Iceman Cometh Full Race Report, Photos, and Results: Traverse City, Michigan

Jeremy Horgan-Kobleski and Alison Dunlap take Iceman honors while Brian Matter misses the Triple Crown win by just 14 seconds.

Mankato, Minnesota's Jenna Rinehart was also looking for the Triple Crown win today but unfortunately crashed at her first Iceman Cometh. Rinehart finally finished 5th.

Sam Schultz, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, and Brian Matter (left to right) share the men's podium (photo by: Amy Dykema)

Iceman Cometh settles Midwest Regional Championships: Wisconsin takes the win for the fourth year running.
By Claire Cannon

Colorado riders Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Gary Fisher) and Alison Dunlap (Luna) took home first-time wins in the pro races this year at the Iceman Cometh, while Wisconsin brought the greatest depth and breadth of field to win the Midwest Regional Championship for the fourth year in a row.

“We didn’t have a full roster this year and quite a few of our racers were unable to make it due to illness or other issues, but Wisconsin riders probably had an advantage when it comes to racing experience,” said Don Edberg, director of the Wisconsin Off Road Series, America’s largest state mountain bike race series. Edberg, who did his part for Wisconsin by racing to a first place finish in the All Men 55-59 category, cited the number of racers at each WORS event. “Some people think that courses make racers,” explained Edberg. “I think when you’re talking about what makes a racer fast, it’s really about the people and the competition. The more people you are able to race against, the faster you get.”

In terms of quantity and quality, the competition at Iceman this year was as good as it has ever been. With 4,000 registered racers, the pro fields were not the only start waves to see an increase in racer turnout, although the addition of National Champions Heather Irmiger (Gary Fisher) and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, former World Champion Alison Dunlap and international Pro racers like Sam Schultz (Gary Fisher), teammates Kelli Emmett and Carl Decker (Giant), and 2008 Icewoman Amanda Carey (Kenda) attracted an flurry of media attention. The marked man and Midwest hope was Brian Matter (Gear Grinder) of Sheboygan. Matter, a past winner of the Iceman and 17-time Iceman veteran, won at Ore to Shore and the Chequamegon 40 this year, and was crowned 2009 WORS Overall men’s champion in October. Matter was looking to win at Iceman with the additional motivation of a possible repeat of his 2007 Triple Crown title. For a select few men, the “Triple Crown” has been the icing on a great season of Midwest MTB racing; it is the unofficial honor bestowed on those who win each of the Midwest point-to-point races within a single season.

Brian Matter chose a rigid fork for the smooth racecourse, here he leads Schultz and Carl Decker (photo by: Brittany Nigh)

“I raced with Brian Matter a lot when we were juniors and earlier in my career and it's awesome to see him having so much success in the Midwest,” said Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski before the race on Saturday. “Repeating the Triple Crown would be pretty impressive -- if he does, hopefully I can at least make him work hard for it!”

Horgan-Koeblski punches it on a short climb (photo by: Brittany Nigh)

With repeated attacks launched off the front beginning around mile 17, the Olympian and National Champ JHK made everyone work hard for it. Despite the smooth speed of the course this year, the front group shed all but six riders after the first of these attacks. Two Wisconsin racers, Brian Matter and Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike), both of Sheboygan, and a Michigan hometown favorite Mike Anderson (Bell’s Beer) were in the lead group with JHK, Carl Decker and Sam Schultz. Several riders attempted to launch counterattacks over the next 10 miles, but the lead group was still together, with JHK leading and Brian Matter second wheel, at Annie’s Hill, a steep wood chip wall that looms up at riders from around a corner with five miles to go. The attack that stuck came in the last section of singletrack before the finish. Horgan-Kobelski made the winning move, and rode through the screaming gauntlet of Iceman spectators lining the finish chute wearing a broad grin, to finish twelve seconds ahead of teammate Sam Schultz. Brian Matter followed close behind in third.

Jenna Rinehart looking for Triple Crown glory (photo by: Brittany Nigh)

In the ladies field, Midwest hopeful Jenna Rinehart was looking to become the first woman to win a Triple Crown. Like Matter, Rinehart had to contend with a stacked field including the current National Champion, as well as former World Champion Alison Dunlap. Rinehart traded pulls with the five-woman lead group until very near the end, but an attack by five-time Icewoman Kelli Emmett and counterattack by former World Champion Alison Dunlap shook loose all but Heather Irmiger. The three hit the climb at Annie’s Hill in a tight line with Dunlap in the front. Amanda Carey and Rinehart followed just seconds behind. Dunlap attacked again on a short, steep uphill and created a small gap, which she maintained to the line with Emmett sprinting just feet behind her the entire way. “I could hear her breathing,” said Dunlap. Emmett and Dunlap are friends and training partners as well as frequent competitors, making their appearance together on the Iceman podium all the sweeter.

“I had the fitness I needed, but I didn’t feel like my top-end speed was there today,” said Rinehart after the race. “The attack by Kelli almost took me by surprise. Amanda was a little behind me, and we both worked to catch the lead group again, but it didn’t happen. This was my first Iceman, and it was a good race. I’m looking forward to doing this again.”

Women's podium Kelli Emmett, Alison Dunlap, and Heather Irmiger (left to right) photo by: Amy Dykema

Matter’s third-place podium spot helped Wisconsin and the racers of WORS to best their closest competitor, the Ohio OMBC Series, although missing spots on the WORS roster made the competition closer than in years past. Even with fewer racers on the roster, WORS fielded enough podium finishers to hold off the competition and create some chatter on the buses back to the starting line. “My whole bus was talking about ‘those fast Wisconsin riders’,” laughed one WORS racer at the awards banquet. Racers in the Michigan Tailwind Series represented for a third place finish in the Regional Championships, while DINO series riders from Indiana took fourth and the Kentucky KYMBA racers finished in fifth place. With a US Cup race to be hosted by WORS in 2010 at the Subaru Cup, Midwest regional racers will soon have another chance to settle just who is fastest and to treat the National pros to a tour of some of the Midwest’s trademark tight, wooded singletrack and short, steep climbing, courtesy of the course at Mt. Morris.

“I'm always impressed with the races I've done in the Midwest - and I'm excited about the prospect of having another National race there in 2010,” commented Iceman Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. “There's a great energy at all of the races I've done and they're all very competitive.”

The lead group led by Dunlap ahead of Emmett and Irmiger (photo by: Brittany Nigh)

Dunlap shares her champagne with Kelli Emmett after taking the win by just one second (photo by: Amy Dykema)

Results

Pro Men

1, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski 1.34.02
2, Sam Schultz 1.34.14
3, Brian Matter 1.34.16
4, Carl Decker 1.34.23
5, Mike Anderson 1.34.30
6, Tristan Schouten
7, Jacob Rytlewski
8, Derek Graham
9, Graham Howard
10, Christian Tanguy

Pro Women

1, Alison Dunlap 1.46.40
2, Kelli Emmett 1.46.41
3, Heather Irmiger 1.46.52
4, Amanda Carey 1.47.53
5, Jenna Rinehart

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Report, Photos, and Results from Utah Cyclocross #7: Weber Fairgrounds

Writing and Photos by: Shannon Boffeli

On another beautiful fall day riders were treated to a fantastic race at the Weber State Fairgrounds. Compared to last weekend’s racecourse, the Weber course offers up fast-paced, wide-open racing that encourages close competition. Every event today featured some of the tightest races of the 2009 Utah cyclocross season.

Reed Wycoff leads Alex Grant over the barriers

The women’s race got off to a fast start with Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners), taking the early lead with Dayna Deuter (Church of the Big Ring), Jen Hanks (Revolution/Peak Fasteners), Chantel Olsen (PCIM), and Stephanie Skoryenko (University of Utah) in tow.

Erika Powers on the front with Dayna Deuter just behind

On the flats Skoryenko moved into the lead heading into the twisting section of the circuit until her crash on one of the barriers sprung Deuter off the front.

Hanks led the chase giving everything to bridge the gap to the leader. Despite Hanks’ best efforts Deuter maintained her advantage while the effort chasing took a toll on Hanks dropping her from 2nd into 5th.

Now it was Powers’ turn to try and bridge up to Deuter. Quickly Powers started eating into the leader’s advantage. But a barrier brought Powers’ chase to an end as her chain fell off after crossing a barrier. The mishap allowed Skoryenko and Olsen to once again join the chase group. Hanks continued to dangle just seconds off the back.

Stephanie Skoryenko launches attack against Erika Powers and Chantel Olsen

As the laps wound down it was clear no one was going to bring Deuter back. Her smooth dismounts and sheer power were too much for the rest of the contenders. Skoryenko was the first of the chasers to drop off just before an ill-timed flat tire dropped her back in the field. Powers' continual accelerations finally unhitched Chantel Olsen from her back wheel allowing her to cross the line in second. Olsen hung on for 3rd place with Hanks crossing the line in 4th. Skoryenko held off a strong challenge from Tanya Swenson (Cole Sport) to take the final podium spot.

