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Highland Park Cyclo-cross/Verge MACCS #6 - C1
Highland Park, New Jersey, USA, November 6, 2005
Double-Double at Highland Park
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Teams representing Velo Bella and Kona both scored 1-2 finishes in the UCI International Cyclocross Race in Highland Park, New Jersey on Sunday. Held on a super-fast course laid out in Donaldson Park, along the banks of the Raritan River, in beautiful, shirt sleeve weather, the race was round six of the $30,000 Verge Mid Atlantic Cyclocross Series. And, as is usually the case on fast courses, teamwork played a major role in three of the five races.
In the featured men's international event, Kona teammates Barry Wicks and Ryan Trebon went fast from the gun and pulled away steadily throughout the first lap - until Trebon's rear tire went flat nearing the end of the first lap at the part of the track that was furthest from the pits. Forced to ride with a flat, Trebon was caught and dropped by the chasing peloton. Up front, Wicks maintained a smooth, steady rhythm. Half a lap later, Trebon was able to change to a new bike in the pits. What looked to be a classic chase was short-lived, however, as Trebon caught and passed the peloton in about five minutes. Shortly afterward, he caught up to his teammate and the two neighbors from Corvallis, Oregon simply time-trialed away from the field. The two tall riders, who have won every Verge MAC race they've entered this year, won by such a margin that they were ready for the podium celebration and talking to reporters before Troy Wells of TIAA/CREF/Cliff Bar out-sprinted Fiordi Frutta's Matt White for third. Though they finished together in a victory salute, it was Trebon who was credited with the win. It was a fitting goodbye, as he plans to race the rest of the winter in Europe.
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In the preceding women's international, Velo Bella teammates Christine Vardaros and Barbara Howe worked over Kona's Georgia Gould to take first and second place. In recent races, Gould has been making a point of getting to the front early. But at Highland Park it was Massachusetts rider Rebecca Wellons (Gearworks/Spin Arts Cycling) who took the early lead, while Gould had a miserable first lap that saw her out of position on the first corner, then coming to a complete stop while straddling her bike on the first hill. However, she managed to keep in contact with the lead group - which by the end of the first lap consisted of Gould, Howe, Vardaros, Wellons and Maureen Bruno-Roy (Independent Fabrications). The next time through the mud pit, Wellons was shed off the back of the pack and the personality of the race started to become clear. From the first lap, Vardaros had realised that Gould was having trouble in two places, the mud pit and the ride-up hill. "I told Barbara we have to go fast," she said later, "she was privy to my plan." The plan could have been taught as "Team Cycling 101" at neighbouring Rutgers University.
With the course too fast to launch any attacks, the two Velo Bella riders simply took advantage of their numerical advantage and Gould's weaknesses. By going fast through the mud pit and the ride-up, they consistently gapped Gould, making her use extra energy to keep catching back up. When Gould would try to pass or control the tempo, Vardaros and Howe would take turns accelerating to make Gould use up even more energy. In the meantime, they were able to get a gap on Bruno-Roy to make it a three rider race. As the lead trio crested the ride-up for the final time, less than a half mile from the finish, a small gap opened as it had every other lap. But this time, Howe attacked with full force with Vardaros in tow, quickly opening an insurmountable gap on Gould. The finish at Highland Park is a long, flat asphalt road that everybody thought would favor "Barbarella" in a sprint, but Vardaros had other ideas. "I knew I could get around that last corner around the tree faster than anybody," she said. The two teammates fought the last sprint like fierce rivals and Vardaros' speed out of the final turn allowed her to hold off Howe at the line by about an inch.
Teamwork also played an important role in the Masters Age 35+ race when Mike Yozell, the winner of the last two races, fell and lost contact with the lead group. Yozell's FORT/GPOA teammate Gunnar Shogren dropped back and paced Yozell back to the lead group and, eventually, the win. In the Men's B race, Philadelphia's Charles Totaro of Human Zoom held off Pittsburgh-based points leader Stephen Cummings (Kraynicks/Mezzatesta) after the previous day's winner, Chris Case dropped his chain and bent his derailleur. Without a spare bike, Case was unable to shift for the rest of the race and spent the rest of the race closing in on the two leaders only to fall back every time they hit a paved portion of the track. It was Totaro's first Verge MAC victory.
