photo gallery for this race).

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Cross Crusade #3
Sherwood Equestrian Park
Oct. 18

MEN A
1. Molly Cameron (Portland Bicycle Studio)
2. Sean Babcock (Team S&M)
3. Erik Tonkin (Kona)
4. Kevin Hulick (Vanilla Workshop)
5. David Roth (Signal Cycles)
WOMEN A
1. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru)
2. Alice Pennington (Veloforma)
3. Serena Bishop (Sunnyside Sports)
4. Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M)
5. Erin Playman (Gentle Lovers)
MASTERS MEN A
1. Eirik Schulz (Specialized/River City)
2. John McCaffrey (Bicycleattorney.com)
3. John Mitchem (Guinness)
4. John Bravard (Cyclepath)
5. Tim Butler (River City Bicycles)
MASTERS WOMEN A
1. Renee Scott (Sunnyside Sports)
2. Julie Swearingen (Mounatin View Cycles)
3. Rhonda Morin (Sorella Forte)
4. Jill Hardiman (Dirty Finger)
5. Eileen Kelly-Foulston (Sorella Forte)
SINGLESPEED
1. Seth Patla (River City Bicycles)
2. John Rollert (Webcyclery)
3. Luke Demoe (HTFU)
4. Craig Etterige
5. Leland Gilmore (River City Bicycles)

Trebon and Williams conquer Crusade opener

Riding his singlespeed, Ryan Trebon led a trio of Kona riders onto the podium of the Men's A race at Alpenrose Sunday during the Cross Crusade opener. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) battled Alice Pennington (Veloforma) throughout the Women's A race and moved ahead on the last lap to cruise in for the win.

More than 1,400 riders flooded the fields of Alpenrose Dairy in southwest Portland for the opening salvo of the 2009 Cross Crusade. Despite rain earlier in the week, blue skies and pleasant temperatures on race day kept the course from showing any signs of mud.

The course featured a starting pavement loop through the wild west town, long stretches of fast-but-bumpy grass pastures with some slightly off-camber turns, a steep-but-short run up, a winding loop in and out of the velodrome onto more grass, and then a treacherous cement staircase with a single switchback.

Trebon and Wicks played hookie from the North American Cyclcross Trophy circuit this weekend in Gloucester, Mass., to race a little closer to home. Trebon warmed up for the Men’s A race by taking out the field in the Singlespeed event. Then he rode the same singlespeed bike to a win in the Men’s A race in front of Kona teammates Wicks and Erik Tonkin.

“I didn’t want to fly across the country,” Trebon said of his decision to skip Gloucester and stay close to home for the Cross Crusade opener at the dairy, giving the team mechanic a break as well. “This is a great race. It’s hard. I like it better than the USGP races we do at PIR.”

Team S&M’s Sean Babcock, Vanilla’s Shannon Skerritt and Portland Bicycle Studio’s Molly Cameron joined the Kona trio at the front of the men’s field in the early running. But when Wicks and Trebon decided to drop the hammer in the closing laps of the 60-minute race, the pair quickly built a 15-20 second gap over the rest.

Babcock and Tonkin formed a chase behind. Skerritt, a Masters national champ in 2005, said he tried to hang with Kona’s dynamic duo early but lost touch when Trebon put the hammer down after the steep cement staircase.

The battle for third was left for Tonkin and Babcock, who rides for a club sponsored by Tonkin’s Sellwood Bicycle Repair shop. In the finale, the pair exited the last set of barriers together and turned a 180 onto the velodrome apron for the sprint to the finish about half a lap away. Babcock got stuck behind traffic and was forced to go onto the track’s banking while Tonkin took the shorter route on the apron. The popular Portland ‘cross world cup veteran held off the charging young rider and got third. Babcock settled for fourth. Skerritt was fifth. Cameron experienced technical difficulties but hung on for sixth.

WOMEN A

Current Masters 40-44 champion Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru) and Veloforma’s Alice Pennington made it a two-rider battle royale at the front of the 60-minute Women’s A race.

Distancing themselves from the rest of the field early in the race, the pair punched and counter-punched throughout the race. Although nothing stuck, the constant back and forth drove the pace and gave the pair a sizeable lead over the rest of the field.

“It was a lot of back and forth,” Williams said of her daylong dual with Pennington. “Things went well until I crashed.”