The field charges out at the start of the men's A race

For the men, all the top challengers were once again accounted for. Ali Goulet (Church of the Big Ring) and Bart Gillespie (Monavie-Cannondale.com) were the heavy favorites but Eric Rasmussen (Specialized) excels on the flatter courses and Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com) would be looking to capitalize on his good condition. Idaho rider Sam Krieg would be looking to have another top performance on the same course he won the Utah State Cyclocross Championship race on in 2008.

Goulet took the hole shot but couldn’t pull clear of Gillespie, Grant, Krieg, Rasmussen, and Reed Wycoff (Contender). Gillespie established an early lead and it looked like he was going to solo to another win. But he was quickly caught by the chase group who were down to four after shedding Wycoff.

Bart Gillespie jumps one of the barriers as Eric Rasmussen runs beside him

Once together the group stayed tight for several laps until Gillespie was once again off the front. It seemed no one could maintain his pace as he sped over the open terrain and jumped all four barriers on course. Behind the leader the group now began to fall apart. Goulet was first to go after several crashes and a mechanical dropped him off the pace. Next came Sam Krieg who also suffered a mechanical forcing him to change bikes.

The confusion behind allowed Rasmussen to begin pulling away from Grant who was riding one of his cleanest cross races of the season, keeping his bike upright and avoiding any flat tires.

In the end it was Gillespie once again taking the win followed by Rasmussen and Grant. Sam Krieg recovered for a fourth place finish followed by Reed Wycoff who rebounded for a podium finish.

Click here to view our entire photo gallery from today's race

Results

Men's A

1, Bart Gillespie
2, Eric Rasmussen
3, Alex Grant
4, Sam Krieg
5, Reed Wycoff
6, Ali Goulet
7, Bryce Young
8, Connor O'Leary
9, Taylor Foss
10, Chris McKay

Women's A

1, Dayna Deuter
2, Erika Powers
3, Chantel Olsen
4, Jen Hanks
5, Stephanie Skoryenko
6, Tanya Swenson
7, Kelsey Bingham
8, Karen Appleby-Krieg
9, Meg Plank
10, Jennie Wade
11, Rachel Cieslewicz
12, Mary Foss
13, Jessica Morris
14, Alison Vrem

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Iceman Cometh Pre-Race Report: Traverse City, Michigan

Iceman Cometh Preview
By Claire Cannon

The forecast says that the Iceman Cometh gently this year with no snow on the horizon and temperatures in the low 50s. However, the race on Saturday in the northern Michigan destination of Traverse City will be anything but placid. Over 4,000 racers are registered, and the pro fields for both men and women are as stacked as they’ve ever been. Despite only a handful of national events in the region over the last decade, the racing scene in the Midwest is raging. The Midwest state series are cued and ready to settle the Midwest Regional Championships (http://usmtb.org/) on Saturday, which racers from the Wisconsin Off Road Series (http://wors.org) have dominated for several years. I talked with some of the regional and national contenders this week to get an idea of what they are expecting and why the Iceman is, indeed, one of the things you have to do before you die.

The Pro Men's podium from 2008 (photo by: Christine Czarnecki)

Welcome to Midwest Racing

Five-time Iceman winner Kelli Emmett will be in Traverse City this weekend and she brought a friend and training partner, former MTB World Champion Alison Dunlap. I asked Kelli why the Iceman is ever more popular.

“You know, I can't figure out why the Iceman is so popular,” laughed Emmett, who has competed in nine previous Iceman events. “I know that Outdoor Magazine listed the Iceman on their list of ‘Things To Do Before You Die.’ And I really believe anyone can do this race. My whole family comes out, and it's wonderful. My mom can do this race, and this year my cousins will be out racing. The crowd and the spectators and the atmosphere are all so great.”

The energy and number of spectators at Iceman was something that every national pro was quick to comment on. Last year’s winner, Amanda Carey, agreed.

“Iceman was the most fun I had racing all last year,” said Carey. “It’s the way mountain bike racing should be and the support of the fans at the end makes it very special for the pros. Unless you race world cups or cyclocross, most of us are used to being cheered on by a handful of people, most of whom we know.”

“My race in 2008 was my first Iceman, in addition to being my first Iceman win,” continued Carey. “I had never participated in a Midwest race before and I was thoroughly impressed with the entire event. Although I have no other races in the Midwest to compare it to, I think Iceman is the way we would all prefer the national mountain biking scene to be: a festival atmosphere, huge crowds, equal payout and most importantly overwhelming participation from amateur racers. They are the ones that make the race such a great event and they are also why our sport so awesome to be a part of.”

Amanda Carey on her way to a second place finish at the 2009 Park City Point to Point

Sam Schultz, racing for Gary Fisher, had a similar experience. “The Iceman is the only Midwest MTB race that I have ever done,” said Schultz. “I heard a lot about the huge crowds that turn out for the Midwest races but I didn't realize the extent of it until my first Iceman last year. The scene was really good, with tons of amateurs and pros all mixing it up together. It seems like MTB racing in the Midwest right now is awesome.”

Schultz’s teammate and current National Champion Heather Irmiger agreed. “The 2009 Iceman Cometh will be my third Iceman,” said Irmiger, who grew up in Michigan. “Chequamegon is the only other race I've done in the Midwest - I wish we raced in the area more often! I only have experience with Midwest racing in the later part of the season but these experiences have always been wonderful. The promoters and the participants are so enthusiastic - the attitudes at Iceman and Chequamegon have always taken me back to my roots and remind me why I started racing. In contrast to the National scene, the Midwest races I've done have that great festival atmosphere which equates to the perfect balance of serious competition and laid-back love for the sport.”

I asked Kelli Emmett, another Michigan native who moved west at the start of her professional racing career, why the out-of-towners were so impressed by the crowds and the atmosphere at Midwest races. She said she wasn’t sure, but she was willing to speculate a little.

“It feels, sometimes, like interest in MTB racing has been going down lately on the national scene,” said Emmett. “There are fewer spectators at national events like the US Cup, and I think sponsorship has suffered. But that doesn't seem to be the case in the Midwest. The races I've done in the Midwest have had great areas for spectators. Often, you can see the racers in multiple places on every lap. And the courses are interesting. It's probably less interesting to watch us ride up and down a ski hill. I'm from Michigan, and I always have fun racing at home. My family comes up to hang out, and so the Iceman is very popular with us!”

I asked Alison Dunlap, too, why she thought the Iceman had such a draw.

“I think the event is very well-run and it's very accessible to amateur racers,” said Dunlap. “They do a great job of making the amateur racers feel valued. And that includes cash prizes. The purse is big and deep for all categories, and it's not every race that competitors who aren't at the pro level are able to race for that kind of payout. I also know that the race venue has a great expo and tech area. There is just such a reputation for this race and you hear so many great stories.”

Local talents like Jenna Rinehart, Kyia Anderson and Tristan Schouten are quick to tout the Midwest racing scene for it’s hot competition as well as the warmth of the atmosphere. Local favorite Jenna Rinehart recently gave an interview at MTB Race News explaining why she has been focusing her efforts on regional races this year, despite being in the midst of the most amazing season of her professional racing career. For many Midwest racers, it comes down to greater return on investment.

“Compared to the national scene, the Midwest is great,” said Sheboygan racer Tristan Schouten, who has raced the Iceman each year since 2003 and been on the podium multiple times. “We have excellent competition and a very strong group of guys that can all race competitively at a nation level. I think that the national level racing experience has become – dull – in the last 5 years. The courses are not as exciting, and the fans have stopped turning out. It’s just not as exciting for top-level racing. By contrast, in our region we have the biggest series in the country [WORS, the Wisconsin Off Road Series], good prize money, decent courses and great competition. For me, there really isn't a huge reason to do national level racing because there is no benefit to doing well, or what most people would consider as having done well. You could have a fantastic day at a national race and ride into the top 10 and you'd come home $1000 in the hole and with nothing to show for it except pride. I might as well race locally against fast guys and win some money.”

Kyia Anderson, who races WORS and the Minnesota State Championship Series had similar thoughts.

“I race in the Midwest and outside of it,” said Anderson. “This year I participated in the National Championships in Colorado and I traveled to Canada to race a Canada Cup near Toronto but a lot less travel than previous years. The Midwest MTB scene is very solid. We have a lot of participants that I think a lot of other regions don't. Minnesota (MNSCS) has a lot of tough racecourses that develop riders into all-around cyclists and the WORS series attracts a lot of talented racers making for great competition. There are always some good, strong riders that come out of the Michigan scene as well and when some of these racers come together you know that any one person can have a good day.”