Photography
For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here
Images by Dennis Smith/www.dennisbike.com
- Matt White (Fiordi Frutta) and Barry Wicks (Kona) have a laugh. Ryan Trebon (Kona) seems to be figuring out his strategy.
- ...and they're off!
- Elite women at the line.
- Brent Prenzlow (celo Pacific/Salsa), Tyler Johnson (Easton/Kona), Zak Grabowski (TIAA-CREF/Cliff Bar) and the rest of the field.
- Through the 'Twistys' to the run up some rode (Wicks), some ran (White).
- ...Trebon mostly ran the hill.
- Justin Spinelli and Joshua Sned rounding the top at the run up.
- Dan Wilson (Henry's Bikes) with Weston Schemph (Fort-GPOA)
- The Kona 'twins' way out front kicking up sod.
- First lap run up. The selection begins.
- Rebecca Wellons (Gearworks/Spin Arts) and Christine Varados (Velo Bella) were first through the boards.
- Georgia Gould (Kona) would eventually get away with the Velo Bella's (Varados/Howe).
- Besty Schauer (Fort/GPOA) still wearing the Verge/MAC Series leaders jersey.
- The two-up Velo Bella sprint leaves Varados besting Howe by inches at the line.
- With time to play around Kona duo Wicks (l) and Trebon (r)
- Lets see if we can make Ryan laugh in the interview...Wicks and Gould try their best to do so.
- 'Tallest and Smallest'. Kids race medalist gets Barry Wicks to sign his back number.
Results
Elite men 1 Ryan Trebon (Kona) 2 Barry Wicks (Kona) 3 Troy Wells (TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR) 4 Matthew White (Fiordi Frutta) 5 Ben Turner (TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR) 6 Michael Cody (Fiordi Frutta) 7 Zak Grabowski (TIAA-CREF/CLIF BAR) 8 Justin Spinelli (Richard Sachs/RGM Watches/Hudson Valley Velodrome) 9 Charles Storm (Inland Construction) 10 Adam Hodges Myerson (Team Nerac.com p/b Banknorth) 11 Ryan Leech (Fort-GPOA !) 12 Joshua Snead (Rock Lobster) 13 Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/Salsa) 14 Greg Marini (coffee plus inc. com) 15 Andy Applegate (Easton / Kona) 16 Matthew Kraus (Alan Factory Team) 17 Sean Galegher (Hunt Valley Bicycles) 18 John Behrens (Celo Pacific-Salsa) 19 Adam Mcgrath (Redline) 1 lap down 20 Noah Taylor (Richard Sachs/RGM Watches/Hudson Valley Velodrome) 21 Nathan Deibert (Evolution Racing) 22 Weston Schempf (FORT-GPOA!) 23 Ransom Weaver (Guy's Racing) 24 Gunnar Shogren (FORT-GPOA!) 25 Myron Baker Jr. (Verge) 26 Dan Wilson (Henrys Bikes) 27 Joseph Piccillo (Evolution Racing) 28 Al Senft (Bacardi - NUVO cycling team) 29 Paolo Zenoni (Westwood Velo) 30 Jonathon Hansen (Richmond Ciclismo) DNF Brian Hayes (RGM Watches- RICHARD SACHS - HUDSON VALLEY VELODROME) DNF Tyler Johnson (EASTON/KONA CCA) DNF