Southern California’s Prestige Series of Cyclocross Celebrates KROSS-TOBERFEST
10/16/09 - Southern California’s Prestige Series of Cyclocross first dual cross event weekend was celebrated grandly with Kross-tober-fest. The Cross gods delivered, it was another weekend of perfectly sunny sixty-eight degree weather and the beer was flowing efficiently from the kegs strategically placed next registration. Furthermore, the women riders racing around in their Dirndl’s displayed the most impressive support of the new Cyclocross holiday.
Getting into the KROSS-TOBERFEST spirit.
© Jennifer Louie
Day 1 of KROSS-TOBERFEST
It was another great showing of cross racing. The SoCalCross women's CX scene has grown 300% this season especially in the Masters and beginner (CX3/4) categories. CRAZY!!! So many new faces and old in So Cal coming out this weekend including, Beatrice Rodriguez and Somersby Jenkins, now National Road Champions- started racing bikes with cyclocross, Kendall Ryan coming into form as an all around crosser and road racer and representing USA at the UCI Junior World Championships winning last two elite women's races of our series. While Megan Elliot - former Team Saturn and Quark Pro and now racing CX in So Cal making for a new dynamic for the women's SoCalCross scene. Go ladies!!!
The elite women took their starting positions with a couple of new faces in the mix this week. It was Megan Elliot of Black Mtn. Cycles who came out swinging. The women were out and within the first lap again it was the dominating Kendall Ryan (Team SoCalCross/CICLE) to take the lead. She was pulling the field until Tonya Bray (MtbChick) started to battle. The two seemed to be exchange efforts until Bray crashed and Ryan monopolized on the situation riding away to open enough of a gap to take the win. In second it was Bray who rode strong back onto the chase group and passed to take second. In third it was Dorothy Wong (Team SoCalCross/CICLE) followed closely by Elliot and the always-impressive youngster Alexis Ryan (Team SoCalCross/CICLE) to round out the top five.
In the elite men’s field the numbers were up again and it was Brandon Gritters (Rock N’ Road Cyclery) who came out looking to finally take a win from the series leader Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacifis/B&L’s). But, the maze like course had other ideas over the two days as high speed crashes and mechanicals were taking riders out of contention. Eventually, it was Prenzlow again who took the win with a 30 second gap on Gritters who took second. But, close behind it was Gary Douville (Team Platinum) and Kyle Gritters (Rock N’ Road Cyclery) who put on a good show as Gritters tried to set up Douville to take him in the final sprint but Douville stayed strong as the two sprinted it out to ride in for third and Kyle Gritters in Fourth. Rounding out the top five it was Jason Siegle (Bike Religion) soloed in for fifth with a little gap on the next chase group.
Day 2 of KROSS-TOBERFEST
The early morning races were great and we have to mention some of the memorable racing that is showing from riders like Jon Miller (Rock N’ Road Cyclery) who continues to dominate the men’s 55+ field with every race he enters. And, Jeff Sanford (Celo Pacific) who took the win in both 35+ races this weekend.
In the elite women’s field we saw more new faces to the field as National Road Champion Beatriz Rodriguez (velo LaGrange) showed to celebrate cyclocross, her roots in bike racing, at Kross-tober-fest. However, the newcomer Megan Elliot (Black Mtn. Cycles) came again for redemption from day one. When the group was off early on it was Elliot who took the lead. Rodriguez seemed to be taking it easy as she let Wong (Team SoCalCross/CICLE) pass on second lap and the group settled in for the race. In the end it was Elliot who took the win with Dorothy Wong in second and Rodriguez in third. In a close fourth it was Susan Thompson (Pasadena Athletic Association) and rounding out the top five was Carol Rukle.
The elite men took course and there was unmarked hunger in the air as series leader Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/B&L) was not in the line-up. From the start it was fast and the lead group was hanging tight together. Again it was Rock N’ Road’s Gritters brothers up front with Mark Noble (nonstop ciclismo), Gary Douville (Team Platinum), and Bailey Bikes riders’ John Bailey and John Behrens. The group stayed fast but on the third lap an unfortunate flat put Siegle out of the race. Then with three laps to go the group finally began to break apart. It was Kyle Gritters who made the first move and then Noble with the second big attack. John Bailey looked fresh, staying in the mix and then delivered his own effort to tear the group apart. And, by the last lap it was the Gritters brothers riding tactically with Bailey towards the finish. The last attack was by Brandon Gritters who finally took his first win of the season after a couple races of strong second place finishes to series leader Prenzlow. Then it was Kyle and Bailey who sprinted in with Kyle in second and Bailey taking an impressive third as the brothers tactics barely held him off. Then rounding out the top five were Noble fourth and Douville in fifth.