“I'm always impressed with the races I've done in the Midwest,” said Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, one of the pro racers who had the most racing experience in the Midwest, having won Chequamegon in 2006. “I'm excited about the prospect of having another National race there in 2010 [the US Cup race at Mt. Morris, WI hosted by WORS]. There's a great energy at all of the races I've done and they're all very competitive. I really look forward to Iceman every year, as it's one of the most fun events on my calendar.”

Jesse Lalonde, WORS Overall Champ in 2008, summed it up.

“The depth of Midwest racing is deeper than at the national level.” said Lalonde. “It's the little guys doing it for good ol’ fashion happiness and bragging rights. In the end, both are similar - but I think the national scene has way more horsepower. Those guys are not human.”

Serious horsepower and two Triple Crowns on the line

The national and regional racers who will line up for Iceman this year are certainly bringing the horsepower. In the women’s field, five-time winner Kelli Emmett returns, as does 2008 winner Amanda Carey. Heather Irmiger won the National Championship and Alison Dunlap is a former World Champion. Local favorite Jenna Rinehart has already won the Ore to Shore and Chequamegon 40 this season, and will start the race as the first woman to have a shot at the coveted Triple Crown of point-to-point Midwest races. The men’s field is just as impressive. Local hero, 2009 WORS Overall Champ and hometown favorite Brian Matter is looking for his third Triple Crown win in the midst of a successful UCI cross season. Ready to give him a run for his money are National Champion Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and teammate Sam Schultz of Gary Fisher. Michigan’s own Michael Simonsen is a past winner, and Wisconsin’s Tristan Schouten is a repeat visitor to the podium. I asked the racers what was up with that, and whether they were excited for the competition.

“Yeah, what IS up with that??” joked 2008 Iceman champ Amanda Carey. “I think the deeper field is pretty sweet. Kelli [Emmett] had a scheduling conflict last year, so it looks like I snuck in a win during the right year. Otherwise, she has owned this race over the years.”

“I love the Iceman Cometh because of the "What's up with that" element!” said Heather Irmiger. “November is an interesting time for a mountain bike race - you never know what the weather will be like, how hard people have been training, or who exactly will show up. I keep coming back because I love not knowing what to expect - even from myself! Every Iceman is different and I love the prospect of duking it out with people I would have never expected to be racing hard against this time of year!”

“The field seems like it gets more competitive every year!” agreed Irmiger’s teammate and husband, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. “I raced with Brian Matter a lot when we were juniors and earlier in my career and it's awesome to see him having so much success in the Midwest. Repeating the Triple Crown would be pretty impressive -- if he does, hopefully I can at least make him work hard for it!”

“Yeah, the Iceman field is going to be stacked this year!,” agreed Sam Schultz. “I'm psyched about it. I know that winning the Triple Crown is a huge goal for all of the Midwest riders and Brian Matter has proved very strong in the past. I'm sure that the motivation is there for him and he'll be laying it on the line to go for the crown. He'll also have a lot of pressure on him and there will be plenty of fast riders out there doing everything they can to stop the sweep. I can't wait to see how it pans out.”

“Brian Matter has been the strongest rider in the Midwest all season and has won every race he wanted to win,” says fellow Sheboygan racer Tristan Schouten. “He is the rider I expect to win the Iceman if he races like he has been doing during the rest of the season. I think I'd guess that 7 of the last 10 years at Iceman has been won by a "local" so generally we can hold our own on the speed courses like this that don't have significant elevation changes or sustained climbing. It's a different type of racing that you don't get a lot of other places, and in the Midwest we have lots of practice with point-to-point, high-speed races. I don't put any of those other guys out, but at the Iceman the playing field seems to even out and generally we seem to ride a little better than the big dogs that come in. Liam Killeen and Ryder Hesjedal come to mind as strong favorites that couldn't pull it off, JHK [who was bested in 2007 by Matter’s solo attack off the front] and Travis Brown too. Bishop and Craig have both won, but a majority of the time it's a good race and the win is up for grabs.”

I asked Jenna Rinehart whether winning the Triple Crown was one of her goals this season.

“Winning the Triple Crown is definitely in the back of my mind,” said Rinehart. “I have never raced the Iceman so I'm not sure what to expect. It will be tough and I'll need a little luck on my side but I think I have a good shot at the win.”

Big wheels rolling

I asked each racer to comment on their bike choice for the Iceman and how the course conditions suited them. Alison Dunlap, Heather Irmiger, Todd Wells, Sam Schultz and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski will be riding 29er hardtails. Jenna Rinehart and Kelli Emmett will duke it out on 26-inch full suspension models, and Tristan Schouten will take to the trail on a hardtail 26-inch wheeled bike.

“Of course the 29er is the superior choice!” said Gary Fisher 29er team racer Jesse Lalonde. “Really though, in the end the rider is going to choose whatever bike they are comfortable on despite wheel size. I'd be on my 29er single if I was going.”

“To be honest, I can't think of a better course for a 29er,” said Kelli Emmett. However, as Emmett doesn’t have her hands on the new Giant 29er yet, she will again race her Anthem full suspension. “It has four inches of travel, so I can really bomb the downhills. The bike is fast, and fun, and lets me pedal through the corners. There is not a lot of extended climbing, and I think that the course is so fast that there won't be a big weight disadvantage. As for the conditions, when it's been dry and warm in years past, I have called this race the ‘Sandman’ instead.”

The Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon 29er

“I have never ridden the Iceman but I hear it will be a great course for the Specialized S-works Stumpjumper 29er,” said Todd Well. “It is high speed and sandy so that should be perfect for the big wheels. I tend to ride pretty well on fast rolling courses so I think it might suit me. It's hard to say for sure until I ride it though.”

“I'll be rocking the Superfly 29" hardtail for sure,” said Sam Schultz. “The course seems like it was made for a 29er, with it's high speed, sweeping corners, and sand pits. I've heard the conditions are looking 'perfect', but I'm actually hoping for a fluke storm to dump a foot of snow and bring some really cold and miserable temps to make things really interesting.”

“Typically, the more heinous the conditions the better I do,” agreed Amanda Carey. “I was hoping for wet, cold and miserable but a nice sunny day sounds pretty darn good, too. The course favors a person with a ton of power - it is such a fast racecourse with lots of power sucking sand. Last year, I actually found the opening pace too slow. But, the only advice I had gotten about Iceman was to ride it like a road race-so I sat in as long as I could stand it to conserve energy.“

“Usually, if the course is fast, more guys can sit on the train and it makes it a little more nerve wracking having fifteen guys sitting on halfway through the race,” said experienced Iceman racer Tristan Schouten. “Patience is always good, and it always breaks apart near the end no matter how many are on, so as long as you stay near the front and out of trouble in the sand pits, you’ll be OK.”

The contenders name the contenders

With so many fast names on the start line, everyone agreed that it could be anyone’s race. I asked each of the racers who they were looking for to have a strong race, and both Todd Wells and Kyia Anderson took themselves out of the mix, due to recent health issues. In fact, Wells may not be cleared to race, and says that if he can compete, he does not expect to have his strongest showing. Anderson has been battling an ill-timed illness and is hoping to return to form by Saturday. And after an extended racing season beginning in February, Gary Fisher teammates Heather Irmiger, Jeremy Horgan-Kobleski and Sam Schultz are technically in their “off season”, although no one counts any of those three out.

The consensus among the men seemed to be that the regional racers would be motivated to defend their home turf, and Brian Matter, especially, was a man to watch.

Brian Matter is the favorite for a win this weekend (photo by Bruce Adelsman)

“I would have to pick Brian Matter though as a favorite,” said Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. “I would think that with the Triple Crown on the line he will probably have the most motivation.”

Heather Irmiger named local racer Jenna Rinehart as a woman to watch, too.

“I feel like there are actually quite a few people to look out for this year,” said Irmiger. “Jenna is going to be very motivated to capture the Triple Crown, Kelli is on home turf and excels on this type of terrain, as does Amanda. And, of course, Alison is back at it....should be an exciting race!”

“Every woman out there is a challenge!” said 2008 winner Amanda Carey. “All the women you previously mentioned have a shot, as does every single woman lining up. No one, not even me, expected that I would win last year. You can’t count anyone out when there is a real trophy made of ice on the line. I wish I could have kept mine forever but I don’t think it would have survived the flight home. I also didn’t have the freezer space. It was quite big.”

You’ve just raced the Iceman, now what?

The Iceman awards ceremony culminates each year as the winners are presented with a trophy carved out of ice, at which point the party is just getting started.

Jeremiah Bishop holds the ice trophy after his 2008 Iceman Cometh win (photo by: Christine Czarnecki)

“The energy of this event is unreal and it spills into the post-event party,” said Amanda Carey. “My hunch is everyone finally heard about the afterparty and signed up based on that.”

