Alpha Cross #2

Duke and Krughoff conquer the grass

Race report by Shawn Lortie

CENTENNIAL, Colo.-The second race in the Alpha Cross series was held under sunny but cold and sometimes breezy skies at Arapahoe Community Park. The course was primarily deep grass around the park and athletic fields, with a small bit of pavement, and a sand pit that forced just about everyone off their bikes. Any bit of moisture from the previous weeks storm had long been dried up, leaving the course void of any of our beloved mud and slop. 

The grass was fairly deep, demanding power and fitness to accelerate out of the turns and keep the speed high. A few off camber turns with a triple barrier section were the only semi-technical parts of the course, with lots of straight out hammering across the grass making up the majority of the lap. This tended to keep the racing tight in many of the classes, as escaping from a group proved difficult.

In the Women’s Open race Nicole Duke (Hudz/Subaru) took a commanding lead fairly early in the race, with Lisa Strong (Hudz/Subaru), Karen Hogan (Justins), Margell Abel (Tough girls), and Kristal Boni (Blue Sky Velo), making up the chasers.  Strong chased hard in second for the whole race, but wasn’t able to close the gap to Duke. 

“The Centennial course is super straight forward: pedal, pedal, pedal!” said Strong. “The race was a fitness race for sure, although the tight corners were good for someone like my teammate Nicole (Duke), with her dual slalom experience. Nicole can lay it over and rip through the corners, pulling away from any of us on a cornering course like that!” In the end it was Duke for first, Strong for second, and Abel with the third spot on the podium.

In the Men’s Open race things were not so cut and dried. Spencer Powlison (Mafia/Pabst/Felt) set the pace from the start as a large group of ten or fifteen stayed together for the first few laps. The natives soon grew restless and Allen Krughoff (Boulder Cycle Sports), Pete Webber (Boulder Cycle Sports), and Colby Pearce (Hudz/Subaru) began to push the pace, eventually breaking the group down to those three plus Powlison, Jonathan Baker (Hudz/Subaru), and Jon Tarkington (Natural Grocers). 

The pace proved too much, as Webber, Krughoff, and Pearce left the others behind. All three took turns at the front, trying to find the breaking point of the others. Eventually, with about a lap and a half to go, Krughoff put in a hard effort and got away. Pearce and Webber stayed together until the very end when Webber tried to ride the sand but got bogged down, letting Pearce sneak by.  That was all it took, as Pearce was able to hold off Webber up the final short climb to the finish.

Art Schwadren at the front end of the 45+ race.	Gary Thacker chasing Andy Fox across the grass in the 45+ Race.	Racers in the Men's 45+ class charge over the triple barrier section.
Tom Hayles powers by Jeff Hall on the last lap, to take the win in the 45+ Race.	Karen Hogan holding off a couple of attackers in the Women's Open race.	Nicole Duke building her gap on Lisa Strong in the Women's Open race.
Margell Abel on the run.	Laurel Rathbun always sports the killer legware in the Women's Open.	Spencer Powlison setting the pace in the Men's Open race.
The Men's Open field rolls across the grass.	Colby Pearce working his way up to second spot in the Men's Open.	Allen Krughoff leading the charge across the beach.
Pete Webber at the head of the chase group with Krughoff off the front.	Men's Open racers paint the sky.	Krughoff with a half lap to go and a big gap.