USCF National Cyclo Cross Championships

Sea-Tac Park, Seattle, December 7, 1996

McCormack wins in the mud

Frank McCormack, Leicester, Mass., capped his 1996 camp aign with a title he has been seeking for a long time.

McCormack (Saturn), led nearly from start to finish to win the senior men's race at the 1996 Microsoft National Cyclo-cross Championships at North Sea-Tac Park in Seattle, Wash.

"I have been in search of a cyclo-cross national championship since I started racing in 1984," he said. "This has always been part of my winter routine."

McCormack, the USPRO Criterium champion who narrowly missed selection to the U.S. Olympic Team, topped his brother and teammate, Mark and two-time defending national champion, Jan Wiejak (Haro-NJBC), Washington, N.Y.

"I was always trying to put the pressure on," said Frank McCormack, who moved past his brother on the first corner of the hour-long race on the 3km (1.8 mile) course. "I was calm and patient though I had two flats and dropped my chain twice."

His patience resulted in his first title in cyclo-cross, a cycling discipline which requires riders to use a variety of skills on a course which include pavement, dirt, barricades and hills. On Saturday, the riders also had to deal with rain, which turned the course into energy-sapping mud and puddles.

Shari Kain, Half Moon Bay, Calif., recaptured her title in the senior women's division, swapping places with defending champion Jan Bolland, Keene, N.H.

In 1995, Bolland -- an unknown in cyclo-cross at the time -- beat Kain (Ritchey) in the snow in Leicester, Mass., while riding a mountain bike.

"This year it was a little more equal because we knew each other," Kain said. "It made it more exciting. But it was also a lot more pressure. You had the best from all areas."

This year, in the rain, Kain pulled away on the third lap to win by one minute, 19 seconds.

"She immediately got 20 to 30 seconds and then it was like, 'Boom!'" said Bolland, who rode a traditional cyclo-cross bike. A 1997 rematch is doubtful, as Bolland (Volvic-PowerBar) has announced her retirement.

In her Team GT debut, Alison Dunlap, Colorado Springs, Colo., finished third in only her fourth cyclo-cross race. The U.S. Olympic road team member will switch to mountain biking in 1997.

McCormack and Kain won two of the nine titles awarded in conditions which ranged from steady rain in the morning to light drizzle in the afternoon.

1994 junior cyclo-cross champion Jonathan Page, Leicester, Mass., won the premier men's under-23 title, riding away from the entire field.

"It was a game of hide and seek," said Page (GS Mengoni). "They never found me."

Johnathon Sundt (Control Tech-Redline), Kirkland, Wash., was a distant second.

In the junior men's division, Ryan Miller, Kirkland, Wash., added yet another title to his collection, winning his 14th junior title, but first in cyclo-cross. Miller (GS Mengoni) only started to seriously compete in cyclo-cross this year.

"It was kind of nice to have a home field advantage," he said. "I've raced here and we also do Saturday technique sessions. It helps out. You know where everything is."

Miller trailed Freddie Stouffer (Trek-VW), Morgantown, Va., heading into the two final run-ups on the last lap. He closed the margin through that section, then passed Stouffer over the final barricades before showing his junior national champion sprinting skills over the last 150 meters. A spent Stouffer held on for second. Joshua Thornton (NECSA), Coventry, R.I., was third.

Tim Rutledge, a long-time cyclo-cross advocate and Giro d'Italia veteran, finally won his first national championship, winning the men's 35-44 division by 28 seconds over John Funk (Fat Chance), South Kent, Conn., on his home course.

"The day is the satisfaction," said Rutledge (Control Tech), who as one of the race promoters oversaw record-sized fields. "I think the (United States Cycling) Federation has to say now that that cyclo-cross is no longer a step-child. We're ready to do a full program."

Since cyclo-cross is not an Olympic sport, the USCF does not fund national or world championship teams.

One of Rutledge's promoting partners, Dan Norton (Gregg's-Specialized), won the men's 45+ division for the third straight time.

"This is the kind of day guys in the Northwest live for," Norton said.

Anne Lannan (RUT Boulder), Boulder, Colo., won her first national title, winning the women's 35+ division, beating defending champion Kathy Sarvary (Redline-Gregg's), Mercer Island, Wash., by over a minute. The masters women field competed alongside the senior women.

"I was convinced that (third-place finisher) Katie Blincoe was ahead of me," Lannan said, "but you really just have to focus on yourself and pass assertively."

The initial National Collegiate Cycling Association cyclo-cross crowns were also awarded, with Johannes Huseby (Middlebury College), Middlebury, Vt., and Margell Abel (University of Colorado), Boulder, Colo., taking home the titles.

Results

Senior Men

 1. FRANK MCCORMACK (Saturn), Leicester, Mass.
 2. Mark McCormack (Saturn), North Easton, Mass.
 3. Jan Wiejak (Haro-NJBC), Washington, N.Y.
 4. Kevin Merrigan (Otis Guy Weatherford), Castro Valley, Calif.
 5. Daryl Price (Trek-VW), Durango, Colo.
 6. Dale Knapp (Ellsworth-Kemper Funds), Tacoma, Wash.
 7. Marc Gullickson (GT), Durango, Colo.
 8. Don Myrah (Trek-VW), Saratoga, Calif.
 9. Bart Bowen (Saturn), Albuquerque, N.M.
10. Bryan Miller (Moots), Telluride, Colo.
11. David Wiens (Kona), Gunnison, Colo
12. Michael Yozell (unattached), Phoenixville, Pa.
13. Greg Frozley (Javelin), Colorado Springs, Colo.
14. Mike Donahue (Trek-VW), Boulder, Colo.
15. Craig Undem (Saturn-Redline), Seattle, Wash.