“It is also a great event for my Kenda-Tomac-Hayes team,” continued Carey. “We go to the Dexter Middle School near Ann Arbor to do a day-long program with the kids about what life as a pro racer is all about while teaching them bike safety and encouraging them to lead healthy, active lives. It’s a blast.”

“Gary Fisher has had a long history of involvement with the Iceman, and I started doing this event after joining the team in 2005,” said Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski. “The festival atmosphere and great energy makes this one of the most fun events I get to do all year. I always look forward to the post-race party too - it's certainly one of my off-season highlights.”

“The Iceman is just a really good scene,” concurred Sam Schultz. “Lots of people turn out for it and it's fun to check out the Midwest scene. The race is going to be great, but I'm really looking forward to the infamous Party Bus after the race.”

“Iceman is a good way to end the MTB season,” said Tristan Schouten. “With lots of prize money to make us feel good, and one last chance to see friends again before the season ends. And who could miss the Bells party?”

As the MTB season comes to a close, everyone is looking forward to next year. Each of the Pros agreed that the 2010 US Cup race at Mount Morris in Wisconsin – traditionally the WORS Subaru Cup – is an event to look forward to. In addition, several said they would love to make it to the other Triple Crown races, the Ore to Shore and the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, if their racing schedule would allow it - and Amanda Carey has already added the Chequamegon 40 to her 2010 calendar. In the meantime, with these competitors at the line on Saturday, the expectations are for another great event that no one will leave disappointed.

For the complete transcripts of each of the interviews, check the WORS homepage at http://wors.org.

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Part II of Rider Chat with 24-Hour Solo National Champion Eszter Horanyi

Photos by Mark Woolcott www.markwoolcottphotography.com

Part II of my interview with Eszter touched on her 2009 season. After road racing in college for CU Boulder and being kept off the list of selected riders for collegiate road Nationals, Eszter quickly found a home on the mountain bike team. She turned professional only in 2007 and has quickly gained attention in endurance races on some of the hardest courses in the country.



Amy Thomas- You had a great list of endurance wins this season-Gunnison Growler, Laramie Enduro, Breck 100, the only female finisher in the Vapor trail, and Crested Butte Classic. How did you recover quickly between these events leading up to Moab?

Eszter Horanyi- They shortened Vapor Trail due to rain, snow, and cold temps. It was only 13 hours and 115 miles instead of 16+ hours and 125 miles, so maybe that helped. That was a month out. But in all honesty, after Vapor Trail I had said I wasn’t going to race Moab. I’d poured my heart and soul into getting ready for Vapor, was digging the ‘underground’ race scene and wasn’t sure I wanted to finish the season off at a big deal race like Moab. I was behind in life and didn’t know if I had the time to organize another logistical nightmare like Moab without getting kicked out of grad school.

Two weeks later, I agreed to do the Crested Butte Classic and ride it with then boyfriend Chris, because it gave us an excuse to head down to Crested Butte for the weekend. I was still completely over Moab at the time. We rode it single speed pace and not leaving Chris behind on the flat sections netted me a marriage proposal the following day. Totally worth it.

Registering for Moab ended up being the result of procrastination. Before I could send out my ‘I’m sorry, I’m not racing’ email to my volunteer crew, they’d planned transportation, food, music, etc. So I registered and mentally prepared for one more really hard effort. I was much more worried about mentally pooping out than physically pooping out.

Amy Thomas- You raced mostly endurance mountain bike races, races typically over 50miles. What’s the appeal with the longer vs. 2 hour races?

Eszter Horanyi- For cross country races, the training consists of going out, riding really hard for two or three hours, and then you go home. I really like going out on my mountain bike for 6 or 7 hours and just exploring the mountains around Boulder.

The race scene is also a lot more laid-back than the typical XC race, which I really enjoy, and generally the driving to riding ratio is significantly lower for a 100 mile race compared to a 20 mile one.



Amy Thomas- How did growing up in Boulder influence or motivate you to ride? How did you get into mountain bike racing?

Eszter Horanyi- ? Boulder is a community that sucks you into some sport. When I was younger, my parents made my brothers and I get involved in some sport, mostly to keep us out of trouble. When I was about 12 years old, they signed me up for Y-Riders, which is a mountain bike program through the Boulder YMCA (www.ymcabv.org). They take you out and teach you how to mountain bike during the summer. Then there was a really cute boy in camp. His bike had suspension (early 1990’s, this was big) and I was immediately in love. As horrible as it sounds, I got really into riding to impress said boy. After that summer, I was still swimming and was in the pool 5 hours a day and 6 days a week and pretty much stopped riding during high school.

I got back into bikes via the idea of doing a triathlon. I ended up quitting swimming and viewing running as good osteoporosis prevention, only to be done in winter months.



I started racing for CU Boulder on the road team in 2003. I got left off their National Team because I had the least amount of experience of all the girls, which just fueled the fire to train more. That fall, the mountain bike team needed another girl to take to collegiate nationals in Angel Fire, NM and I was immediately hooked. I loved the fact that if I was going to fall off my bike, it was going to be my own fault.

Amy Thomas- Racing as a professional mountain biker these days doesn’t necessarily mean you are making a living from racing. Do you think having to also work impedes or balances you as a rider?

Eszter Horanyi-? I have tried for two summers to “make it” as a pro, first as a road racer and then as a mountain bike racer. I got so ungodly bored just training. The first time around, I put on 15 pounds in 3 months while ‘training’. I do much better with my time when I have a schedule, when I have a specific window to ride and stuff to do with the rest of my day. I think it helps to have other things going on. I don’t make any living off of riding, but I don’t want to. I’m trying to keep racing as inexpensive and fun as I can.



Amy Thomas- A lot of women are mountain biking these days and maybe want to get into racing. Do you have any suggestions for beginner racers?

Eszter Horanyi- ? In Colorado, the Winter Park series (www.epicsingletrack.com) is great for beginners. Start with small, local races. Make a circle of friends from racing and riding. Half the fun is seeing your friends at races. Make racing a fun social event. Don’t take racing so seriously that it’s not fun.

Amy Thomas- What’s your off-season look like and what is on the horizon for 2010?

Eszter Horanyi- The hope is to do a lot of backcountry skiing on the weekends and bike riding on weekdays. I’d like to learn how to skate ski, too. For 2010, I’d like to do 24 hours of Big Bear in West Virginia in June as my major first-half of the summer race. I’m intrigued by the Colorado Trail Race for the second half. I’d love to pull the funds together to do the Breckenridge Epic, and maybe Moab again. Definitely the Gunnison Growler and the full Vapor Trail 125. There's so much to do and so little time.



Amy Thomas- Lastly, anyone you’d like to thank this season?

Eszter Horanyi-? Everyone who rode bikes, drank beer, or otherwise came out to play this past summer!

More specifically:
Walt of the infamous Waltworks Custom Bicycles, the best bikes in the world. It’ll take a lot to get me to ride anything else.
Brian from Fuentes Design. He sold me his two year old brakes for cheap after his/our mechanic threatened to stop working on his bike unless he got rid of them.
Chris - fiancé extraordinaire, who is a constant inspiration to ride downhill faster.
Mike – training buddy, inspiration to race Moab, head of my support crew, and constant nag to put a big ring on my cross bike.
Shep – Bike magician, I mean mechanic, who must have sold his soul to get my bike running flawlessly for 24 straight hours. I don’t think that’s ever happened in the history of my owning bikes.

And of course, my parents, who never told me that I should stop racing bikes and move on with my life, even though I got a good number of head shakes and sighs.

Once again we would like to thank Amy Thomas and the Yeti Beti team for their on going contributions to MTBracenews.com and the entire mountain bike community. Click here to visit the Yeti Beti site and learn more about the team.

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Utah Cyclocross #6: Wheeler Park, Salt Lake City, Utah- Results, Report, and Photos

Writing and photos by Shannon Boffeli

The weather in Utah just keeps getting better. Riders were treated to temperatures in the 70s and blue skies, which saw everyone riding in their shorts and short-sleeves. The time change meant it was an hour later by the race start which meant even warmer temperatures and the racers responded with some heated racing action.

Gillespie and Goulet were back at it again today

In the women's event, Church of the Big Ring rider Dayna Deuter was looking to rebound from yesterday's costly crash. Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) was looking to build on her first win of the season yesterday. Kris Walker (Church of the Big Ring) was also on hand after missing the Halloween race.

Kris Walker pushing the pace

When the gun fired it was Powers taking the lead followed by Deuter and Kris Walker. Walker used her fresh legs to take the lead on the first lap. Followed closely by Powers and Deuter who held a 10 second gap over Jen Hanks (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) and Chantel Olsen (PCIM).