Williams took a fall exiting the velodrome as the men’s field was entering through the same gate, but the Hudz-Subaru rider managed to fight her way back to Pennington, who came into the Cross Crusade opener having won three races in a row.

With time winding down, Williams poured on extra coal in the closing laps and opened a gap on her Veloforma rival, finishing comfortably ahead of Pennington for the win and the early series lead. Team S&M’s Rhonda Mazza won the battle for third ahead of Megan Faris (River City Bicycles) and Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru).

The complete Cycling Action photo gallery for this race is now posted online HERE.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
Cross Crusade #1
Alpenrose Dairy
Oct. 4

Men A
1. Ryan Trebon (Kona)
2. Barry Wicks (Kona)
3. Erik Tonkin (Kona)
4. Sean Babcock (Team S&M)
5. Shannon Skerritt (Vanilla Bicycles)

Women A
1. Wendy Williams (Hudz-Subaru)
2. Alice Pennington (Veloforma)
3. Rhonda Mazza (Team S&M)
4. Megan Faris (River City Bicycles)
5. Emily Van Meter (Hudz-Subaru)

Cycling Tweet of the Week

"Someone asked why I wasn't going to Gloucester. Two words 'Cross Crusade.' Gloucester is a great race but come on, Alpenrose is a classic!"


Ryan Trebon (@ryantrebon)
Friday, Oct. 2, 1:50 p.m.

Bigger, badder Cross Crusade is back on with return of the Grunge

As expected, rumors of the Cross Crusade's death were greatly exaggerated. Portland's weekly cyclocross series will start Oct. 4 at Alpenrose Dairy and wind up Nov. 15 at Barton Park.

Highlights this year include the "Border Clash Weekend" to decide the The Grail Della Grunge with Washington's best 'crossers. Race 1 of the border battle will be in Tumwater, Wash., Oct. 10, with race 2 the following day in Rainier. And, of course, the USGP will be back Dec. 5 and 6 to close out the local cross season, with the national championships the following week in Bend.

Should be a big season of cyclocross ahead. For more info check out the following release from the Cross Crusade crew, or check out the official website HERE.

SCHEDULE
Oct. 4 CC #1 Alpenrose Dairy, Portland, Oregon
BORDER CLASH WEEKEND*
(Oct. 10 Airport Golf Center, Tumwater Wa. Grunge #1)*
Oct. 11 CC #2 Rainier High School, Rainier Oregon Grunge #2
Oct. 18 CC #3 Sherwood Equestrian Park, Sherwood, Oregon
Oct. 25 CC #4 Washington County Fairgrounds, suburbia
HALLOWEEN FEST WEEKEND
Oct. 31 CC #5 Clatsop County Fairgrounds, Astoria, Oregon
Nov. 1 CC #6 Clatsop County Fairgrounds, Astoria, Oregon
Nov. 8 CC #7 Portland Intl. Raceway, Portland, Oregon
Nov. 15 CC #8 Barton Park, Barton, Oregon

The Crank Brothers US Gran Prix of Cyclocross will return to PIR, Dec. 5 & 6, 2009. The USA Cycling National Cyclocross Championships will be produced by the Cross Crusade in Bend Oregon, Dec. 10-13, 2009.

THE GRAIL DELLA GRUNGE IS BACK AND SEATTLE CROSS RACERS ARE CHOKING ON THEIR CARMEL LATTES
The Grunge battles will be fought on one epic weekend: Oct. 10 in Tumwater, Wa., and Oct. 11 at Rainier High School.

SCHEDULE/CATEGORY CHANGES FOR DAY OF RACE
The Elite Women will race in the same time slot as the Elite Men. The Women's M35+ will be replaced by Women's Masters A and Women's Masters B. Women's M45+ will remain. (Fun Fact: The women's categories are the most consistent in the Crusade, and often have more competitors at the last race than the first!)

MANO A MANO/ TEAM VS TEAM
This year the Cross Crusade is introducing team competition... and with any luck, we may even know the results by Wed each week.... The top 8 results by members of each team across all categories will be scored each week. At the end of the series, the final tabulation will be made and a prize of indescribable value will be awarded to the best team. See the website for complete rules and a convoluted explanation of scoring.

TECH SUPPORT... or "hurry up, my race is staging"
The Cross Crusade is proud to have SHIMANO provide tech support for all races, in both the Expo area and the Pit. They will provide a professional level of service, so show respect.

