‘Cross Examination: Bruno Roy, Frattini win Verge MAC crowns; O’Dell, Carey take 5th Central Coast CX

Bruno Roy rides to a weekend sweep and the verge MAC title

Photo: Carl Waltrip

Maureen Bruno Roy came and conquered not only the season-ending Capital Cross Classic, but also the 2007 Verge MAC SRAM season championship. Davide Frattini couldn’t make the finale in Reston, Virginia, but claimed the Verge MAC SRAM season championship by a single point based on his previous conquests.

A big part of the story of this year’s Capital Cross Classic, presented by the Bike Lane, was what didn’t happen. Rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain were all part of the forecast, but Sunday’s weather turned out nicer than the previous day, marked by wind and bitter cold.

One thing that didn’t change from the previous day was the domination of the elite women’s field by Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrications-Wheelworks). Just as she did the day before in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Bruno Roy charged from the gun, established a lead before the Aqua Fina Barrier preme on the first lap, and just rode away.

Bruno Roy thus became the third woman to sweep both halves of Verge MAC’s three weekend doubleheaders. Kerry Barnholt swept both the Granogue and Wissahickon races in October, and Georgia Gould swept both days of the New Jersey weekend in November. But Bruno Roy, fresh off her World Cup debut and another seventh place finish in France, not only swept the final weekend, but scored highly in all six races against the best in American cyclocross to win the Verge MAC title.

Prior to the men’s race, Matt White of FiordiFrutta told announcer Joe Jefferson that getting an early lead would be important because of a narrow section at the start of the second half of the course that had to be changed considerably from past years because of a major construction project. And indeed, White charged into the barriers on the first lap, winning the Aqua Fina Barrier Preme and established a gap on the field.

In the second lap, surprise entrant Jeremiah Bishop (Trek-VW), in his first UCI cyclocross start in years, established himself as the engine in the chase group, consisting of Bishop, championship contender Jon Hamblen (RGM Watches-Team Richard Sachs), Steve Tilford (KCCX-Verge-Eriksen Cycles), the previous day’s winner Alec Donahue (Joe’s Garage), Jonny Sundt (KBS-Medifast), Charles Pendry (Inland Construction-BTD) and Weston Schempf (C3-Sollay.com).

With White riding away, Bishop drilled the chase group but never got any help. Despite two long power sections where drafting came into play, and made even faster by the ground being so hard, nobody else pulled through. Several laps later, Hamblen disappeared from the group, the victim of an apparent mechanical problem that would have devastating consequences afterward.

Donahue was the first rider to have difficulty holding on to the group, followed shortly afterward by Pendry and Schempf. Slowly the chase group closed the gap to White, cutting his lead nearly in half.

By the final lap, Sundt had fallen back several times only to rejoin, Bishop appeared ready to use his last breath to catch the leader and Tilford had not left Bishop’s wheel for almost an hour.

With half a lap to go, the chase was down to Bishop and Tilford. White was looking vulnerable, but he had enough to secure the win in the final Verge MAC race of the season by just two seconds.

“I used up Jeremiah,” said Tilford after the race, “but I went too late.” Bishop apparently concurred, as the cold rain began to fall and they got ready to get onto the podium, he turned to Tilford with a big smile and said, “You could have won that race if you hadn’t been so lazy.” White didn’t say anything — he just smiled broadly.

The rider that nobody could beat wasn’t even at the track, however. Entering the weekend, Frattini (Colavita-Sutter Home-Cooking Light) had a solid points lead in the Verge MAC SRAM point chase as a result of his two victories in New Jersey.

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to attend the finale due to a personal commitment, Frattini tried to clinch the title at Saturday’s round in Carlisle. But after holding a commanding lead for much of that race, a pinch flat resulted in a disappointing fifth-place finish.

With Frattini absent, the door was wide open for Hamblen to win the Verge MAC title for his RGM Watches Richard Sachs team. But his early race mechanical dropped him far enough out of the chase group that he was never able to rejoin. Hamblen, who has raced every edition of the Capital Cross Classic, finished a disappointing eighth and just one point shy of Frattini in the final standings. —Ken Getchell

Capital Cross Classic
Reston, VA. Dec. 2
Men
1. Matt White, FiordiFrutta, 57:30
2. Steve Tilford, KCCX-Verge-Eriksen Cycles, 57:32
3. Jeremiah Bishop, Trek-Volkswagen, 57:34
4. Jonny Sundt, KBS-Medifast, 58:02
5. Alec Donahue, Joe’s Garage, 58:13
6. Charles Pendry, Inland Construction, 58:16
7. Weston Schempf, C3-Sollay.com, 58:44
8. Jon Hamblen, RGM Watches-Richard Sachs, 59:30
9. Jacob Fetty, Myogenesis-TheBikeGame.com, 59:42
10. Nathan Wyatt, Carolina Fatz-SRAM-Santa Cruz Bicycles, 59:45

