Nice showing by Team Green in the Men's 4/5 race at Big Marine that included 75 starters and a strong afternoon wind! David J - 5th, Michael M - 8th, Barry T - 10th, Kevin R - 17th, Greg B - 18th

Kevin and Greg's children also raced! Zoe Reker - 10th in Women's 4 & 40+, Samuel Bramel - 5th in Juniors 15-18, and Nicolette Reker - 10th in Juniors 10-14

Kudos to the Birchwood team for putting on a great race. Gone from prior years was the long climb out of Marine on St. Croix, but the inclusion of the north rolling section through the tree lined roads was an awesome addition. The neutral water hand-ups by the volunteers was phenomenal!

In the 35+ race, the field stayed together for much of the race and it came down to a mass field sprint at the end. Tim S - 20th, Steve L - 28th and Don H - 31st. 

In the Men's Cat 1/2 race, Alex took on the field alone and finished 26th.

Next on the MCF calendar: Spunk Lake RR in Avon.

With the 3rd coldest July in Minnesota's recorded history, cross is definitely in the air. Congrats to Jesse for his 3rd place in the Pro/Elite race at yesterday's Spectacross, held as part of the New Jersey State Fair activities. 

The following is an excerpt from CX Magazine (cxmagazine.com). If you're hooked on cross, I would highly recommend subscribing to their hard copy magazine. Picked one up at a local shop in Boulder and was really impressed with the quality and content.

by Jacob Sisson 

"Friday's rain left some token mud for Saturday’s hot and sunny cyclocross racing at Spectacross, held at the New Jersey State Fair. Summer cyclocross racing held in conjunction with a fair promised a unique experience for both fair attendees and racers, and the inaugural event did not disappoint. 

With a rock-hard racing surface compacted by multi-ton tractors during tractor pull competitions, pounding in stakes and taping the course was not an option. Instead, promoter Ken Getchell added some flair and marked the course with flourescent-colored fabric course markers on the ground. The fluorescent markers weren’t the course’s only unique feature; a semi-crushed car also graced the course as a massive barrier. It’s debatable as to whether the old car could qualify as “natural terrain” under UCI rules, but racers didn’t care. Their race wasn’t even the weirdest event. The speed trials made dismounting for a 40-cm barrier look plain silltacry.

  The slippery course conditions, held partially on a tractor-pull course, were not enough to derail masters racer Johnny Bold’s bid at victory in the Pro/Elite Men’s competition, presented by Staten Island Cross. Puddles that had formed earlier turned an otherwise fast, hardpack course into a soupy mud pit that reeked havoc on drivetrains. Just ask Alec Donahue, who’s derailleur succumbed to the mud just over half way through the race.

Bold was the fastest man out of the start house, proving why he has ridden his way to multiple Verge New England series titles. Soon after his hot start, however, Bold relinquished the lead to a surging Ben Popper (Cyclocross Magazine columnist), who would set a torrid pace at the front for the next few laps. Bold was content to hold Popper’s wheel, never straying more than a couple seconds from Popper’s draft. Behind Bold, Alec Donahue was riding a steady tempo to keep hold of the leaders, while holding off Jesse Rients in fourth. At the halfway point, it was clear that Donahue was having mechanical difficulties, as he was limited to only his easy gears, leaving him to spin at an abnormally high cadence. Donahue would drop back a few places before the mud claimed the life of his derailleur.

By this time, Bold had caught up to Popper, and the two were going head to head at the front of the race, with Donahue and Rients closing in from behind. Disaster struck for Popper over one of the slick “whoops” obstacles when he hit the turf, allowing Bold, Rients and Donahue all to get past him. After remounting, Popper realized that his chain had not survived the crash and had to dismount and replace his chain before he could continue. Once back on his bike, the leaders were accelerating their way out of the barriers, and Popper was chasing at the back of the group of four. Bold took this opportunity to hit the gas, and broke open a lead over the other three riders, carrying a four second lead over Rients, and a nine second lead over Popper as they passed through the finishing area.

Bold’s engine and technical skills were a perfect mix for the course, as he steadily opened up his lead over Rients (who had assumed second position). Rients would not stay in second for long, as Popper, who was riding on the back of a rush of adrenaline, was back in the mix only a couple of laps after eating the mud. Popper worked his way up through Rients and was soon off in pursuit of Bold. Bold, however, would ride a technically near-perfect race in defense of his lead, with his only miscue coming in the form of putting a foot down in a slick grass turn with two laps to go. Popper would manage to close the gap, but not enough to get up to the Spectacross title, and would have to settle for the silver medal. Rients held on for third place."