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NC Winter Cup #4
Cary, IL, January 23, 2005.
By Line Dempsey
Overcast skies and temperatures that dropped faster than names at a lawyer's convention greeted 65 participants at the fourth race in the NC Winter Cup series. While the venue had been used at Cary's Bond Park several times in the past, we endeavoured to put on an event that would stand up and be noticed, considering it was Fast Coaching's first event. Special thanks to Eric Frederick, Chris Young, Bryan Williford, Shannon Stewart, and Amber Krieger who joined organisers at the park to layout the new course. The collective project brought forth a spectator friendly layout with good use of the natural flow of the landscape.
Travel to the race was made difficult by the precipitation that pummeled the piedmont in the early morning hours, forcing some competitors to sit in traffic jams or forgo the drive altogether. Despite early threats of snow, the venue was free of any weather of consequence and the first race start was only delayed by 30 minutes in an effort to buffer travel times. The first heat of the morning had two flights, with the Men's C class starting off the event. One minute later the Women B class and juniors joined the contest. A heated battle ensued between C racers Jan Kriska (Ridge Roller Velo), Mark Scholtz (ABRC), and Alex Hawkins. Early on it appeared that Scholtz, winner of two of the last three races might be playing Kriska by sitting on his wheel most of the day. Kriska, who blew away the field at the barrier-less race the weekend before, is a very strong rider, and his stamina proved to be slightly better than Scholtz's. A gap was opened up before the barriers, and Kriska powered his way through the snake-like maze before the finishing straight. Hawkins, a very consistent racer on his trusty mountain bike, rounded out the top three. Let's get him a 'cross bike. FastCoaching.com racers Shannon Stewart and Sean Kurdys finished 13th and 14th.
Angelina Stevens (Doughnut Boy Racing) and Amanda Mabry (Paul's Racing) took the top two spots of the Women's B race, while Regina Ali finished third. Matus Kriska (Ridge Roller Velo), son of Jan Kriska took the victory in the junior event, while ever-present Cody Hawkins (Biking Hawks) finished second. Jack Thornton put in a valiant race and made it to the podium, just like his father (Todd Thornton who finished second in the Master's 45 event). It would appear that a dynasty has begun in the junior ranks; filled with young prodigies.
The second heat of the day had three flights, with the Master's 35 competitors taking the first wave. New-comer to the Winter Cup Series, Patrick Raines (Smith Barney) took hold of the "reigns" and put on a good show, winning the race. Tim Hopkin (ABRC), series promoter, put in a good effort to finish second in the race. You can thank him for the inclusion of what we now call the "Dam Hill". The feature of the race, first seen in the fall series, was Tim's only request. Chris Foster (Hincapie Sports), who won the race in Greensboro, also had a good race today, filling the last spot on the podium. The Master's 45 race saw the first FCTEAM win of the day with Dwight Wyatt (FastCoaching.com) putting in a spectacular race. Todd Thornton (Raleigh All-Stars) had an excellent race as well, taking second place, while cyclocross mainstay Dale Bryant (Sandhills) finished with the bronze medal. The Shields duo of Randy and Kerry was missed.
The Women A racers took off in the last wave of the middle heat. Lauren Trull (Easton Kona) put on a magnificent ride, blowing away the field to win easily. Her prowess appears to be taking shape even more throughout the Winter Cup Series. Amber Krieger (FastCoaching.com) has also raced into form. Veteran 'cross racer Alicia Genest (Richard Sachs) had been able to hold off the charging Krieger at the first two races, but she was no match for the FCTEAM member last week or today. Krieger easily caught Genest and rode away from her for second place. Sam Williams (Alan Factory) also had a good race, trying everything she could to stay with Krieger. Williams finished the race on the third tier of the podium.
The final heat of the day involved the Men A and Men B field. A huge improvement from last year's series participation, the A class was more than doubled at the start of the race today. No question about it, Jon Hamblen (Fior di Frutta) easily walked away from the remainder of the field, and although Michael Scholtz (ABRC) put in a valiant effort, but he could not hang onto the wheel of the attacking Hamblen. Jason Morgan (ABRC) finished in third, while local racers James Badia (Spin Cycle) and Chris Oishi (Duke) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The last group of racers to start on the new layout was the Men B class. FCTEAM member Scott Frederick (Spin Cycle) showed up for his first cross race of the 2004/2005 season. Despite starting a minute behind the A men, he easily caught half of their field. Frederick, who'll be racing the road season for Spin Cycle, will be sporting the FastCoaching.com kit for cyclocross, mountain, and triathlon events. Nathan Wyatt (Carolina Fatz) also put in a great effort on a course that suited the young racer. Joah Gollub (Duke) finished in third. Chris Young, Line Dempsey, and Sean Kurdys, all racing for FastCoaching.com, finished sixth, eighth, and ninth.
Local results 2004
