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Howe, McCormack take day 1 on Long Island

By Alan Atwood

Strong performances from Barbara Howe (Velo Bella) and Mark McCormack (Clif Bar) took home victories in day 1 of the 2005 Whitmore's Super Cross Cup. The riders were met by beautiful sunshine and 75 degrees towards race time; very un-cross like conditions. But the warm and very dry conditions made for very fast racing and some great competition for the riders and the spectators who attended.

14 women lined up for the first east coast UCI race of the season, and it was Howe who shot out the blocks to take the first lap hurdle prime that was offered by the promoting Hampton Velo Club. Howe's acceleration was so that only a couple of riders kept in touch with her on the first lap, Maureen Bruno-Roy (Independent Fabrication) and Mackenzie Dickey (Team Bike Alley). But Howe was just too strong on the day and led wire-to-wire for the race win. Bruno-Roy was 2nd and Dickey was 3rd as their places were never threatened. 4th place went to the well-rested Anna Milkowski (Gearworks/Spin Arts) despite a slow start that saw her hit the first barriers in 7th behind teammate Rebecca Wellons, Pauline Frascone (Independent Fabrication), and Kathryn Roszko (NCC/BikeReg.com). While Roszko could not keep pace, Wellons and Frascone were together for most of the race until the last 2 laps of the race where Wellons pulled away to round out the top 5.

The men's race was a good size field for a smaller regional race, and some heavy hitters were amongst the mix. McCormack did not start the same as Howe did in the women's race, as veteran Jon Hamblen (FiordiFrutta) and espoir Troy Wells (TIAA/CREF/Clif Bar) blew out of the gates to lead the first lap. Wells' acceleration was enough to capture the first lap prime, but soon after that a very familiar figure was at the front.

As he stated later at a post race interview, McCormack took advantage of the riders being tired from their first lap full throttle start and accelerated himself off the front and wound up staying clear to the finish. With McCormack getting out of sight, the front group of Jesse Anthony (Clif Bar), Matt Shriver (Easton/Kona/CCA), Hamblen, Wells, Josh Snead (Rock Lobster), and Matt Kraus (Alan) settled in for what was sure to be a dogfight on the fast, dry course. Most of the riders took turns trying to accelerate and get away, but most wound up not getting too far away as the pace was just too high. The pace proved to be too much for some, and as some were getting gapped, Shriver accelerated with 2 laps to go and no one could match it. The right timing for Shriver gave him 2nd place on the day.

Meanwhile, some new players were coming in to the fold, as teammates Michael Cody and Matt White (FiordiFrutta) were able to bridge up and give Hamblen some teammates to work with. With 3 of the 6 on the same team, it was inevitable that a FiordiFrutta rider would challenge for the last podium spot, and Hamblen took advantage of a surge by Wells to get a gap of the rest of the fledgling group. These 2 stuck together until the final sprint, where Hamblen's road skills came into play and easily outsprinted a tired but satisfied Wells. Cody also took advantage of the teammate factor, as he had enough energy to get away on the last lap and beat Anthony and White for 5th place.

The Whitmore's Super Cross Cup continues tomorrow as the riders will be vying for valuable Cat 1 points and a near $8,000 total prize list. Racing for amateur men, beginners, masters, and kids will take place during the day beginning at 9am on the Southampton Youth Services campus in Southampton, New York.

Results

Elite Men
 
1 Mark McCormack (Clif Bar)                                            56.12
2 Matt Shriver (Kona Easton/Cca)                                        0.20
3 Jonathan Hamblen (Fiordifrutta Elite Cycling Team)                    0.33
4 Troy Wells (Tiaa/Cref/Clif Bar)                                       0.36
5 Michael Cody (Fiordifrutta Elite Cycling Team)                        0.49
6 Jesse Anthony (Clif Bar)                                              0.55
7 Matt White (Fiordifrutta Elite Cycling Team)                          1.05
8 Joshua Snead (Rock Lobster)                                           1.19
9 Matt Kraus (Alan Factory Team)                                        1.32
10 Ryan Leech (Fort/Gpoa!)                                              2.10
11 Justin Spinelli (Cybc/Richard Sachs)                                 2.22
12 Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo)                                        2.32
13 Jacob Stechmann (Alan Factory Team)
14 Ryan O'Connor (1K2Go/S&W Sports Cycling Team)                        3.04
15 Noah Taylor (Rgm Watches- Richard Sachs - Hudson Valley)             3.06
16 Jonny Bold (Corner Cycle)                                            4.10
17 Adam Hodges Myerson (Team Nerac.com P/B Banknorth)                   4.33
18 Robert Campos (Hvc/Jessies)                                          4.35
19 Weston Schempf (Fort-Gpoa!)                                          5.41
20 Aaron Molloy (1K2Go/S&W Sports Cycling Team)                  1 lap behind
21 Jeffrey Craddock (Ccb/Volkswagon)
22 Brad Sheehan (1K2Go/S&W Sports Cycling Team)
23 Noah Harwood (Coast To Coast/Cl Noonan/Kam)
24 Brian Hayes (Rgm Watches- Richard Sachs - Hudson Valley Velodrome)
25 Myles Romanow (Hampton Velo /Jessie's)
26 Ralph Rueben (Rotations/Gettysburg)
27 Matt Wilson (Nav/Pedros)
28 Todd Cassan (Rocinante)
29 Logan Hodson (Indenpent Fabrications)
 
34 starters
 
Elite Women
 
1 Barbara Howe (Velo Bella)                                            39.31
2 Maureen Bruno-Roy (Indenpent Fabrications)                            1.21
3 Mackenzie Dickey (Team Bicycle Alley)                                 2.20
4 Anna Milkowski (Team Lipton)                                          2.41
5 Rebecca Wellons (Gearworks/Spin Arts Cycling)                         2.52
6 Pauline Frascone (Indenpent Fabrications)                             3.23
7 Kathryn Roszko (Ncc / Bikereg.Com)                                    4.17
8 Alicia Hamblen (Richard Sachs/Cybc)                                   4.39
9 Lisa Most (Wissahickon)                                               5.36
10 Megan Bilodeau (Ncc / Bikereg.Com)                                   6.09
11 Susan Maclean (Gear Works/Spin Arts Cycling Team)                    7.11
12 Kami Tremblay (Gearworks/Spin Arts Cycling)                          7.23
13 Martha Wilson (Gear Works/Spin Arts Cycling Team)             1 lap behind
14 Allerton Johnson (Upmc/Act)
 
14 starters

Past winners

2004 Men: Mark McCormack (USA)                 Women: Christine Vardaros (USA)
 
Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com