Erika Powers keeps getting faster

Walker moved clear while Powers chased looking for help from Deuter. Dayna however was not about to help chase her teammate. Once the Revolution rider realized Deuter would be no help she cut her loose in pursuit of the leader. Dayna rode safely in third place with Olsen and Hanks consumed with the battle between each other.

With two laps to go Powers kept the heat on Walker. On the final circuit Powers had all but reeled in the race leader hanging just seconds off Walker's wheel. In the end Walker had enough left to hold off her challenger crossing the line just in front of Erika Powers. Third went to Dayna Deuter.

Chantel Olsen has another good race

That left Olsen and Hanks to duel for the fourth spot. Hanks pushed the pace in the singletrack while Olsen closed it up in the straights and with less than a half-mile to go the two riders were locked together. Hanks pushed the pace in the final part of the course intent to hit the final straight ahead of Olsen. Her plan worked perfectly as she gapped the PCIM rider before the line. With Olsen taking the five spot.

The men lined up with all the top contenders once again accounted for. Bart Gillespie (Monavie-Cannondale.com) and Ali Goulet (Church of the Big Ring) were both looking for a win after yesterday's explosive sprint finish.

From the start it was Goulet and Gillespie at the front joined by Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannnondale.com), Sean Mitchell, Tom Bender (Kuhl/Scott), and the always enigmatic Jason Sager (Jamis). After the first lap Gillespie, Sager, and Goulet broke free and the trio checked out from the rest of the field. At the halfway point the three riders held a huge lead over the rest and it was clear the winner would be coming from this group.

Rasmussen on the chase

Behind the leaders Alex Grant was proving, once again, the he is perhaps the most unlucky cross racer in Utah as a flat tire dropped him deep into the field. Rasmussen took over the fourth spot with Bender finding himself in fifth after trying a new tactic and starting toward the front of the race.

Grant may be unlucky but that doesn't stop him from being in great racing shape. After trading out his flat front wheel he was back on the hunt making quick work of Bender before attacking Rasmussen once again taking over the number four spot in the race.

The leaders were too far ahead, even for Grant. They held a lead more fitting for a mountain bike race than cyclocross.

Jason Sager getting it done on his mountain bike

Up front, Goulet and Gillespie did most of the work as Sager, riding a converted mountain bike, seemed pressured on the road sections. In an interesting turn, it was the Monavie rider jumping the barriers today with Goulet choosing to run. Goulet's strong technique prevented him from losing time while on his feet.

Bart Gillespie clearing the barriers

On the final lap the scene was set for yet another dramatic sprint finish. With less than a mile left Goulet and Gillespie gapped the mountain bike riding Sager with just a short section of singletrack left to race. Goulet held the lead but Gillespie managed to sneak past in the final push toward the finish. Once up front Gillespie unleashed a stunning sprint toward the line. It was clear he wanted to win this one. The Monavie rider made certain Goulet had no chance of catching him today.

Sager crossed the line shortly after with an impressive third place followed by Grant and Rasmussen to round out the top-5.
Reed Wycoff (Contender) recovered from a slow start overtaking Thomas Bender late in the race finishing sixth with Bender just behind.

Check back next week for the next race in the Utah Cyclocross Series coming at you from the Weber State Fairgrounds.

Race Notes

Dayna Deuter minus her Easton rear wheel

Dayna Deuter's crash at the start of yesterday's race was costly in more ways than one. Not only did she have to make her way from dead last place but her Easton carbon rear wheel was destroyed in the wreck.

Results

Men's A

1, Bart Gillespie
2, Ali Goulet
3, Jason Sager
4, Alex Grant
5, Eric Rasmussen
6, Reed Wycoff
7, Thomas Bender
8, Sean Mitchell

Women's A

1, Kris Walker
2, Erika Powers
3, Dayna Deuter
4, Jen Hanks
5, Chantel Olsen
6, Heather Edwards
7, Laura Patten
8, Christy Clay
9, Jennie Wade
10, Alison Vrem
11, Jessica Morris
12, Meaghan Cunningham

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Photos from Utah Cyclocross #6: Wheeler Park, Salt Lake City, Utah

Click here to check out 150 photos from today's race in our photo gallery

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Utah Cyclocross #5: Wheeler Park, Salt Lake City, Utah- Results, Report, and Photos

Photos and writing by: Shannon Boffeli

Click Here to check out all the photos from today's cross race

Ali Goulet edges Bart Gillespie for the men's A win

Once again Utah cyclocross riders were treated to fantastic racing conditions while most of the west struggled to dig out from several feet of snow. So much snow in fact several Utah racers were prevented from traveling to the Boulder Cross event due to the closure of Interstate-80 because of 4-foot snow drifts.

With sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s no one was complaining about missing the Boulder race.

Erika Powers pushes the envelope on her way to the win

The women were the first to kick things off. And things got off to a very rough start. After a slightly confusing start Dayna Deuter (Church of the Big Ring) crossed up wheels with another rider and hit the deck taking at least one other racer with her. As the dust flew behind the leaders, Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) led the field into the opening singletrack section followed by her teammate Jen Hanks (aka Bat Girl), Tanya Swenson (Cole Sport), Laura Patten (Ski Utah), and Chantel Olsen. The Revolution duo hooked up in the first lap but soon after Powers got a gap and kept building on it with each lap.

Jen Hanks dressed as Bat Girl and took third place on the day

Powers rode cleanly on the tight and twisting singletrack course using her skills as a mountain biker to keep the pace high while powering through the flat open sections. Behind the leader, Hanks did her best to hold off a fast group of chasers behind. Swenson,Patten, and Olsen worked together briefly until Swenson broke free and bridged the gap to second place. Despite riding a mountain bike Swenson closed it up on the open road sections eventually passing Hanks with just two laps to go.

Meanwhile, Deuter was left to pick up the pieces from her wreck. After being in last place, she quickly moved through the pack picking off riders one at a time. The Church of the Big Ring rider made her way all the way up to 5th by second to last lap and even a second crash couldn't stop her from moving into the fourth spot.

Tanya Swenson finishes the run up

At the finish line it was Powers with a hefty lead followed by Swenson with Hanks just behind. Deuter moved herself up fourth by the finish with Laura Patten taking fifth.

The men were all back together this weekend with Ali Goulet (Church of the Big Ring) returning from his trip back east. He would be matching up against Monavie-Cannondale.com teammates Alex Grant and Bart Gillespie, both sporting Halloween costumes, Eric Rasmussen (Specialized) was also on hand.

From the start, it was Reed Wycoff (Contender) taking the lead. But once again, Wycoff did not have the power to keep Gillespie, Grant, Rasmussen, and Goulet from charging to the front. Once at the front a hard-fought battle ensued with each rider trying to break the others. Goulet continually gapped the other riders by jumping the one set of barriers on course while the others ran.

Bart Gillespie runs better than most babies

Alex Grant took several flyers off the front forcing the others to chase back on but it was never enough to get him clear of the high-powered bunch. On the last lap, Goulet once again jumped his way into the lead and this time he finally unhitched Grant from the end of the train. That left Gillespie and Rasmussen to contend for the win but his increased pace on the last lap broke Rasmussen.

Goulet and Gillespie wound it up in the final half mile with Goulet taking the lead heading into the finish. As the rounded the final turn the short finishing straight left no time for Gillespie to come around leaving Goulet with a well-deserved win. Rasmussen took third followed by Grant and Thomas Bender (Kuhl/Scott) who followed his now well-known habit of starting slow and chasing his way to the front.

Race Notes

Imported beer. Fancy...

In true Halloween fashion many riders raced in full costume, which included a Beer Bottle, Tigger, Bat Girl and Robyn, Naughty Nurse, Spiderman, Skunk, Bumble Bee, and the Incredible Hulk to name a few. Race promoters gave away a Cannondale cyclocross frame to the rider with the best costume

Pile up at the start of the women's A race

Results

Men A
1, Ali Goulet
2, Bart Gillespie
3, Eric Rasmussen
4, Alex Grant
5, Thomas Bender
6, Reed Wycoff
7, Sean Mitchell

Women A

1, Erika Powers
2, Tanya Swenson
3, Jen Hanks
4, Dayna Deuter
5, Laura Patten
6, Chantel Olsen
7, Alison Vrem
8, Heather Edwards
9, Kelsey Bingham
10, Stephanie Skoreyko
11, Jennie Wade
12, Christy Clay
13, Meaghan Cunningham
14, Mary Foss
15, Meg Plank
16, Carolyn Holliday

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Austin's Vance McMurry wins $4,000 prize package

Leading up to this year's 24-Hour National Championship, defending champion Pua Sawicki put together a terrific prize package for the person who could most closely guess the number of laps and miles she would complete on the 24-Hours of Moab racecourse.

