Cyclocross: USA Cross News Roundup 26 October 2009
MAC Series Points, Cat and Kitten Cyclocross Unique Sponsorship, USA Cycling Cyclocross Championships, The Masked Prognosticator Returns....

MAC Cyclocross Series Point Update
Heading into the Halloween weekend races in New Jersey, C3-Athletes Serving Athletes (a.ka. “The Dark Side”) leads the MAC Team Standings with 48 points. The next closest team, Human Zoom/Pabst Blue Ribbon, trails by 13 points -- a large margin with only four races complete.

C3-Athletes Serving Athletes currently hold first and second place in the Elite Women (Laura Van Gilder and Dee Dee Winfield) and Category 2/3/4 Men’s divisions (Gunnar Bergey and Sam “Sammy T. Hammer” O’Keefe), and also leads in the B Masters points with “Sweet” Johnny May. The Dark Side’s domination is not complete, however, as defending champions Wes Schempf currently resides in third place in the Elite Men’s division behind Fuji’s Davide Frattini and Adam Myerson (CycleSmart). Mike Yozell of VisitPA.com currently leads the Elite Masters division. Full standings can be found at MAC’s official website, www.MidAtlanticCross.com.

A double-header of races in New Jersey are the next stops on MAC’s championship trail. The Beacon Cyclocross in southern New Jersey on October 31 and the newly-renamed Cat and Kitten Cyclocross presented by HPCX on November 1 in central New Jersey are both UCI C-2 races with the full compliment of MAC amateur categories. HPCX doubles as the wedding reception for Pro Jonny Sundt and retired pro Mandy Lozano, and proceeds will benefit Kiers Kidz. “Larry Perfetti is a friend of our team,” says Craig Callan, HPCX’s lead promoter. “His daughter, Kiersten, created Kiers Kidz before she died from pediatric cancer.”

Cat and Kitten Cyclocross Unique Sponsorship
Hard economic times have given rise to some creative sponsorships lately. But none have changed the paradigm more than the HPCX Cyclocross in New Jersey. HPCX, round 6 of the MAC Powered by SRAM Series, didn’t choose a sponsor; a sponsor chose them …for their wedding reception.

The Cat and Kitten Cyclocross presented by HPCX on November 1 will not only follow Beacon Cross as the second half of MAC’s annual UCI New Jersey Weekend, it will also be the wedding reception for Jonny “Cat” Sundt and Mandy “Kitten” Lozano. Sundt, a member of the Kelly Benefit Strategies Pro Cycling Team, and Lozano, a recently retired pro road and cyclocross racer, originally met at the HPCX race several years ago. And though they married earlier this year and settled in Texas where Mandy works in Marketing for Frito Lay, they wanted to return to New Jersey and HPCX for their reception.

“Cyclocross has given us so much, including each other,” said Sundt. “We just wanted to share with the greater family of cyclocross. I’ve done just about every kind of bike racing, and cylcocross has a sense of community that’s unparalleled in any other discipline. So we’re going to have a party with about 400 of our best ‘cross buddies.”

“Cyclocross’ culture of inclusion is key,” adds Mandy. “Few do it better than the HPCX crew. Financially supporting the race lets us give back to the sport and helps to ensure the longevity of the mindset.”

More information on the Cat and Kitten Cyclocross presented by HPCX on November 1, and the previous day’s Beacon Cyclocross, can be found on BikeReg.com.

USA Cycling Cyclocross Championships
Preliminary call-up lists for 'Cross Nationals available online
USA Cycling is on target to host a record number of participants at this year’s USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships in Bend, Oregon. We are extremely excited about the growth of cyclo-cross racing in America, but this phenomenal interest did cause issues during the initial on-line registration period. We would again like to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who experienced difficulties registering for the event between midnight and approximately 2:00 a.m. E.D.T. on Oct. 10.