John Minturn (Kraynicks/Mezzatesta) DNF Greg Ferguson (Fort GPOA!) Elite women 1 Christine Vardaros (Velo Bella) 2 Barbara Howe (Velo Bella) 3 Georgia Gould (Kona) 4 Maureen Bruno Roy (IF) 5 Rebecca Wellons (Gearworks/Spin Arts Cycling) 6 Melanie Swartz (Squadra Coppi/Van Dessel) 7 Mandy Lozano (CCA/Kona) 8 Erin Kassoy (Velo Bella) 9 Betsy Schauer (Fort GPOA) 10 Kami Tremblay (Gearworks/Spin Arts) 11 Stephanie White (Gearworks/Spin Arts) 12 Rebecca Cooke 13 Cara Mccauley (CCA/Kona) 14 Lynda Maldonado (Tri State Velo/Amoroso's/Victory Racing Team) 15 Lisa Vible (Velo Bella) 16 Pamela Saltzgueber (Evolution Pro Bike) 17 Lisa Most (Wissahickon) 18 Kristine Church (University of Colorado) 1 lap down 19 Jill Neumann (Evolution Pro Bike) 20 Allerton Johnson (ACT) Men B 1 Charles Totaro (Human Zoom) 2 Stephen Cummings (kraynicks/mezzatesta) 3 Christopher Case (University of Texas) 4 Peter Rubijono (HarrisCycleryRacing.com) 5 Colin Sandberg (Fort-GPOA!) 6 Andrew Crooks (NYC Velo) 7 Mike O'hara (LSV/Kelly Benefit Strategies) 8 Peter Whitlock (Team CSK) 9 John Hostetter Iii (ALAN Mid-Atlantic) 10 Erik Leaver (NCVC/Edge Technologies) 11 Tom Mains (Velocity Sports/CCE) 12 Daniel Brill (Team Beacon) 13 Adam Szczepanski (Bike & Blade - Serfs) 14 Rodney Rios (Team Beacon) 15 Matthew Budd 16 David Rose (harriscycleryracing.com) 17 Donald Snoop Jr. (Verge Sport) 18 Wayne Scott (First State Velo Sport) 19 Jeremy Dunn (harriscycleryracing.com) 20 Eric Morgan (Wissahickon) 21 Dusty Labarr (ALAN Mid-Atlantic) 22 Montana Norvell (Wissahickon) 23 John Bernardi (Action Wheels) 24 Matthew Mcgregor Mento 25 Drew Guldalian (Club Wissahickon) 26 Jim Wirtanen (harriscycleryracing.com) 27 Christian Skinner (Team Beacon) 28 Theo Procopos (Club Wissahickon) 29 Christopher Harshman (Snow Valley) 30 Darren Crupi (Heart of New England) 31 Don Yungher (Rutgers Cycling) 32 Frank Zgoda (CRCA/Strictly Bicycles) 33 Bruce Freehoff (Beacon) 34 Christopher Allen (Action Wheels) 35 Alex Quintero (ACT-Cuevas) 36 Charles Chichester (CRC OF A) 37 Joshua West (Bikeman) 38 Luke Sauder (Hunt Valley Bicycles/HVB) 39 Emerson Loustau 40 John Stenger (Guy's Racing) 41 Matthew Bergerson 42 Paul Walsh (SKYLANDS CYCLING) 43 Jeremy Joyce (Evolution Racing) 44 JD Bilodeau (NCC) 45 Sean Pfaff (LSV kelly) 46 Eric Lowenstein (Highland Park Hermes) 47 Gary S. Keblish (Cycle-Smart) 48 Wade Hess (Team Beacon) 49 Frederick Hughes 50 Eben Weiss (GS Gotham) 51 Chris Thaler (Evolution Racing) 52 Peter Baimonte (BVF) 53 Philip Didier (Cranford Bike Team\CTS) 54 Raul Fernandez (Team Bikery Shebell) 55 Jeffrey Nebolini (Hjolamenn) 56 Dusan Strika (Kissena Cycling Team) 57 Leyton Murray (Visit Britain) 58 Joshua Bernstein (Mambo Kings) 59 Joseph Mulligan (Team Bikery Shebell) 60 Brad Quinnan (Evolution Racing) 61 Jason Parkin (CRCA/Blue Ribbon) 62 Carl Maslag 63 Stephen Cannavale (unattached) 64 Robert Sprague (Penn Cycling) 65 Andrew Neumann (Evolution Racing) DNF Alec Riendeau (Highland Park Hermes) DNF Alessandro Desouza (Rutgers Cycling) DNF Charles Florek (Rutgers Cycling) DNF Mark Vareschi (Rutgers Cycling) Women B 1 Amy Breyla (Henry's Bikes) 2 Marilyn Galegher (Hunt Valley Bicycles) 3 Robin Shea (east end/kreb cycle) 4 Jessica Singerman (Lehigh Valley Bike Line) 5 Karen Tourian (Club Wissahickon) 6 Annelisa Ochoa (Wissahickon) 7 Krista Schultz (Hunt Valley Bicycles) 8 Sally Poliwoda (Sturdy Girl Cycling) 9 Alicia Kahn (Rutgers Cycling) 10 Sheila Senft (Indian Flyers/Sound Hearing Cycling) 11 Laura Csira (Trophy Bikes) 12 Nikki Thiemann (Human Zoom) 13 Michele Moffat 14 Nina Santiago (ACT) 15 Susan Gabriel (Velo Bella) 16 Kimberly Dubeck (Bean's Bikes) 17 Andrea Brunhofer Men C 1 Craig Lebair (East Coast Velo) 2 Casey Gawlak (Bethel Cycle Sport Club) 3 Lawrence Dudek (Somerset Wheelman) 4 Rich Airey (Accelerade) 5 Peter Dalkner (Trophy Bikes) 6 Gerhardt Herbert (East Coast Velo) 7 John Hostetter Jr (ALAN MID ATLANTIC) 8 Richard Bilson (Tri-State Velo) 9 Blake Bedoya (Rutgers Cycling) 10 Daniel Niedziocha (Trophy Bikes) 11 Doug Spitz (3D) 12 Jeffrey Tredup 13 Leyton Murray (Visit Britain) 14 Scott Rawenberger 15 Joe Saling (Somerset/Van Dessel) 16 Matt Peterson (Highland Park Hermes) 17 Mark Mccabe (3D Racing Team) 18 Andre Lopez (Peddler's Shop Racing) 19 Leo Kolshorn (3D/Atlantic Cyclery) 20 Jay Nossen 21 Tim Bowman (Trophy Bikes - Shiftless) 22 Bren Moran 23 Ted Chalker (Rutgers Cycling) 24 Robert Sands (Evolution Racing) 25 Richard Jager 26 Doan Pendleton (Watchung) 27 David Jones (NCVC) 28 Marc Muller 29 Randy Chrisco 30 Edward Moran 31 Jeffrey Sutherland (Team Beacon) 32 Ed Pasternak (3D Atlantic Cyclery) 33 Jay Rothberg (Evolution Racing) 34 Chris Redmond (Rutgers Cycling) 35 Todd Peterson (Bulldogs) 36 Louis Damelio (Century Road Club/ BWT Marble - Pete's Bike) 37 Doug Hover (YSG Brielle Cyclery) 38 Robert Tarr, Jr. 39 Todd Moyer (CRCA) 40 Thaddues Newman 41 Timothy Mullin (Hill Bicyclin Club) 42 Karl Dittebrandt (kissena cycling club) 1 lap down 43 Len Depue DNF David Berson (East Coast Velo) DNF Kasey Clark DNF Cliff Saper (Century Road Club) Masters 1 Mike Yozell (FORT-GPOA!) 2 Eric Schlauch (Somerset Wheelmen/Van Dessel) 3 Todd Cassan (Rocinante) 4 Joseph Ruggery (Freddie Fu Cycling Team) 5 Robert Campos (HVC/Jessies) 6 Gunnar Shogren (Fort GPOA) 7 Blair Saunders (SEC Henry's) 8 Greg