Vance McMurray rocking the Y bike at the Park City Point to Point

Despite having a difficult weekend Sawicki still managed to complete 9 laps of the 15-mile course and completed the fastest single lap of any woman in the race. Vance McMurry of Austin, Texas came within one mile of the total which was close enough to win him a $4,000 prize package.

The prize package includes an Ellsworth Enlightment frame as well as:

Niterider: Two sets of lights
Magura: One set of brakes
Ergon: Back pack & grips
DT Swiss Prize Package
Shimano: One Pair of XTR pedals
Okole Stuff: Six Jars of Stuff
Max Muscle Sports Nutrition: Pua's Endurance Nutrition Stack
Nomad: Portable pressure washer
Adidas: One Pair of Supernova sunglasses
InFinit: $200.00 worth of Pua's Race Fuel

Please join us in congratulating Vance McMurray as the winner of “Pontificate Pua’s Pedaling” contest! “I really appreciate it and was bummed to hear the details of Pua's tough time. I saw her at the Park City Point to Point and was excited for her at the 24 hours of Moab" McMurray stated.

MTBracenews would like to point out that the winnings of this contest could not have gone to a more deserving mountain bike racer. In September, McMurray traveled from Austin to Park City, Utah to ride the 75-miles of high-mountain singletrack and one of the most challenging mountain bike races in the U.S., the Park City Point to Point, on what can only be described as a "vintage" Trek Y bike circa 1996. "We wanted to give Vance a new bike after the race just for riding our event on the Y bike so I'm happy to see that he won the Ellsworth frame" said Park City Point to Point race co-director Brian Hester.

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Rider Chat with 24-Hour Solo National Champion Eszter Horanyi

Twenty-seven year old Eszter Horanyi was a last minute registrant for the 24 hours of Moab, this year’s US 24 hour National Championship. When the dust settled early Sunday afternoon, the Waltworks/Fuentesdesign rider stood victorious atop the podium. The pre-race favorite Pua Sawicki had succumbed to the bad luck of endurance racing and left the door wide open for a new rider to be crowned. Moab would serve as the pinnacle of Eszter’s 2009 season, even if it had been a last minute decision to race.

Eszter sports her new National Champion jersey (photo by: Chris Miller)

Yeti Beti team director Amy Thomas spoke with the new U.S. National Champion, the week after her win, to talk about Moab and the race that proved she’s one of the best female endurance racers in the country.

Amy Thomas- It’s been a little over a week since Moab. Did you have any idea 8 days ago that you would be the 2009 US 24-hour National Champion?

Eszter Horanyi- I knew that I had a chance but that I would have to have the ride of my life and a good bit of luck on my side. The beauty of endurance races is that anything can happen, and it will happen. I knew that I was sitting on good fitness and riding well, but having never having done a 24-hour solo before or a 24 hour race period, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had no clue how my body was going to react to more than 13 hours of racing or how my head was going to react to doing laps on the same course over and over and over. I thought that a win could be possible, but I didn’t believe it completely.

A month out, I’d nixed the idea of racing Moab. It had been a long season and I was ready to kick back and drink some beer. But I’m the type of person who can be talked into anything, so I signed up for the experience if nothing else.

Eszter Horanyi (photo by: Chris Miller)

Amy Thomas- Compared to other courses, how did Moab suit your ability, both from the technical aspect and the power sections?

Eszter Horanyi- I really, really liked the technical aspects of the course but at times it really made me really wish I had a full suspension bike. Mentally, it was really nice that it was split up between the first half being super technical and the last ½ being fairly flat and pedally. Generally, the flat sections are where I lose a lot of time but I was loving them as the race went on. I generally prefer just straight up and straight down courses but you could get on some good dude trains and draft, especially earlier in the race when I still had some energy.

AT- If you broke up the race into thirds, 1st 8 hours, 2nd 8 hours, and the last 8 hours, which 8 hour segment was the hardest for you?

EH- That’s actually how I broke it up in my head because I knew I had to get a meal in every 8 hours. I couldn’t wrap my head around riding for a full 24 hours, so this was my way of mentally dealing with the race. The first 8 hours were pretty rough and that first lap was just chaos. I was riding way too hard, far beyond what was sustainable. I knew that but I didn’t really pay attention to it, I got way to caught up riding with Jari Kirkland and Sarah Kaufmann. Jari crashed on the 2nd lap and cut her knee open but I didn’t find out about it until after I was done and was asking my crew how far behind me she was. She was in the back of my head the whole race, wondering how far back she was.

The first eight hours were hot. It’s been cold and rainy in Colorado, so it ended up damage control for a couple of laps with severe digestive issues, wanting to poop and vomit all at the same time. I kept telling myself ‘You have 20 more hours of this and so do not blow up yourself up like you did at the Firecracker 50’. I kept reminding myself, “Remember Firecracker, remember Firecracker. Remember what it feels like to crack. Remember how horrible that felt”.

Horanyi enjoyed the night laps but not her hardtail on the Moab course (photo by: Mike Cubison)

My first night lap was my favorite lap of the whole race. I was borrowing a set of lights from a friend and I ended up being about to ride a lot of the technical sections when other people were walking. They would cheer every time I cleared something and I fed off of that energy. That pushed me. The second night lap was the same. The third night lap around midnight was heinous. Some switch went off in my head and I keep thinking this is stupid, you have 8 more hours of darkness and then 6 hours with Sarah still only minutes behind me and Pua 40 minutes ahead, why did you sign up for this again? I couldn’t mentally deal with it. Then the gap to Pua started to come down and the gap to Sarah started to go up and I rallied. Goes to show how mental 24-hour racing really is.

After Pua dropped out, the adrenaline kicked in. My crew gave me the sage advice of ‘Don’t panic and just keep pedaling’. They just kept encouraging me to keep moving as the gaps were opening up.

Sarah and I called a truce after 13 laps. When my crew told me I was done, I couldn’t believe them. I’d spent my last lap mentally preparing for two more laps and feeling miserable about the prospect, so to be able to be done was the best feeling in the world.

AT- Describe how it felt to stand on the top podium in Moab?

EH- It was really cool. I wish I could take all the emotion, bottle it up, and save it for later. I always say it’s just bike racing- we’re not saving puppies from burning buildings - and I try not to take it too seriously, but to have something like this come together was beyond my wildest dreams. I had a 9 person crew taking care of me and cheering for me, the entire Colorado community cheering for me, all the people I had met racing over the summer, the CU Cycling community (who I had completely let down because I wasn’t racing Collegiate Nationals because I’d opted for Moab instead), and my parents behind me. I knew my mom was probably up all night hitting refresh on the live updates. Everyone believed in me much more than I believed in myself so it was neat to prove them right. I didn’t want to crack and then face everyone, which was my biggest fear during the night. Winning and standing on the podium was like a big community happy event for me.

Check back next week for part two of Amy's interview with the 2009 U.S. 24-Hour National Champion Eszter Horanyi.
We would like to thank Amy Thomas and the Yeti Beti team for their on going contributions to MTBracenews.com and the entire mountain bike community. Click here to visit the Yeti Beti site and learn more about the team.

Eszter brings home the Walt Works Dream Team flag (photo by: Mike Cubison)

Horanyi downs her recovery drink after 24 hours of riding (photo by: Mike Cubison)

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Utah Cyclocross #4: Draper Equestrian Center

writing and photos by: Shannon Boffeli
The fourth round of the Utah Cyclocross Series offered up a mix of the warm weather Utah racers are accustomed to and the nasty wet conditions of traditional cross racing. The early races enjoyed temperatures in the 60s with partly cloudy skies until the start of the men's event when a storm dropped the temperature and a cold drenching rain on the course.

The opening paved climb of the Draper Equestrian Center racecourse

The women enjoyed the nicer part of the day and once again staged a strong field of 11 racers for their event. Once again it was Velo Bella rider Kathy Sherwin taking the early lead on the opening paved climb. Sherwin was followed closely by Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) and Tiffany Pezzulo.

The riding was technical on the Draper Equestrian Park racecourse with mountain bikers holding the clear advantage in the tight singletrack sections of the course. Sherwin is an accomplished cross country mountain bike racer and it showed. Not even an early race crash could stop Sherwin on her path to victory. Sherwin brushed off the opening lap mishap and used her bike handling abilities to cruise through the course.

Behind the leader it was Pezzulo and Powers going back and forth throughout the race until Powers opened a small gap as Pezzulo crashed in a sandy corner. That was all Powers needed to cement her hold on second place. Powers missed last weekend's race due to a hip injury but after the race Powers denied being hampered by her hip in Draper. Chantel Olsen and Laura Patten completed the podium taking 4th and 5th respectively.