Senior Women

 1. SHARI KAIN (Ritchey), Half Moon Bay, Calif.
 2. Jan Bolland (Volvic-PowerBar), Keene, N.H.
 3. Alison Dunlap (GT), Colorado Springs, Colo.
 4. Laurie Brandt (Ross-Jeep), Louisville, Colo.
 5. Cheryl Moores (Clif Bar), Boulder, Colo.
 6. Beth Lyndon Griffith (Ellsworth-Kemper Funds), Seattle, Wash.
 7. Miranda Briggs (Qual Med), Ashland, Ore.
 8. Nancy Reynolds (RVT-Blue Pig Industries), Boulder, Colo.
 9. Kendra Wenzel (Odwalla), McKenzie Bridge, Ore.
10. Ann Grande (Alki), Seattle, Wash.

Under-23 Men

 1. JONATHAN PAGE (GS Mengoni), Leicester, Mass.
 2. Johnathon Sundt (Control Teck-Redline), Kirkland, Wash.
 3. Damon Kluck (Bontrager), Santa Cruz, Calif.
 4. Justin Robinson (unattached), Santa Cruz, Calif.
 5. Donald Reeb (Ray's Boathouse), Kelzer, Ore.
 6. Johannes Hueby (Middlebury College), Middlebury, Vt.
 7. Tim Johnson (CCD-Voodoo), Middleton, Mass.
 8. David Wyandt (Salsa Cycles), Saratoga, Calif.
 9. Steve Ray (Oakhurst Cycling), Madeira, Calif.
10. Danny Pate (Rainbow Racing), Pueblo, Colo.

Junior Men

 1. RYAN MILLER (GS Mengoni), Kirkland, Wash.
 2. Freddie Stouffer (Trek-VW), Morgantown, Va.
 3. Joshua Thornton (NECSA), Coventry, R.I.
 4. Bryan Hayes (GS Mengoni), Bartlesville, Okla.
 5. Narayan Mahon (Saturn of Bellevue), Port Townsend, Wash.
 6. Tim Erickson (Gregg's Control Tech), Seattle, Wash.
 7. Danny Pate (Rainbow Racing), Pueblo, Colo.
 8. Brian Fagan (GS Mengoni), Kingwood, Texas
 9. Trevor Garner (Performance), Portland, Ore.
10. K.C. Kepper (Bicycle Link), Hingham, Mass.

Masters Men 35+

 1. TIM RUTLEDGE (Control Tech), Seattle
 2. John Funk (Fat Chance), South Kent, Conn.
 3. Paul Curley (World Team), Taunton, Mass.
 4. Larry Hibbard (unattached), Aptos, Calif.
 5. Bob Bieterman (Moots), Boulder, Colo.
 6. Roger Caldwell (Pikes Peak Velo), Colorado Springs, Colo.
 7. Mark Bradley (Ray's Boathouse), Kennewick, Wash.
 8. Mark Weaver (unattached), Ranchos Cordova, Calif.
 9. Larry Shannon (Control Tech), Redmond, Wash.
10. Anton McGready (unattached), Albany, Calif.

Masters Men 45+

 1. DAN NORTON (Gregg's-Specialized), Seattle
 2. Tom Regan (Alta Alpina-Stoker), Lake Tahoe, Calif.
 3. Pete Hales (TVN), Tacoma, Wash.
 4. John Elgart (Alto Velo), Sacramento, Calif.
 5. Darrel Vreugdenhil (Scott BiKyles-Flyers), Havertown, Pa.
 6. Woody Cox (Gregg's Specialized), Kirkland, Wash.
 7. Tim Tarte (Wheelsport), Kirkland
 8. Robert Kurosawa (Third Rail-Bicycle Trip), Oakland, Calif.
 9. Lee Waldman (GS Boulder), Denver, Colo.
10. Lowell Jones (unattached), Ashland, Ore.

Masters Women

 1. ANNE LANNAN (RUT Boulder), Boulder, Colo.
 2. Kathy Sarvary (Northeast Bicycle Club), Winchester, Mass.
 3. Katie Blincoe (Redline-Gregg's), Mercer Island, Wash.
 4. Patti Kaufmann (W Seattle Physical Therapy), Seattle
 5. Camille Moitozo-Lamm (Wheelsmith), Campbell, Calif.

Collegiate Men

 1. JOHANNES HUSEBY (Middlebury College)
 2. Mike Bohannon (Chico State)
 3. Brian Rickenberger (Western Washington Univ.)
 4. Jon Tarkington (Univ of Colorado)
 5. Josh Saylor (Western Washington Univ.)

Collegiate Women

 1. MARGELL ABEL (Univ. of Colorado)
 2. Laura Reed (Univ. of Washington)
 3. Michelle Sarruf (Western Washington Univ.)
 4. Jennie Reed (Univ. of Washington)
 5. Jody White (Cal Tech)