Clif Bar clicks at New Jersey ‘cross; Lloyd and Moeschler at Sonoma

By VeloNews Interactive

Team Clif Bar won both elite events in the Highland Park (N.J.) Cyclo-Cross on Saturday, round eight of the Vergegear.com Mid-Atlantic Championship Cyclo-Cross Series.

Clif Bar teammates Carmen D’Aluisio and Gina Hall established the early pace in the women’s race, with Hall on the front. D’Aluisio eventually overtook her teammate and rode the remainder of the race solo, increasing her lead with each lap and cruising in for the victory.

Hall crossed a minute behind D’Aluisio for second. Anna Milkowski (Gearworks-SpinArts) who had two strong races in the Mid-Atlantic series last weekend, put in another good ride to overtake Sarah Uhl (Saturn) for third.

In the men’s race, Ryan Trebon (Easton-Kona) got the jump off the line and held down the front for one complete lap. His pace and the tough, windy conditions rapidly took its toll on the field.

Soon, a lead group of five riders had formed, including Trebon, Marc Gullickson (Redline), Todd Wells (Mongoose-Hyundai), Jackson Stewart (Clif Bar) and Andy Jacques-Mayne (Clif Bar). As the group put time on the field, Trebon appeared to be paying a price for his early efforts. Several times, he drifted off the back of the group, and with three laps remaining, he was off once more and seemed unable to rejoin the leaders.

As the lead bunch swung around towards the start line again, Trebon was still dangling some five seconds back. With no one wanting to pull into the wind so close to the finish, the four leaders slowed, and as they hit the pavement they began jockeying for position. Trebon saw the change in pace and accelerated – but so did the other four, and as the leaders got the bell, Trebon was still alone.

Then, as the riders came back into view on the last part of the lap, Trebon had not only rejoined the group, he was powering along at the front. Heading towards the final assault on the hilly section of the course, Gully attacked, but the others quickly matched his effort.

As they hit the barriers for the last time, Gully led up the hill, but it was Trebon out front on the descent. With all five still together heading into the section past the pit, the race looked as if it was coming down to a five-up sprint.

But Jacques-Mayne had other plans. As the group hesitated coming around one of the final turns, he attacked, opening a small gap and holding it to the finish, with Trebon second. Stewart won the three-way sprint for third.

Next week the series moves to Western Pennsylvania for the Raccoon Township ‘Cross. For more information, see www.monkeyhillcs.com/mac.

Elite men
1. Andy Jacques-Mayne, (Clif Bar)
2. Ryan Trebon, (Easton-Kona)
3. Jackson Stewart, (Clif Bar)
4. Marc Gullickson, (Redline)
5. Todd Wells, (Mongoose-Hyundai)
6. Ben Jacques-Mayne, (Family Cycling Center)
7. Ronny Poelvoorde, (Duratec-Zewieties)
8. Jacob Stechmann, (Alan Factory Team)
9. Bart Bowen, (Kona)
10.Jeremy Powers, (NCC-BikeReg.com)

Elite women
1. Carmen D’Aluisio, (Clif Bar)
2. Gina Hall, (Clif Bar)
3. Anna Milkowski, (Gearworks-SpinArts)
4. Sarah Uhl, (Saturn)
5. Marianne Stover, (Gearworks-Spin Arts)
6. Amber Itle, (Wissahickon)
7. Mindy Martin, (Los Malos)
8. Erica Miller, (Wissahickon)
9. Betsy Schauer, (Fort-GPOA)
10.Sami Fournier, (Velo Bella)

Lloyd, Moeschler take titles at first-ever cyclo-cross at Infineon Raceway
Bay Area resident Rachel Lloyd and Jason Moeschler of Nevada City reached the winner’s circle in the inaugural Sonoma Valley Cyclo-cross at California’s Infineon Raceway on Saturday, November 15.

This marked the first-ever cclo-cross held at Infineon Raceway, better known for the speed and power of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing and NHRA POWERade dag racing. More than 175 riders competed on the two-kilometer Infineon Raceway course, which wound its way up/down a hillside above Turn 2. Athletes faced a series of obstacles, including tricky turns on dirt, speedy pavement straightaways, and a lung-busting run up four flights of stairs to the Earnhardt Terrace (Turn 2) every lap. San Anselmo’s Lloyd led out a field of local and national athletes in the women’s elite race. With Mill Valley’s Christine Vardaros out with an injury, Lloyd seized the lead by the end of the first lap and never relinquished it during the 45-minute event. Lloyd, ranked fifth in the country, next looks ahead to the national cyclo-cross championships in Portland in December. Moeschler, himself a nationally ranked rider, was among a pack of local hot-shots including John Funke of San Francisco and Cameron Falconer of Marin in the men’s elite race. The men’s event saw a closely fought battle among a small pack of riders from beginning to end. Moeschler surged ahead at the end to take the checkered flag in the 45-minute race.