Because of the record number of registrants and also the fact that order of registration partially determines your call-up order, USA Cycling will post weekly a preliminary version of the call-up list for all categories on the USA Cyclocross Championships webpage. The list is not a final version, as on-line registration will remain open through Dec. 2 and on-site registration is also available until the day before competition. The preliminary list is meant only to offer participants an approximate start order based on current registration information. PLEASE NOTE: The posted start orders are subject to change based on updated registration activity and most likely will change as the registration process continues. USA Cycling would like to remind interested parties that all participants are eligible for a full refund, minus processing fees, until the close of on-line registration at 12:00 a.m. midnight on Thursday, December 3.

USA Cycling would like to continue to emphasize that all Masters racers, regardless of time of on-line registration, will be ordered according to their current racing license category, ie. Cat. 1, followed by Cat. 2, etc. Only those Masters within the same category and age division will be seeded according to time of registration. After the close of on-line registration on Dec. 3 all riders registering on-site will start in the back of their respective field regardless of license category with the exception of front row call-ups per USA Cycling’s rule book. Please click here for a complete explanation of call up procedures for all age categories and racing divisions.

In an effort to ensure the most fair and equitable racing environment possible, USA Cycling plans to re-evaluate the method by which we determine the start order for Masters racers at the 2010 Cyclo-cross National Championships. We look forward to hearing your feedback on the topic as we consider several options, including the utilization of USA Cycling’s Results and Rankings System, heats and other options to determine more extensive call-up procedures for 2010 and beyond. In order to ensure that all participants have the opportunity to weigh in during this process, we will include a section on this topic in the post-event survey for the 2009 Cyclo-cross National Championships.

Finally, I would like to invite all participants to a rider celebration on Friday, December 11. Please consult your on-site race information packet for more information regarding this exciting event!
Steve Johnson
CEO USA Cycling

The Masked Prognosticator Returns
USA Cyclocross Predictions
The Masked Prognosticator has poked his head out of his hole, seen his shadow and predicted six more weeks of cyclocross racing (among other things). Last year, the Masked Prognosticator’s predictions about the Zipp OVCX Tour became fodder for a lot of discussion and internet chatter. Now that the economy is turning around, the Masked Prognosticator has returned -- to once again disrupt the productivity of readers who should probably be doing their jobs instead of scouring anonymous ramblings in the hope of reading about themselves on the internet…

The OVCX Series is now 6 races into its 14 race series and headed to Louisville for the USGP this weekend. The Masked Prognosticator has been invisible so far this season, but consider it like the BCS, it takes 6 weeks to get a good read on contenders vs. pretenders (for our worldwide readers, that’s American collegiate football’s “Bowl Championship Series”, the most illogical method of declaring a sporting champion ever devised). I heard from a little birdie that there was a lot of clamoring (okay, maybe it was just a question or two, but appease me and make me feel wanted) for the Masked Prognosticator to return and make sense of everything at the Cincy UCI weekend. Never fear, I have returned.

Now that we are 6 weeks in, I'll unveil my own power rankings for each category. Keep in mind that the OVCX Elite racers will undoubtedly get blitzed by the likes of Jeremy Powers, Katie Compton and company this weekend, but everybody needs a good beating every once in a while (so good luck to Mitchell Kersting and Nicole Borem, the leading Elite's in the OVCX to date).

Elite Men
1. Ryan Knapp*
2. Mitchell Kersting
3. Mike Purvis
4. Rob Kendall
5. Andy Messer

Defending Zipp OVCX Champ Ryan Knapp started the season where he left off last year. He's currently 6th in the OVCX standings but that's because he's only raced one non UCI race (and he won). He finished in front of all local competition in all 3 Cincy races, which would have made him the clear cut favorite if he hadn’t broken his collarbone, in multiple places I’m told, in the last two meters of the UCI race in Harbin Park.

That puts Mitchell Kersting in the hot seat as he is a pretty clear cut #2, but then the real dog fight starts. Purvis, Kendall and Messer are all very close when they race each other and assuming they all put the necessary number of races in, this will be a battle for the final podium spot at the end of the year. If it were my money, and it is – all 2 cents, I'd go with the little man Mike Purvis for 3rd. But mostly I want send Ryan Knapp a big “get well soon, buddy.”