Women
1. Maureen Bruno Roy, IF-Wheelworks-SRAM, 41:59
2. Erica Yozell, Miller FORT Factory Team, 42:32
3. Betsy Shogren, FORT Factory Team, 42:32
4. Melanie Swartz, Velo Bella-Kona, 42:52
5. Catherine Walberg, Team Kenda Tire, 43:59
6. Libbey Sheldon, Tokyo Joe’s, 44:10
7. Cheryl Sornson, Trek-VW East Coast, 44:37
8. Jessica Hill, Trails End Cycling, 45:50
9. Jennifer Maxwell, Team Kenda Tire, 46:41
10. Lisa Vible, C3-Sollay.com, 47:14

O’Dell, Carey take 5th Central Coast CX
Rock Lobster-HRS riders Aaron O’Dell and Stella Carey put the hurt on the elite divisions to win Sunday’s fifth round of the Central Coast Cyclocross Series, held at the former Army base of Fort Ord in Monterey, California. The men’s race saw four riders off the front on lap two — O’Dell, teammate Josh Snead, Jesse Mayberry (Scott-Ritchey) and Cameron Falconer (Hunter-Freewheel). The four stayed together, with Snead doing most of the work, until first O’Dell, then Snead broke things up.

O’Dell soloed in for his second straight CCCX elite win while Snead — who had just wrapped up the overall in Nor-Cal’s prestigious NCNCA Cup Series — followed to post a 1-2 Rock Lobster finish. Mayberry outsprinted Falconer for the final podium spot. In the women’s race, Carey’s power and grace on the bicycle were evident as the two-time single-speed world champion made an early move on lap one, then never looked back.

The course featured many tricky, dry corners, as well as one 100-yard sand section. Carey was faster in the sand than the competition and used this advantage to build her lead on each lap. Velo Bella-Kona teammates Natasha Perry and Andi Mackie both tried to reel in the hard-charging Carey, but came up short. Perry rolled in for second, a minute behind the winner, with Mackie third on the day at 1:11. Former national masters champion James Coates (Specialized-Morgan Stanley) took the masters race ahead of series leader Mark Howland (Black Market Racing) and Keith DeFiebre (Scott-Ritchey).

The three established a gap by lap two, and in the end it was Coates, the NCNCA Cup Series masters champ, who proved too strong for the others. —Keith DeFiebre Central Coast Cyclocross Series #5
Monterey, Ca. Dec. 2
Elite men
1. Aaron O’Dell, Rock Lobster-HRS, 1:06:09
2. Josh Snead, Rock Lobster-HRS, 1:06:33
3. Jesse Mayberry, Scott-Ritchey, 1:06:55
4. Cameron Falconer, Hunter-Freewheel, 1:06:55
5. Jason Rahlwes, Fox Racing Shox, 1:08:01

Elite women
1. Stella Carey, Rock Lobster-HRS, 38:19
2. Natasha Perry, Velo Bella-Kona, 39:19
3. Andi Mackie, Velo Bella-Kona, 40:29

Masters men
1. James Coates, Specialized-Morgan Stanley, 47:20
2. Mark Howland, Black Market Racing, 48:16
3. Keith DeFiebre, Scott-Ritchey, 49:53
4. John Kammeyer, Altezza 40, 50:17
5. Brij Lunine, SCCCC, 50:18

Barrett, Longley take GA championships
Tim Barrett (Myogenesis) and Holly Longley (Sorella) cruised to wins in the Georgia State Cyclocross Championships on November 18.

Barrett attacked from the start of the men’s A race, saying he hoped his legs would hold up after a 10th-place finish at the North Carolina Grand Prix UCI race the day before. He was chased the whole way by Thomas Turner (Bear Naked-Cannondale) with Barrett’s teammate Casey Magner as a passenger. In the final sprint Magner got the better of Turner and snagged second place.

In the women’s race Longley adopted the same tactics and rode to victory in front of a hard-charging Ellen Carroll. Longley went from the gun and was never seen again.

In the masters 35+ race Tony Scott (Peachtree Bikes) finally got the better of series leader Brendan Sullivan (E-mag Solutions). Sullivan looked strong as he powered around the course in the Verge series leader’s jersey but he couldn’t shake Scott, who beat him in the final 200 meters.

In the master’s 45+ race series leader Dan Coy (GTC) stamped his authority on the race when he dropped teammate Torre Smitherman to get the win going away.

Jansen Lindner (GTC/FFCC) won the juniors 14-and-under race while and Ty Magner (FFCC) ran away with the 15-18 category. For more, see www.georgia-cross.com. —Adam Jones

Georgia State Champions
Men’s 1/2: Tim Barrett, Myogenesis
Men’s 3: Artur Sagat
Men’s 4: Joe Burch, United Community Bank
Women’s 1/2/3: Holly Longley, Sorella
Women’s 4: Nancy Dalman, Dahlonega Wheelworks
Masters 35+: Tony Scott, Peachtree Bikes
Masters 45+: Dan Coy, GTC
Juniors 15-18: Ty Magner, FFCC
Juniors 14 and under: Jansen Lindner, GTC-FFCC

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