‘Cross Examination: Schempf, Shogren rule DCCX; Swanson doubles in Minnesota; double-headers set for MABRAcross, Boulder

Weston Schempf (C3-Sollay.com) and Betsy Shogren (FORT Factory Team) pulled away early to take commanding victories in Sunday’s inaugural DCCX Cyclocross Race presented by DCMTB-City Bikes in Washington, D.C.

The event, held on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home and promoted by the DC Mountain Bike Team, featured a course muddied up by three days of rain, with rooted, swooping curves, open road, two sets of tricky barriers and a Paris-Roubaix-style brick section.

“Props to whoever put it together,” Schempf said. “There was a lot of good rhythm to it.”

In the elite men’s race, Schempf had the lead by the time the field hit the first uphill barrier section and knew the race was his to lose. He had a little extra motivation to perform, having had his car (with his bikes inside) towed the night before, forcing him to scramble in the hours before the race to recover his vehicle and head for the race.

“I was a little angry,” Schempf said. “I decided to take it out on the course.”

Blair Saunders (Henry’s Bikes) led a group of four riders who chased Schempf for much of the race. Saunders tried in vain to get some help as Schempf’s lead exceeded one minute at midrace, then finally attacked his group and got clear for second place.

In the women’s race, Shogren took off with Jessica Hill from the start, and then built a lead after Hill had technical problems. She smoothly built up a lead big enough to let her switch to her single-speed pit bike after a few laps.

Race note:
Race director Matt Donahue, who lives near the Armed Forces Retirement Home, approached the government-sponsored retirement home about using its grounds for the race. Proceeds will be donated to benefit the veterans at the AFRH. One official also donated his daily salary to the veterans.

For more, see www.dcmtb.com/blog/ (results); picasaweb.google.com/ou98dtbiggs/DCCX (photos); and www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com (blog and pix).

Swanson sails to double-win weekend
Doug Swanson (Grandstay) came back after taking a weekend off from racing to easily win twice in Minnesota this past weekend.

The first was in Taylor’s Falls on the Erickson Brothers Tree Farm, where the fast, technical course proved to fit Swanson’s style — he lapped everyone in the field barring the top-eight finishers. He was joined on the podium by Aric Hareland (Hollywood) and Duane Dickey (Mercy-Specialized).

On Sunday in Northfield, on the campus of St. Olaf College, Swanson continued his dominance, putting time into the field on the first lap and continuing a tremendous pace throughout the 60-minute event. Dan Casper (Grandstay) and Dickey rounded out the podium.

For more information on the Minnesota Cyclocross Series see www.mcf.net. —Tim Hayes

MABRAcross slates double-header weekend
The 2007 BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series has a double-header on tap November 3-4.

On Saturday, cyclocross returns to Maryland’s Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area for the Wayne Scott Memorial, which honors the former promoter of the Fair Hill Cyclocross races. Still very much alive, Scott was forced by job requirements to relocate to South Carolina and is greatly missed by the Delaware Cross Coalition, which is organizing the race.

The following day, the MABRAcross Series travels several hours south to Ida Lee Park in Leesburg, Virginia, for Squadra Coppi’s annual Tacchino Cicliocross.

These events will also see a separate race for Category 3-4 women beginning at 9 a.m.

For more information, see BikeReg.com. — Ken Getchell

Top-flight racing coming to Boulder
Boulder, Colorado, will host a weekend of national-class racing November 3-4 beginning on Saturday with The Redline Cup, a UCI Cat. 2 race at The Boulder Reservoir.

Elite women take the start at 1:25 p.m. followed by elite men at 2:15.

On Sunday, the second Boulder Cup (UCI Cat. 1) takes place at Harlow Platts Park, behind Fairview High School in South Boulder. Elite women start at 1:30 p.m. followed by elite men at 2:30.

Contenders among the men include national champ Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks (Kona-YourKey.com) and Tim Johnson and Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com). The women’s field stars national champ Katie Compton (Spike Shooter), Amy Dombroski (Velo Bella) and Melissa Thomas (Maxxis).

Other activities include an expo area with product demonstrations, food and beverage vendors, and the Boulder Beer Garden, featuring samples of their Cyclocross Ale, specially brewed for the racing season.

For more, see www.dbcevents.com.

UCI race slated in Canada
Midweek Cycling Club’s UC1-C2 International Pro-Am Cyclo-Cross races take place November 10-11 at Centennial Park in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada.

Races will begin at 10 a.m. each day and run until the early evening. Adding a flair of Belgium and Holland, the Thistletown Lion’s Club will have beer tents directly adjacent to the course.

Newcomers to cyclocross can attend training sessions at 6 p.m. Tuesdays at Centennial Park Ski Hill until December.

For more information, see www.midweekclub.ca or e-mail midweekclub@gmail.com.

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