Elite Women
1. Nikki Dallaire
2. Nicole Borem
3. Amanda McKay
4. Teri Meek
5. Bridget Donovan

This could turn out to be a good race for first on the podium, but the Nikki has to get the clear edge if she decides she wants to win. Nicole currently holds the series lead, and actually bested Nikki in Bloomington, but I'll chalk that up to the fact that Nikki is so bored with beating up on women that she's now racing the Cat 3 races as well as the Elite Women. Amanda McKay, Teri Meek and Bridget Donovan look to be pretty solid on their spots although if someone gets hot in the second half, they could overtake the woman in front of them.

Elite Masters 35+
1. Fred Rose
2. Phil Noble
3. Morgan Webb
4. Tom Brockman
5. Don Galligher

This group is probably jumping for joy as they finally shed Mike McShane who graduated to the 45+ this year. I give Fred Rose the nod for the top spot but if Phil Noble decides to race the remainder of the series after the USP this could be a very tight battle, something Fred Rose has grown accustomed to the last couple years. Morgan Webb is a very solid #3 but after that it gets real dicey. I've given the edge to Brockman and Galligher (currently sitting in 5th and 12th, respectively) over guys like Brian Andriot and Peter Bauer (currently 3rd and 4th, respectively) based off results from races they all competed in. Galligher is a question mark as to whether he'll get the races in, but if he does I think he deserves the #5 power ranking.

Elite Masters 45+
1. Mike McShane
2. Erik Fagerberg
3. John Mandrola
4. John May, Sr.
5. Scott Bond

Much like last year, it's an all Calistoga affair at the top. The only difference is that they've substituted the youngster McShane for Bob Bobrow this year while Fagerberg and Mandrola stay right where they were. John May has emerged as the the #4 man in the group and then there's a battle for 5th (currently occupied by Matthew Koehn), but Scott Bond has moved up to the Elites this year and has finished in front of Matt in the two races they were in together so I'll give the edge to Scott.

Cat 3 Men
1. Drew Dillman
2. Josh Johnson
3. Adam Rodkey
4. Josh Prater
5. Mike Dulin

With the departure of Keith Lucas, Tom Brockman and Chris Nevitt, this field is wide open. It's actually very tough to call this group as there have really only been three OVCX races to judge them on since the Cincy UCI races had many others in the field. Drew Dillman, still a junior, appears to be the class of this category and has shown it so far. Nathan Roberson would be listed here as #2 but I believe he is moving up to the Elite division. Good move for Nathan but I'll miss seeing he and Drew battle the final lap like they did at Fisherman's Park.

Josh Johnson is the current series leader and is clearly the #2 guy in this group. After that you can roll the dice depending on which guys get enough races in but I'll go with Rodkey and Prater the Speedway Wheelmen teammates for 3rd and 4th and then take a flyer on Mike Dulin (currently 33rd) for 5th. Dulin has only run the first two races in the Cat 3 but if he comes back he can contend. The series opener winner Travis Mullen may also become a factor if he comes out as he has only done two races as well.

Cat 3 35+
1. Dan Ott
2. Steve Bivens
3. Peter Hills
4. Marty Bearden
5. Todd Nix

This year the Category 3 and 4 men who are 35+ / 45+ have been split into two divisions where last year they were combined. With three of the six races having been the UCI races it's a little tough to make heads or tails out of this group but here goes. Dan Ott has won 2 of the 3 races he's entered so he gets the nod if he does the races. Steve Bivens, the current category leader, looks to be very solid after wining the season opener and finishinf 2nd last week in Bloomington. After that it gets tricky. Micah Fritzinger will be the favorite if he continues to race this category but I'm not sure he will. Last week he raced both the Cat 3 35+ and the Elite Men, a tough double header.