Gillespie focused on his second win of 2009

In stark contrast to the women's event the men started in a full-on downpour. This week Bart Gillespie (Monavie-Cannondale.com) was the clear favorite to take the win. Last week's winner Eric Rasmussen (Specialized) would no doubt be riding toward the front but perpetual contender Ali Goulet (Church of the Big Ring) was racing the USGP of Cross race in Kentucky.

Once the gun went off Specialized teammates Rasmussen and Tanner Cottle moved to the front on the opening climb but Gillespie was never far behind and halfway through the opening lap he was in front followed closely by local mountain biker Dave Welsh (Kuhl/Scott). With Gillespie out front, Cottle, Rasmussen, and Welsh attacked each other the second time up the paved opening climb followed closely by Reed Wycoff (Contender), Bryson Perry (Cole Sport), Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com), and Thomas Bender (Kuhl/Scott).

After the opening laps, riders began to settle in except Grant who was looking to make up time after his first lap crash on a slippery clay descent. Grant didn't waste time as he leap-frogged entire groups and did something seldom seen in the Utah series- chase down Bart Gillespie. Once together the two teammates worked to solidify their lead virtually guaranteeing a Monavie win.

Reed Wycoff leads Eric Rasmussen on the run up

Behind the leaders the top spots remained unsettled as riders traded positions. Rasmussen had moved into third and was soon joined by Wycoff who used his singletrack speed to bridge the gap. Behind, a large group including Perry, Bender, Cottle, and Tyler Fout (RMCC) challenged each other for the final podium spot. As the race wore on the rain had slowed but the conditions failed to improve. The course began to claim some victims as Grant suffered his second crash of the day springing Gillespie clear and Bryson Perry also went down giving new meaning to the term "wadding it up" as he collected a giant wad of mud in his helmet.

Bryson Perry with "Dirt Wad" firmly attached

With Gillespie on the road to his second win of the season and Grant maintaining his grip on second the remaining riders battled for position. With two laps to go Wycoff launched a strong attack on the paved climb. He could only pull 5 seconds out front but that was enough for him to hold until the finish.

Finally, Thomas Bender took advantage of the confusion and crashes in the chase group and surged forward after having a slow start. Bender's strong performance saw him bridge up to teammate Dave Welsh late in the race, eventually passing him for 5th place.

Teammates Dave Welsh and Thomas Bender late in the race

Once again weather and great competition created some thrilling racing for the 4th race of the Utah Cyclocross Series. Stay tuned to MTBracenews.com next weekend for coverage of Utah Cyclocross Series races in Saturday and Sunday. Click on our gallery for more photos from the cyclocross race.

Race Notes:Ali Goulet won his race in the 35+ Master's race at the USGP of cyclocross and continues to lead the series.

Results

A Men

1, Bart Gillespie (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
2, Alex Grant (Monavie-Cannondale.com)
3, Reed Wycoff (Contender)
4, Eric Rasmussen (Specialized)
5, Thomas Bender (Kuhl/Scott)
6, Dave Welsh (Kuhl/Scott)
7, Tyler Fout (RMCC)
8, Tanner Cottle (Specialized)
9, Bryson Perry (Cole Sport)
10, Beau Pitken

A Women

1, Kathy Sherwin (Velo Bela/Ellsworth)
2, Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners)
3, Tiffany Pezzulo
4, Chantel Olsen
5, Laura Patten
6, Stephanie Skoreyko (University of Utah)
7, Kelsy Bingham
8, Mary Foss (Kuhl/Scott)
9, Alison Vrem (RMCC)
10, Jennie Wade (Church of the Big Ring)

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Utah Cyclocross #3: Heber Fairgrounds

writing and photos by: Shannon Boffeli

Sunny, temperature in the 70s and dry-welcome to Utah cyclocross racing. While cross racers around the rest of the country were slogging through the mud, the crossers in Heber, Utah, were stripping off clothes before the race start.

Ali Goulet leads Eric Rasmussen through the barriers with Reed Wycoff just behind

The Heber cross course is known as a power rider's course. With deep wheel-sucking grass, long straights, and the dreaded Mount Heber run up Heber is taylor-made for a well-trained cross workhorse. Ellsworth rider Kathy Sherwin certainly fits that mold perfectly.

As the women started at 11AM many riders had already suffered fat tires from the goat-head thorns that surrounded the race surface. But once the action started the mishaps stopped. The top women in Utah cyclocross all charged down the opening straightaway. Sherwin powered to the lead followed closely by Dayna Deuter (Church of the Big Ring), Jen Hanks (Revolution/Peak Fasteners), Rachel Cieslewicz (Church of the Big Ring), and Tanya Swenson (Cole Sport) who rode a 29 inch mountain bike with narrow tires.

As the pack roared around the first corner the course shot them straight into a quick dismount and up Mount Heber. Sherwin struggled with the first barrier, banging her Ellsworth hard into the metal barricade but she maintained her lead on the run up. Deuter used a clean transition off the bike to close up on the leader which she maintained halfway through the opening lap.

Kathy Sherwin corners with Dayna Deuter on her wheel

Once Deuter lost her grip on the leader Sherwin was off for a 40-minute individual time trial. Although the dominating Ellsworth rider had a huge lead she pushed an incredible pace. Her opening lap time of 6 minutes and 42 seconds was faster than all of the men who had raced before her.

Tanya Swenson and Rachel Cieslewicz trade turns on the front

Behind the two leaders Jen Hanks opened up strong and put an gap of 10 seconds on the duo of Swenson and Cieslewicz. The two experienced chasers worked together to try and close the small gap. Hanks kept charging, standing and sprinting out of all the corners, finally wearing down the chasers.

At the end it was Sherwin finishing first with a large margin over second place Deuter who was followed by Hanks. Cieslwicz and Swenson had the closest battle in the race with Cieslwicz closing a late gap on Swenson and overtaking her for the 4th spot while Swenson took 5th.

In the men's A race the top riders lined up this time without Bart Gillespie who was racing mountain bikes in Brazil. The left no shortage of elite riders capable of producing a great race. With his impeccable technique and unequalled fitness Ali Goulet (Church of the Big Ring) was no doubt the top favorite. There to challenge Goulet were Reed Wycoff (Contender), Eric Rasmussen (Specialized), Bryson Perry (Cole Sport), Robbie Squire (Binghams), Jason Sager (Jamis), and teammates Dave Welsh and Thomas Bender (Kuhl/Scott).

Sager took the early lead but faded the first time up Mount Heber. Goulet surged into the lead with Rasmussen and Wycoff just behind. After a scorching first lap Goulet and Rasmussen were in the lead with Wycoff just seconds behind. Behind the leaders a huge group of riders amassed including all the top riders.

Dave Welsh leads the chase group in front of Bryson Perry

After the first lap Wycoff finally closed the gap in the leaders and tucked into third position. The three quickly built a large lead on the chasers and it was clear one of these three riders would take top honors.

The chase to the leaders clearly took it's toll on the Contender rider and Wycoff was once again off the back. This time there would be no bridging back. Once he lost contact Wycoff dropped like a rock through the field leaving Rasmussen and Goulet to battle for the top spot.

As the laps wound down, the lead duo took their turns on the front with neither establishing a clear advantage until the bell lap when Goulet took the lead coming into the home stretch. As he rounded the final corner Goulet started to wind it up for the final sprint. Already having a several seconds lead over Rasmussen, Ali turned it off confident in his win. He should have known Rasmussen doesn't know when to give up as he used his powerful sprint to blast past the Church of the Big Ring rider just before the finish line for one of the biggest upset victories in Utah cyclocross history.

Thomas Bender has another solid day on the cyclocross bike

After a tight, back-and-forth struggle, Thomas Bender emerged from the chase group to claim third place followed by Bryson Perry and Connor O'Leary (Monavie-Cannondale.com).

Race Notes

2008 Utah Cyclocross Series Champion Erika Powers (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) suffered a hip injury during the week preventing her from racing on Saturday. Powers hopes to be back racing by next weekend.

Cris Fox was handing out cash when the riders could find him

Results

Women

1, Kathy Sherwin
2, Dayna Deuter
3, Jen Hanks
4, Rachel Cieslewicz
5, Tanya Swenson
6, Meaghan Cunningham
7, Stephanie Skoreyko

Men

1, Eric Rasmussen
2, Ali Goulet
3, Thomas Bender
4, Bryson Perry
5, Connor O'Leary
6, Robbie Squire
7, Dave Welsh

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Rinehart and House win at WORS Wigwam MTB Challenge

Written by: Claire Cannon
Nearly 700 racers and as many spectators braved crisp fall temperatures at the season finale of the 2009 Wisconsin Off Road Series, held this weekend in Sheboygan, WI. Jenna Rinehart of Mankato, MN (Specialized) and Cole House of Oneida, WI (BMC Racing) took home the top honors, and substantial payouts, from the Wigwam MTB Challenge Belgioioso Pro/Cat 1 races.