LEARN TO BUNNY HOP THE BARRIERS
Or at least clear them without falling... Erik Tonkin will host his popular clinics Sept. 2nd, 9th, and 16th, 6-8pm at Alpenrose Dairy. Instructors include Erik and Rhonda Mazza, Jeffrey Struck, and Shannon Skerritt.

$50 BUCKS FOR 50+
The Masters 50+ Category will have betting pool, (no, its not Bingo) for all contenders or would be challengers for the three steps on the PO-dium. Series top 3 split the pot. See the website for rules. Other categories are encouraged to set up their own wagers!

FIRST ANNUAL "CRUSADERS GOT TALENT" VIDEO COMPETITION
The Directors of the Cross Crusade challenge all crusaders to create their own videos, showcasing their talents. Videos may be based on the reunion tour theme or any talent you may remotely possess. Videos will be posted to a YouTube “Crusaders got Talent” channel. All videos will be automatically entered into the competition and will be judged at a special gala screening. See website for rules and suggested prizes!

QUEST FOR THE GRAIL
New route, new quest, same old missing Grail. Find the Grail and win a trip to Tabor, Czech Republic to see the 2010 World Championships of Cyclocross! Or just find one of the other artifacts along the route, and be eligible for the CCXWC raffle.

Myers makes stir with post announcing Cross Crusade demise

OBRA member and Cross Crusade board member Jonathan Myers made a stir Monday when he posted a note to the OBRA chat list announcing the dissolution of the popular weekly cyclocross series for the upcoming 2009 season.

Myers claimed enthusiasm among organizers was low and the group had decided to move on to pursue other goals.

However, as noted by bikeportland.org editor Jonathan Maus, the subtly humorous tone of Myers' announcement suggests it could just be the first shot in the marketing campaign for this year's series.

Until further word comes in, you can decide for yourself by reading Myers' complete OBRA post below:

"As anyone who has been involved in organizing a bicycle race knows, it can be both time consuming and difficult even when it is fun and rewarding. The Cross Crusade has grown from a very small series originally put together by Rick Potestio and Russ Humberston over 15 years ago to a very large series organized by a much larger team of people. As time demands have grown for the organizers, particularly over the last few years it has become harder and harder to put on the type of event that we believe the racers of Oregon deserve.

"Over the last few weeks the organizers have met to put together the plans for the 2009 Crusade. But, during those meetings it became clear that the energy and passion were just not there to continue. So, it is with disappointment but also with some relief we are announcing the dissolution of the Cross Crusade.

"While this may be the end of the series, the people must go on. All the organizers have plans for the future that they have been looking forward to pursuing for many years.

"Brad Ross, our race director has decided to re-enter the corporate world and is taking a position as the Director of Corporate Nomenclature for a prominent local sporting goods company.

"Rick Potestio is working on a treatment for a new television program call Arch-i-talks. This program will focus on low cost ways of turning your 1970’s ranch into a post modern dream home. You would be amazed what PVC cladding and cinder blocks can do these days.

"Russ Humberston has rediscovered a love of music playing Guitar Hero on Xbox 360 with his children. He will be joining his brother’s band as a part time guest member. He does not have any formal training, but he believes the video game has given him all the skills to succeed.

"Rich Slingby has always had a deep interest in winter snow and ice sports. With the Winter Olympics coming to the Northwest, Rich has dedicated himself to earning a spot on the US Curling team. His use of a Swiffer Sweeper may revolutionize the sport.

"Jon Myers will be taking a job as Barry Wick’s body double for low priority and distance photo shoots. Barry does not have time to fulfill all his media requests and since Jon is almost as tall, has somewhat similar hair and rides Kona bicycles, it is a natural fit.

"Andy Wilson has been inspired by Kopi Luwak, the civet produced coffee bean from SE asia. He is working on a new product based on nutria and a new secret coffee bean sourced from the deep jungles of Brazil. Look for it at gourmet coffee houses this fall.

"Doug Moak is putting together a whole new bike race series call the Krozz Kruzade. Many of the themes of this new series are based on Doug’s study of Czechoslovakian Philosopher Emanuel Rádl. Look for details soon.

"Thanks for all the memories and fun times.

"Released by board member Jon Myers for the entire Cross Crusade Organization."