Cat 3 45+
1. Rick Toler
2. Mike Otting
3. David Hart
4. Mark Hooton
5. Mitchell Beckner

This is another tough one to call as only 3 men have even raced 5 of the 6 races so far. Rick Toler has won 2 of the 4 he has raced, so id he continues to race the Cat 3's he may be the favorite. Mike Otting has finished 2nd 3 times giving him the #2 power ranking. After that comes current series leader David Hart after winning a race in Cincy and finishing 2nd last week in Bloomington. Mark Hooton and Mitchell Beckner round out the top 5.

Cat 3/4 Women
1. Pam Loebig
2. Nancy Henderson
3. Hannah Mossman
4. Colleen Morris
5. April Beckner

The fields have been relatively small and no woman has raced more than 4 races, so this is another tough division to call. It is clear that Pam Loebig is the class of the field is she races. After that it may be a toss-up but I'll give Nancy Henderson the nod at #2 and then the trio of One Call now women 3rd-5th.

Women 3/4 35+
1. Melissa Corliss
2. Angie Sexton
3. Shellie Heggenberger
4. Bridgett Sempsrott
5. Claudia Fritzinger

Shellie Heggenberger, the defending champion in this division, has some new competition this year. After a mediocre start to the year and a tough hilly course taking its toll on her at Fisherman's Park, she rebounded with a win last week in Bloomington and looks ready to make the podium challenge interesting.

Melissa Corliss raced in the open division the first race of the year but has since moved into the 35+ field (to avoid racing her own teammates in the open category I hear – come on Melissa, what's more fun than beating up on your own teammates), and looks to be dominant. The Sexton / Heggenberger battle may come down to the wire with mainstay Bridgett Sempsrott close behind. The wildcard in the field could be Claudia Fritzinger. Undoubtedly inspired by her husbands rise from Cat 4 to 3 and then Elite last week, Claudia has shown to be a podium threat when she races. In fact the whole family (2 kids included) is a podium threat every time they race.

Cat 4 Men
1. Luke Haley
2. Cooper Simon
3. Chauncey Joyce
4. Kristofer Karwisch
5. James Billiter

The top two power rankings here are held by a couple members of the Red Zone Junior Cycling squad. They have looked very impressive so far and appear to be the class of the field by far. Come on guys, Cooper looks like he's about to turn 12, catch up to him. After that we'll give the current series 2nd-4th placers the last 3 spots in the top 5. Note that if John Francisco (one of the many in the Francisco racing clan) decides to get his 7 races in the Cat 4 field in he could very well win this division, at the very least he will have a good battle with Luke for the top spot.

Cat 4 35+
1. Greg Fasig
2. Scot Hermann
3. Butch Farrell
4. Shannon Smith
5. Scott Lyle

The new breakout of the Cat 3 and Cat 4 35+ fields has opened up some great racing for these guys who can't quite compete with the Cat 3's. Greg Fasig won two races in Cincy so he's got to be the odds on favorite in front of Scot Hermann, the current series leader. Butch Farrell, Shannon Smith and Scott Lyle round out the top 5 with some solid performances so far this year. There are a couple of wildcards out there in this field in John Wilson and Shane Nalley who have only raced three times this year but shown they could challenge if they continue to come out.

Cat 4 45+
1. Scott Belcher
2. Mike Carroll
3. Rodger Cooper
4. Kevin Skipworth
5. Bryan Smith

Scott Belcher looks to be the runaway leader here barring any late comers. A couple of those late comers though, Mark Fasczewski and Steve Stidham, could take him down if they come out for 7 races. Both of those guys raced the 3 Cincy UCI races finishing 1-2 each day. If they do not come back, then the remaining four spots in the top 5 look like they belong to the next 4 riders in the current series standings.

Junior's
The masked prognosticator has run out of steam and will hold off on the Juniors for another week. As usual it will be littered with Red Zone riders. However, hats off to Doug Dobrozsi who has organized a full Junior team with Queen City Wheels this year and helped to really grow these fields. Now we have a huge number of Red Zone and Queen City Wheels racers around almost every week and it's great to see. Here's looking to a great USGP weekend, good luck to all, and be safe!

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