Cole House (BMC Racing) powers up the 'Equalizer' hill. House went on
to win at Sheboygan. Photo by Extreme Photography.

The men’s field blazed off the start line to contend for a Sprint Prime that was awarded nearly a quarter mile up the road. In that first sprint, Cole House surged to a 15-second gap, collected the prize, and hit the singletrack ahead of a chase group that included Sheboygan racer Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike), Adventure 212 / Specialized teammates Mike Phillips and Darrin Braun, and Nathan Guerra (Mr. Tree Racing). House never looked back, finishing 40 seconds ahead of the chase after 5 laps of the course.

Jenna Rinehart (Specialized) rode to the win in Sheboygan at the WORS
Wigwam MTB Challenge. Photo by Danny Marchewka.

The ladies set a more conservative pace and stayed together on the leadout until Abigail Strigel (Mafia Racing / Pabst / Felt) and Meghan Korol (Twin Six) challenged Rinehart for the Prime near the line. Rinehart held them off and rode ahead into the singletrack, along with fellow Minnesota racer Kyia Anderson (Hidden Bay Sports). Wisconsin gave chase with Strigel, Korol, Lori Sable (Twin Six), Lisa Krayer (Wildside Velo Club) and Sheboygan racer Andrea Matter (Gear Grinder) in close pursuit. Strigel eventually gapped the rest of the Wisconsin women and caught Anderson. Anderson’s bike suffered a mechanical in the second lap, forcing her to drop out. With Rinehart out of reach, Strigel held off Lori Sable and Andrea Matter throughout the race to claim second.

Opportunities to shake things up in the men’s race

With the WORS Series leaders Brian Matter and Mark Lalonde off racing cyclocross in Cincinnati, the opportunity existed for several riders to shake up the remaining series overall points. Mike Phillips, Nathan Guerra and Darrin Braun were all in contention for the remaining top spots.

“The field was smaller than in previous years because some of the ‘fast guys’ didn't make it,” explained Mike Phillips. “Without Brian Matter, Jesse and Marko Lalonde, and Doug Swanson, the race was more wide open than before. I knew going into it that Cole had a good chance, and Tristan as well, because we all rode together last weekend [at the WORS Wolf River Rendezvous]. I thought if I played my cards right, I could possibly get the win, but I would have to be patient. Unfortunately Cole had a 20 second gap into the first section of singletrack and that was pretty much it! Tristan and I worked together to bring him back all race, but only managed to match his pace. The course was super fast and we were all basically riding the same speed, so 20 seconds might as well have been 20 minutes.”

In the end, Tristan Schouten would claim second place with Phillips finishing a close third.

Sheboygan racer Tristan Schouten (Planet Bike / GT) races along the
quarry at WORS Wigwam MTB Challenge. Schouten finished second at
Sheboygan. Photo by Extreme Photography.

“It came down to Tristan and I fighting for 2nd,” said Phillips. “On the last lap, he got in front before the ‘Equalizer’ hill and I thought I'd wait until the field before the finish to challenge, but it was shorter than I remembered and I couldn't get by.”

Fourth place finisher Darrin Braun of Butler, WI raced at Sheboygan last year on a singlespeed in the Cat 2 field. Braun has made the big jump to Cat 1 this year look easy. He finishing fourth at Sheboygan, is fourth overall in the WORS Series standings, and is currently the second ranked Cat 1 male in the nation for Mountain XC. The transition to a geared bike, which Braun has been riding during the latter half of this season, has seemed less smooth. In his first two laps at Sheboygan this weekend, Braun found himself stranded in his most difficult gears. He lost touch with the leaders, and struggled on the climbs.

“Basically, I blew myself up trying to chase back on,” said Braun. “I’ve been trying to hang with the lead group all season. That was my goal for this race, and I wanted to be up there and contend. Go for the gusto. I couldn’t shift and tried to make it with one gear. I’m a singlespeeder, right? But the gear I was pushing was just huge – I had to run up the ‘Equalizer’ in my first lap. By the time [teammate] Chris Peariso caught up to me, my legs were cooked. He coached me through, and the problem with the shifting began to work itself out. We rode together until the finish.”

Braun also had props for the course. “Last year, the course at Sheboygan was kind of a surprise for me, because it rips. I figured those trails were in a park in the middle of town, so how good could they be? But it’s just a totally awesome course.”

“The course at Sheboygan is always one of my favorites,” agreed Mike Phillips. “It just never lets up and you're always on the gas! You can hammer through all the corners, no brakes, just on the edge of control. Super fun! And the new root climb right before the Equalizer was a challenge every lap.”

Mike Phillips (Adventure 212 / Specialized) rides off a log jump at
WORS Wigwam MTB Challenge in Sheboygan. Phillips finished third at
Sheboygan and in the 2009 WORS Series Overall. Photo by Danny
Marchewka.

The Sheboygan race also boasts a large spectator turnout and bonuses from the race organizers. In addition to the initial Sprint Prime, everyone who rode to the top of the ‘Equalizer’ hill collected a crisp, five-dollar bill. A huge group of screaming spectators lined the steep climb throughout the day, and near-perfect conditions for racers this year meant they were rewarded with a great show.

“The fans were great as always, and with the big payouts there's always an extra motivation to hurt a bit more, ” said Phillips. “One thing I won't forget is seeing a guy go sailing into the river. Man that must've been cold!”

Jenna Rinehart powered to the win while Wisconsin gave chase

“I look forward to this race every season,” said Specialized racer Jenna Rinehart. “The course is so much fun and always has great spectators. I'm happy with my race and had a fun time.”

Rinehart is wrapping up her greatest season to date, which includes a top 10 finish at Sea Otter, the WORS Subaru Cup stage race win, and two dominant victories at Triple Crown races Ore to Shore and the Chequamegon 40. She seemed untouchable at Sheboygan, crossing the line over 8 minutes ahead of the chase.

“Kyia Anderson and I broke away from the field and were riding together for the first lap”, said Rinehart. “Starting the second lap I had a small gap but she closed it once we got back into the single track. About a quarter of the way through the 2nd lap all of a sudden I noticed she wasn't on my wheel anymore so I just kept pushing the pace as hard as I could. I later found out Kyia had broken her frame and had to drop out.”

Abigail Strigel (Mafia Racing / Pabst / Felt) rides the 'roots of
evil' at WORS Wigwam MTB Challenge in Sheboygan. Strigel finished
second at Sheboygan and first in the 2009 WORS Series Overall. Photo
by Julie Wolf.

Abby Strigel caught up to Anderson before the trouble began. “We were having fun, but then her bike started to make weird noises and the frame broke.” Mechanicals and mishaps hampered several riders in the women’s field, including Lisa Krayer, who broke her chain while riding in third place and the author, who fell in the river before crossing the line in fifth.

When asked about her own race, Strigel said simply, “it hurt. A lot.”

“Sheboygan is one of the best races of the year,” continued Strigel. “The course is really fast and super fun. There is always really good competition there, and [local organizers] Fat Kats do an excellent job making it really fun for the spectators, and racers.”

And early morning view of the WORS Wigwam MTB Challenge Expo area.
Photo by Danny Marchewka.

“The Sheboygan course rocks”, agreed third place finisher Lori Sable. “It's a true mountain bike course with a little bit of everything; a log jump, river crossing, evil roots, tight, twisting single track and, of course, the infamous equalizer climb. What a blast to race on. And, even better, Andrea [Matter] and I were working together the entire race. We saw Abby just up ahead and were attempting to close the gap but she's an intense competitor and we never were able to do it.”

WORS Series overalls contended to the finish line at Sheboygan

While WORS official point totals will appear on Wednesday, by unofficial calculations Brain Matter (Gear Grinder) and Abby Strigel had their WORS series wins on lock down before the Sheboygan race even began. In fact, both Matter and second place overall finisher Mark Lalonde (Planet Bike), missed the final WORS race of the season to represent Wisconsin in the 2009 Cincinnati Cyclocross Festival. Incidentally, Lalonde and Matter finished in the top five of a stacked professional field on Saturday, prompting VeloNews to start calling Lalonde “the season’s new revelation”.

Back in Sheboygan, Andrea Matter edged out Cat 1 newcomer and current number one ranked Cat 1 Mountain XC female in the nation, Meghan Korol in the final race of the season. Matter and Korol end the season tied for the fifth place podium spot in the women’s field, and will receive identical prize packages. Lisa Krayer retained fourth place overall despite her mechanical at Sheboygan, and Lori Sable surged into second place ahead of Holly Liske (Hayes Disc Brakes).

Mike Phillips made the biggest jump in the men’s rankings to claim the third step, beneath Mark Lalonde. Darrin Braun and Nathan Guerra completed the top five men for the 2009 season.

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