Cross Report: Crosstoberfest; A factory visit and a #@$%ing thief!

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By Matt Pacocha

Cody Peterson took men’s honors at the Idaho State Championships

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Cody Peterson (3D Racing-SRAM-LFP&CO) and Kris Walker (Intermountain Sports Medicine-LCR) won their respective men’s and women’s Idaho state cyclo-cross championship races Sunday October 29 held at Sun Valley ski resort. The event, dubbed “Crosstoberfest,” had a festival feel. Loud polka music and hip-hop took turns entertaining the large crowds. While, free cowbells and gigantic authentic beer steins filled to the brim kept spectators loud and rowdy.

Peterson, an Idaho native and in his first year racing cyclo-cross, used a small hill leading into a windy open field as the springboard for his winning move on the race’s penultimate lap. He had been away with Chris Pietrzak (Porcupine-Specialized), a helmet product manager for Black Diamond Equipment and Utah resident and former masters’ world cyclo-cross champion Richard Feldman (Durance Cycleworks-Lehman Bros.). The rest of the field hadn’t seen the trio since the racers’ first lap on the 2.1-mile course.

Early in the race, Peterson drove the pace motivated by a poor start during the previous day’s event, which had forced him to chase for almost a third of that race. Midway through the event it was clear that Peterson favored the courses hill and the wind that preceded it. His breakaway partners showed their affinity for the course’s only run up. A steep embankment latticed with railroad ties, which also forced racers to run down the treacherous run track. It was not clear, however, who was the strongest of the trio.

Peterson and Pietrzak took turns attacking one another, while Feldman never looked to be under pressure, until he fell off the pace. The race came down to Peterson and Pietrzak in the last lap.

“On the last lap I just kind of bobbled on the backside and that was pretty much that,” said Pietrzak.

Peterson’s race winning attack actually started with two laps to go. He split the group and dispatched Feldman. With Feldman gone and Pietrzak a Utah state resident, Peterson had the championship in the bag, whether he won the race or not.

“With two to go I was in third,” said Peterson. “I brought Richard back on the hill and Chris back on the far end [of the windy flats] then put in a little surge and hung out in front.

Kelli Emmett won the women’s event

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In fine style, Peterson came out of the course’s final corner into the finishing stretch alone, to win the championship outright. The crowd let out a roar that echoed throughout the valley. The hometown hero had taken the day’s prize. Because Pietrzak is not a Idaho state resident, Feldman took the second championship podium spot while ex-pro mountain biker Daryl Price took sixth in the race, and third for the Idaho championship. Both Peterson and Pietrzak will be at rounds three and four of the Crankbrothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross in Boulder, Colorado on November 4-5.

“It [Boulder’s USGPs] will be my first big cyclo-cross race,” said Peterson. “This is my first year racing ’cross. I’d like to just get a big race weekend under my belt so I can see what ’cross racing is really like and then next year I want to do everything.”

The women’s elite race was held in conjunction with the men’s B race. While Kris Walker went home with the state championship, Scott USA flew in, Kelli Emmett (Ford Cycling), the women’s ringer for the weekend.

Emmett raced with the A men on Saturday as a warm up for the state championship on Sunday. She handily won the women’s race and finished inside the top ten in the men’s B category of the championship race, which coincided with the elite women’s race. Since Emmett isn’t an Idaho state resident, she wasn’t eligible for the state title. Following Sunday’s event Emmett led the sport’s future champions during the event’s Shimano kids race.

Idaho State Cyclo-cross Championship ResultsElite Men
1. Cody Peterson
2. Pietrzak Christopher
3. Richard Feldman
4. Sam Krieg
5. Matt PacochaElite Women
1. Kelli Emmett
2. Kris Walker
3. Rebecca Gross
4. Susan Robinson

The Scott Cyclocross Team Bike

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The Tech
The reason I was in Sun Valley, Idaho participating in the Idaho state cyclo-cross championships instead of at Boulder Racing’s UCI race in my town of Boulder, Colorado was the invitation extended to visit Scott USA’s U.S. headquarters also located in Ketchum, Idaho.