Ferguson (Fort/GPOA!) 9 Mark Kutney (Charlottesville Racing Club) 10 Randall Root (Team Snow Valley/SIBEX) 11 Al Senft (Bacardi - NUVO cycling team) 12 Jan Wiejak (Verge Sport) 13 Troy Kimball (Westwood Cycle Masters Team) 14 Richard Mihills (The Secret Henry's Team) 15 Jeff Cordisco (CAPOforma) 16 Chris Long (IF) 17 John Lux (Hunt Valley Bicycles/HVB) 18 Ralf Warmuth (Highland Park Hermes) 19 Matthew Howard (CRCA/Blue Ribbon-Translations.com) 20 Douglass Gray (First State Velo Sport) 21 Robert Piacine (Guy's Racing) 22 Alan Buday (rotations racing) 23 Robert Lyon Iii (HUNT VALLEY BICYCLE CLUB) 24 Mark Featherman (Guy's Racing) 25 Kevin Saint Clair (QCW/Bike Addicts) 26 Larry Kaufman (Velocity Sports/CCE) 27 Kurt Scheerer (Verge) 28 Mike Connair (First State Velo Sport) 29 Rob Frederick (Evolution Racing) 30 Ian Curtis (Northeastern Hardware) 31 Anthony Settel (Deno's Wonder Wheel Cycling) 32 David Lowe (Human Zoom) 33 Judd Milne (Squadra Coppi/IM Saab) 34 Karl Kensinger (ALAN MID ATLANTIC) 35 Henry Tremper (FSVS) 36 Marty Jones (Somerset Wheelmen) 37 Paul Cooke (Alan racing) 38 Chris Facas (Westwood Velo) 39 Rolf Windh (Guy's Racing) 40 Chris Evans (Wissahickon) 41 Ed Burgess (Verge Sport) 42 Scott Reynolds (Guy's Racing) 43 Kurt Mikesa (Wooden Wheels) 44 James Perren (QCW) 45 Tom Bowmaster (Liberty Cycle) 46 Larry Towner (Liberty Cycle) 47 Scott Wilson (Evolution Racing) 48 Gary S. Keblish (Cycle-Smart) 49 Craig Cook (CRCA Remax) 50 Charles Erndl 51 Christopher Long (Independent Fabrication/Gotham) 52 Gordon Pitt (Liberty Cycle) 53 Fafar Bayat (CRCA/Strictly Bicycles) 54 William Cantler (Deno's Wonder Wheel Cycling) 55 Leo Pizzini (Henry's Bikes) 56 Dennis Smith (First State Velo Sport (FSVS)) 57 Oscar Rosales (CRCA/Renaissance) 58 Paul Incognito (Quaker City Wheelmen) 59 Marc Bechtold (Peddlers Shop Racing) 60 Richard Bauch (Colavita Racing Team) 61 Donald Morrison (Wissahickon) 62 Nunzio Dibiasi (Yellow Breeches Racing) 63 Steve Heede (Hunt Valley Bicycles) 64 TC Perkins 65 Lawrence Henderson (Skylands Cycling) 66 Ken Coleman (Housatonic Wheel Club) 67 Jim Feehan (Kissena) 68 Jeffrey Perry (Liberty Cycle) 69 Ralph Gulemmo (east end/kreb) 70 Gustavo Sanchez (Evolution Racing) 71 Gary Kelly (Yellow Breeches Racing) 72 John Shea (east end/kreb) 73 Bob Cary (Skylands Cycling) 74 David Manhardt (Henry's Bikes) 75 John Hartman (QCW) 76 Vincent Aloyo (shirks) 77 Mark Mccabe (3D Racing Team) 78 Christopher Vegh 79 Charles Meek (Inland Construction) 80 Patrick Leonard (Evolution Racing) 81 Stephen Cannavale (unattached) DNF Kelly Cline (Wissahickon) DNF Steven Fairchild (Westwood Velo) DNF Michael Williams (Wilmington Valley)
