Day 1 of the US Cyclocross Nationals is in the books and as expected Thursday turned out to be a muddy affair. Racing continues today starting at 9am.From Wendy Booher - (Kansas City, Kan.):
Boni Fends Off Rivals' Attacks
The B women's category kicked off this year's USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships at Wyandotte Country Park less than two days after a headline-making ice storm moved through the region. Thirty-one women lined up at 9 a.m. to literally break in the championship course, which was covered with a veneer of ice left over from the storm.
Kristal Boni of Broomfield, Colo., (Twin Peaks Racing) took the holeshot and never relinquished her lead, fending off attacks by rivals Deb Whitmore (Asheville BRC), Shawnee Brenner (unattached), Corey Coogan (Ridley), and Lauri Webber (Henry's).
"I took off and had a lead with a girl right behind me - she seemed to be a little bit stronger in the corners, so I just tried to keep digging out of the corners," Boni said. "She got me a couple times in corners and I just kept pushing through. Then I could see Shawnee and a few other girls start to close in on us, so I really just tried to keep the gas on and keep going."
By the race's midpoint, Boni managed to open up a five-second gap over Whitmore, who led the group of Brenner, Webber, and Coogan. A last-lap effort by Brenner put her in second, ahead of Webber, who finished third. Whitmore was fourth and Coogan fifth to round out the podium.
"Kristal and I race together at home and we've been battling it out for the last two years, kind of finishing one after the other pretty much every race," Brenner said. "We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and I knew if she kept it upright, she had me today."
Boni and Brenner will go at it again on Friday at 2 p.m. in the women's 30-34 championship.
Knapp Prevails Despite Poor Starting Spot
Fourteen-year-old Jeff Bahnson (C2S - Henry's) lit a pace hot enough to worry - or at least confuse - some of the more experienced racers in the field of the first men's race of the event. Bahnson hauled the field around for two laps until fatigue started to take prisoners. Ryan Knapp of Columbus, Ind., (BikeReg.com), whose starting position at the back put him at a disadvantage for a podium finish, succeeded in steadily moving up until he was in reach of the lead.
"I wasn't even sure if I was coming out here so I registered about two weeks ago and ended up in the second-to-the-last starting row," Knapp said. "The long road section gave us a chance to kind of spread it out and move up before it got into the single-track. There was that young 14-year-old kid and he was leading for a good while. Luckily, a couple people had some bobbles, which kind of brought it back together, and I was able to keep it upright for the last two or three laps."
Had 23-year-old Knapp decided to sit this one out today, the win might have gone to a local racer, Adam Lang (Team X Cycling) from Olathe, Kan., who came in 42 seconds after Knapp.
Bavineau Overcomes Mishaps for the Win
Marc BavineauIn his own words, Beverly, Mass., resident Marc Bavineau (ECV), 31, rode a race "fueled by adrenaline" to capture the win in the B men's 30-39 category. Raw power became his tool, which he used to carve out a victory.
"Over the course of the first lap I moved to the front and a couple guys in front of me bobbled," Bavineau said. "Then I got a chance to get up front. From there, I just didn't look back. I crashed twice, ripped a shifter off my bike and rode half a lap with no rear brake or shifting."
Despite those mishaps, he recovered fast enough to put a 25-second lead into second-place Gary Douville (NEBC - CycleLoft) by the end. He said his win erases the frustration of a number of runner-up finishes. At last year's national championships, Bavineau was 58th in the 30-34 age group race.
Farther back at the start of the race, Wiley Mosley (Specialized - North Atlantic Velo) stomped on his pedals a bit too eagerly and snapped his chain.
"The first 40 or 50 yards, my chain broke and I had to run," Mosley said. "I don't really know how far, but quite far."
On foot, Mosley sped for the pits, where he momentarily ran helter-skelter looking for his backup bike. With the new bike beneath him, Mosley took off to redeem a lousy start and he succeeded - somewhat - by weaving his way through traffic to finish 40th out of 117 starters. Mosley will take his chances two more times this weekend in the 30-34 men's and single-speed categories.
Morrissey Wins the Day's Muddiest Race
The course thawed to a viscous mess in some places by the noon start of the men's race. Suddenly, risks that seemed outrageous earlier in the day were within reason for the 118 competitors who lined up at the start.
The course's first turn also had become a prime viewing sight, since slippery grass made crashing inevitable in the earlier races. But Steve Songer (Team X Cycling), 46, of Overland Park, Kan. collected the holeshot and flawlessly pulled the field through the turn without incident. Songer quickly faded into the pack, though, as eventual winner Patrick Morrissey of Albuquerque, N.M., (NM Team Cross) made his way forward. By the time he reached the barriers, Morrissey was in command and on his way to winning the 45-minute race by 37 seconds.
"One of the keys is to go well up the pavement and then I think if you overcook it on the pavement, you'll pay," he said. "So I just kind of took it easy up the pavement and then I had plenty left once we got into the dirt.
"You're constantly looking at the course, constantly looking for a better line and when you're alone, you can find it," he said. "I did go down on one corner - I just didn't respect it."
Behind him, the field strung out in gaps ranging from three seconds to more than a minute. Troy Krause (Lincoln Industries-Lemond) went on to finish second, Darron Cheek (A Racers Edge) was third and Brent Evans (Color Me Safe) and Andy Lucas (X Racing) rounded out the podium in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Racing resumes on Friday at 9 a.m. with a host of age division championships, beginning with the Junior Women. The four-day event concludes Sunday with the men's and women's elite championships.
For a complete schedule, race results, the daily blog, action photos* or to purchase official race apparel, visit: www.kccrossnationals.com.
Photo: Patrick Morrissey by Kurt Jambretz/www.actionimages.cc
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