I’d already had some time on one of the new bikes Scott presented for 2007, the Spark, at Interbike’s On Dirt Demo. I had not had the chance to ride other new bikes, so the visit allowed me to get some time in on two of Scott 2007 bikes, a new Ransom and the CX Cross Team. Adrian Montgomery, Scott USA’s marketing manager, figured what better way to familiarize yourself with a ’cross bike than to race it. So he put two other editors and myself through both cyclo-cross Idaho ’cross races on the 2007 Scott Cyclocross Team bikes.

I competed in both races of the weekend on a bone stock Cyclocross Team bike. This rig has a retail price of $1500. At that price, it’s a value that’s ready to race out of the box. At the heart of the package is a double butted 7005 aluminum alloy frame and a Scott branded carbon fork with alloy steerer. Both the frame and fork have ample clearance for the mud. The frame is purpose built with large diameter thin wall tubes that deliver snappy acceleration and a stiff ride. This is not a do everything ’cross bike, it only has one set of bottle cage mounts, and its large diameter tubes are not very comfortable once you pass the 60 minute mark.

As for components, the package is quite solid. The Cyclocross Team features a mix of 10-speed Shimano 105 and Ultegra. It has a Truvativ Elita compact crank and Avid’s Shorty 4 brakes. The cockpit is built from Scott’s house brand bars and stem, which are alloy and a Scott carbon seat and post. The package rolls on Mavic Aksium wheels, which aren’t light super light but proved quite durable during my trial.

On Scott’s Cyclocross Team, I was able to finish in front of a bunch of Shimano Dura-Ace and carbon wheel equipped bicycles. To tell the truth, I’m not sure a fancier bike would have garnered a better finish for me. The major gripe I have with the bike, which I have with many of the complete ’cross bikes in this category, is that the 50-tooth large chainring doesn’t fit the application. Even the sport’s stars generally don’t use a chainring larger than a 46-tooth. Another nuance to be aware of are the bike’s dimensions.

I’m five foot nine inches and my optimal top tube length for road or ’cross is 56 centimeters. Based on the stand over height of the Scott Cyclocross Team, I would choose a medium but a medium’s top tube is only 53cm. I would have to step up to the XL to get my preferred top tube length, but its stand over doesn’t allow that. Instead, I split the difference and went with the large. For the average buyer sizing with the Cyclocross Team is something to be aware of. I’ll generalize that mountain bikers will have an easier time adjusting the Cyclocross Team, since they are more used to an upright position. A road racer, however, may need to select the next size up and play with the bike’s stem length to achieve their desired position.

As a package, the Scott Cyclocross Team is quite capable right out of the box. If you’re serious about racing, a smaller large chainring and a set of tubulars for race day will make this bike as capable as those costing two and three times as much.

Reigning U.S. Cyclo-cross champ ripped off
Katie Compton’s weekend was going great. This past Sunday October 29, she won Boulder Racing’s UCI event in Boulder Colorado. She crossed the line with a 30-second advantage over Georgia Gould (Luna), the winner of the second Crankbrothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross. Not to mention that prior to the women’s event Compton “warmed up” with the category 3 men. A final-lap crash was all that kept her off the podium in that race.

Things went awry later in the evening after returning to her home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Both of her race bikes, four sets of race wheels and her husband’s race bike were stolen out of the Spike Team van parked outside of the couple’s house. The break-in was part of a string of three. Thieves also hit Mike Creed’s (TIAA-CREF) car; nothing substantial was taken.

Spike Team sponsor, Raleigh is providing Compton with two bikes until her personal sponsor, Primus Mootry, can build new custom race bikes for her. If you come across any of the Comptons’ stolen items, please contact the Colorado Springs Police department, 719-444-7000. The working case number is 06-36954.

Here is the list of what was taken:Three custom built Primus Mootry cyclo-cross bikes, includingCompton’s red, blue and white frame with airbrushed stars-and-stripes painted on the front end of the bikeCompton’s new burgundy red frameHer husband’s 61cm silver bike features red flames on the front end of the bike.

Compton’s bikes are equipped with:Dura Ace shift componentsFSA SLK carbon cranksCrank Bros Eggbeater pedalsCane Creek Carbon Aros 58 wheels, 1 set tubulars, 1 set clinchersCane Creek Carbon Volos wheels, carbon low profileThe tires were Tufo, Dugast and Michelin

The 61cm Silver Primus was equipped with a Campagnolo Chorus group and FSA SLK cranks, eggbeater pedals and Cane Creek wheels.

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