Alpha Cross #1

Race report by Shawn Lortie

Record temperatures greeted racers for the second weekend in a row at the first in a series of two races put on by the crew at Alpha Bicycle Company. The venue was a large dirt lot area that is soon to become a Centennial City Park. Easy parking, a jumpy castle, and great race spectating from a raised area near the start/finish line made for a pleasant day for the whole family.

The course was a tough mix of flat out riding across rugged washboard sections of field, mixed with lots of sandy corners, a bit of climbing, and a set of barriers just in case you didn’t have to dismount through some of the sandy corners. “The course was really tough, it felt like there was quite a bit of sand.  Powering through was the only way to keep your speed.” Said Rob Russell, who had a strong race in the Men’s 35+ Open class, finishing second to Patrick Gallegos.

One particularly rough section of washboards through the field had more than a few racers choosing their MTB’s over the CX bikes, while another section with a short steep drop into a loose left corner sent quite a few riders off into the weeds. Overall, it was a taxing course that forced racers to work hard through the entire lap.

In the Men’s Open race Danny Summerhill (Garmin) was out for his first CX race of the season. Unfortunately for Danny, luck was not on his side as a rear wheel mechanical put him half a lap behind within minutes of the start. After fixing the problem, Summerhill jumped back on and began chasing hard for a couple laps until another mechanical sent him over the bars hard.

With Summerhill out of the picture, Joseph Saperstein (Trek Store Boulder) put in a strong effort to hold off Aaron Bouplon (Rocky Mounts-Izzies). The two battled off the front for the entire race. Bouplon was able to take the lead for a short time, but Saperstein led for most of the race. Jan Koles (RMCEF-Westside) took third with Michael Friedberg (unattached) in fourth spot for the day.

It was Kristal Boni (Blue Sky Velo) who took control in the Women’s Open race. Smooth and consistent riding allowed Boni to get away from Susan Adamkovics (Treads.com/DTF) and Lauren Constantini, who finished in that order. It was impressive to watch the ladies charge down the steep loose drop into a tricky left corner with confidence in their eyes. Great job!

For complete results please go to:  American Cycling Association

Rob Russell grabs some rear brake in the Mens 35+ Open race.	The cheering section was full of activity all day.	Ring that bell!
Kristal Boni leads the Women's Open race.	A racer gains the rise as the jumpy castle rages on.	Shawnee Brenner hammers it out with a chaser right on her wheel.
One place you don't want to spend much time.	Talitha Vogt making the drop in trhe Women's Open race.	Summerhill leading out the Men's Open race.
Summerhill turning up the watts to bring them back.	Aaron Bouplon trying to leave them all behind.	There was plenty of energy sucking sand throughout the course.
Brady Irwin? keeps it rolling up and over in the Men's Open Class.	Men's Open winner Joe Saperstein holds off Aaron Bouplon.