Boulder Cyclocross Series #5, Series Final

Report by Eddie Clark

Pearce and Abbel finish off Boulder Cyclocross Series with wins.

(Dec 18, 2010) LYONS, Colo.—Three great months of Front Range cyclocross racing concluded just before Christmas with the last race of the five race Boulder Cyclocross Series at the Lyons high school and dirt park on a crisp cold Saturday.  On Friday night light snow fell in Lyons with an accumulation of less than an inch which wasn’t enough to affect the course.  However, it was still plenty cold with visible snow flurries in the mountains above, and a mild wind.

Once again, the folks at Boulder Racing succeeded in laying out a course that contained technically challenging sections and plenty of opportunity for riders with good fitness to attack those who were lacking.  The mostly flat course had some very long straight-aways that served as corridors to take riders back and forth to the two areas of vertical terrain.  Across the flats, small packs formed in which riders drafted each other and worked together.  The largest bit of climbing was encountered behind the high school, and it featured two climbs of which only one was ridable.  The second technical feature was a run-up onto the main hill in the Lyons dirt jump park that was followed by some bermed turns and several hairpins.

Since this was the series final, double points were on the line for those who showed up.  In most fields, leaders who were in contention for the overall series turned up to race and claim their piece of the $5000 cash purse that was divided up for the overall awards.  Unfortunately the long season and upcoming holidays took its toll on the racers, and racer turnout was nearly half of what it’s been at previous races. 

In the Men’s 35+ open race, Michael Robson (Moots) sealed up the victory and also took home the overall series win with a clear gap and convincing win at the finish.  The Men’s 35+ Cat4’s race was won by Team Evergreen Racing’s David Horst who used his road racing tactics to sit-on and out sprint his competitors in a close sprint finish.  “I came out to support the team since we’re really close with Boulder Cycle Sport in the overall team competition, and I’m really happy to take my first cross win of the season”, said Horst upon catching his breath after the sprint victory.

Open Women’s racing was held with a much smaller field, but still Margell Abel (Team Tough Girls) went straight to the front to go for the win.  “I really loved this course because it had some technical sections, but mostly it was the long downhill that was a lot of fun because you could really get in your big gear and go”, Abel said of the course design.

Boulder Cycle Sports Brandon Dwight and Allen Krughoff were the main animators of the Open Men’s race.  At the start, it was Krughoff who got an early gap, with Dwight just hanging back with the chasers.  As the race wore on, Dwight eventually bridged up to Krughoff and the two looked like they would run away with the race.  Except for Hudz / Subaru’s Colby Pearce who just returned from racing on the boards at the Six Days of Zurich in Germany, that might have happened.  With plenty of sprinting in his legs, Pearce easily led out an untouchable long sprint over Dwight and Krughoff, and Dwight was edged out by Krughoff for second place.

On the days’ racing Pearce said, “That was fun, I was just hanging on all day and managed to go at the right time.  It was the first time I’ve ridden this course, but I’ve done a lot of mtn biking here at Picture Rock and Hall Ranch, so I kind of know the area.  I’m an old school dude and I like to see a good combination of everything in a course design, and Brian Hudlinsky’s courses are good like that.”

More results here.

More photos here.