Photo: © Steve Smull
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By Jim Cushing-Murray
Vista, California. San Diego, not a hotbed of cyclocross, held a late season cyclocross race sponsored by Celo Pacific under sunny skies and warm temperatures. The race flyer had a tongue-in-cheek advertisement "hone your fitness and skills for the World Cyclocross Championships in Zolder. So race director, Doug McWhinney, was surprised with the entry of the U23 national champion, Adam Craig who is indeed going to the World's. Adam hoped to enter unknown and forfeiting his free entry didn't wear his national jersey but all the local riders were ready.
Adam proceeded to give the local racers a lesson in cyclocross. Although Brent Prenzlow, who has won every local race this year, managed to stay with Adam for a couple of laps, Adam is in peak world class shape and won going away.
The race director knew Adam's bunny hopping ability and set out to design barriers and hill run-ups where bunny hops would be impossible. Adam wasn't to be denied and bunny hopped almost everything including barriers before a very steep run-up and then catching air while dropping off an equally steep drop off.
In the A race, Brent Prenzlow from Celo Pacific and TUFO Tyres was a commendable second and pro triathlete Eric Bergen doing his very first cyclocross race was an excellent third. The 35+ race also had a diverse group of riders won by the race director Doug McWhinney of Celo Pacific. The field included triathlete guru Paul Huddle and duathlon legend Kenny Souza. Kenny is the Cliff Bar rep in the area and like Alison Dunlap, he was wearing the red Cliff Bar jersey. But unlike Alison, he's not as good-looking and finished near the back of the pack.
Cyclocross is catching on in San Diego. This year there were two casual training sessions every week and three races in the area. Next year there promises to be a series including some two-day events. Mud is possible but more likely is sunny weather in the 70's. And for the first time ever, Dave Hansen of Rocket Parts and the Mercury Cycling Team is putting on a spring short track series (no barriers) in the Los Angeles area with $5,000 on the line.
All photos by Steve Smull
Men's A - 60 min. 1 Adam Craig (Devo) 2 Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific) 3 Erik Burgan (Unattached) 4 Thad Sparrow (Unattached) 5 Paul Hernandez (Bicycle Johns/Michelin) 6 Chip Ross (Unattached) Men's B - 45 min. 1 Michael Eaton (Team Universal) 2 Thad Sparrow (Unattached) 3 Leonardo Sandoval (Unattached) 4 Eric Fraer (Team Universal) 5 Ken Skogerson (Unattached) 6 Louis De La Cruz (Pacific Coast Cycles) 7 David Bales (Celo Pacific) 8 Alex Ter-Vrugt (Unattached) 9 Greg Frazier (Celo Pacific) 10 Joseph Puskarich (Simply Fit) Men's C - 35 min. 1 Louis DeLa Cruz (Pacific Coast Cycles) 2 Ben Eicholtz (Excel) 3 Alex Ter-Vrugt (Unattached) 4 Bryan Patnode (Unattached) 5 David Bales (Celo Pacific) Masters 35+ - 45 min. 1 Doug McWhinney (Celo Pacific) 2 Bob Schulz (Unattached) 3 Chris Gallup (Unattached) 4 Paul Cusick (Stage 1) 5 Scott Kennedy (SDBC) 6 Paul Huddle (Unattached) 7 Steve Smull (SDBC) 8 Jeff Steinhart (Team Hollywood) 9 Kenny Souza (Unattached) 10 Eric Haseltine (Pacific Coast Cycles) Masters 45+ - 35 min. 1 Charles Ross (Unattached) 2 Russ Clark (Unattached) 3 Michael Jenkins (SDBC) Juniors - 30 min. 1 Jordan Rhee (Unattached) Women's A - 45 min. 1 Julie Lowery (Celo Pacific) Women's B - 30 min. 1 Lea Moorman (Unattached) 2 Natalie Concors (Unattached) 3 Suzanne Concors (Unattached)