The excitement of the USGP and the following weekends’ Gun Club cross race has abated, and we can all catch our breath a bit. The USGP was an enormous success, and I hope - for those of you who were able to make it out to see the action – as fun as it was to watch as it was for the racers. Bruce Fina, director of the USGP writes a blog on BikeClicks and gives an inside scoop on all things USGP as well as high praise for Louisville and our very own Mark Luking! There are also some great fan photos of the entire weekend that can be seen on BikeClicks here.
BikeClicks/Team Louisville was an enormous presence at this event with the largest racing contingency, as well as a very large volunteer squad thanks to Mark Lukings’ volunteer recruitment efforts and the help of the Louisville Bicycle Club.
A big thanks to Nanz & Kraft florists for the gorgeous podium flowers that were presented to the winners in each category.
As you can see from the signage on the Green Monster, it was graciously and perhaps quite serendipitously sponsored by River City Distributing – I am willing to bet that many riders were wishing for a nice cold one on their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time up those stairs!
Volunteers, racers and spectators were more than happy to be able to purchase a nice hot cup of Heine Bros. coffee on the chilly mornings – I believe we sold out the first morning! Many thanks to Heine Bros. for providing the coffee that garnered a profit for the team.
RESULTS
Over thirty BikeClicks/Team Louisville racers lined up on River Road to race in one of the biggest cyclocross events in the country - many of whom placed in the top 10 of their category; a very admirable feat indeed at a race of this caliber.
TOP TEN Placings at USGP:
Elite Masters 45+
Day 1: Joe Collins 5th place, Rick Lyons 9th.
Day 2: Joe Collins 7th, Rick Lyons 8th and Brad Wunderlich 9th
Elite Masters 55+
Day 1: Walter Lay podium finish with 2nd place.
Cat. ¾ Women Open
Day 1: Teri Meek 5th place, Olivia Jaras 8th.
35+ women: Christina Halioris 2nd place, Suzanne Webster 5th.
SERIES STANDINGS
The Ohio Valley Cyclocross Series (OVCX) is a series of 13 races in which racers win points determined by their placement. With five races still to go, many of BikeClicks/Team Louisville riders are “on the podium” at this point in the series. Anything can change before the end of the season, but our standings as of 8 races right now are as follows:
Elite Masters 45+: Rick Lyons 2nd place
Category 3 Men: Chris Nevitt 2nd place
Category 3-4 Masters 35+: Steven Webster 1st place
Category 3-4 Women: Teri Meek 1st place, Olivia Jaras 2nd
Category 3-4 Women 35+: Christina Halioris 1st place, Suzanne Webster 3rd.
It is especially exciting for the womens’ squad to have all four of our ‘cross racers this high in the series standings. There are two more “local” races for those of you who missed the USGP but might still like to come out and see what cyclocross is all about. We encourage you to come see the action in Lexington on November 16 - or perhaps more conveniently at River Road Country Club on November 30th at Storm The Greens, sponsored by the newest group - Calistoga Racing - to join the BikeClicks.com community. It is at this race that we all hope to be rolling in our new, blue kits!