Utah Double Cross

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, two days of cool temperatures lead to fast racing in the local series.  Utah Cyclocross puts on event number two and the Sabbath Cross series enters day 4. A local 'cross evangelist posted this to the casuals section of Craigslist over the weekend:

Dirty Boys & Girls seek same (18+), All Along the Wasatch Front Do you enjoy getting down and dirty with something rigid between your legs? Is the nastier it is the better it is? Do full-body skintight garments get your juices flowing? Do more gear inches turn you on? If so, then cyclocross may be the best fetish you’ve never experienced … until now. Check it out at www dot utcx dot net C’mon out … we’d love to have you

Craigslist decided it was a bit risque, and banned it. Really? Cross risque? Dirty, hard, nasty, sweaty, yes it's all the above. Saturday October 9, the second installment of the Utah Cyclocross Series, UTCX for short, proved to be many of these things. The venue was the equestrian center at The Weber County Fairgrounds in Ogden Ut. The day was cool, overcast, and hinted at becoming a real cross day. It rained all the previous week, but alas come race day, no precipitation, no mud. No mud meant a damp, tacky surface that led to fast circuits and tight races. Part time crosser Greg Steele commented “Well that's Utah cross for you, rain all week, sun on race day.”

Saturday saw a spirited race in Woman's A, with Kathy Sherwin a local pro riding for Hüdz/Vista Subaru battling with reigning age group national champion Kris Walker riding for Contender Bicycles and Kelsy Bingham of the Roosters cycling team. This contest went head to head for 25 or so of the allotted 40 minutes. At about this time Kathy took a tumble, which allowed Kris and Kelsy to put in a gap that was never closed. In the end, Bingham took out a well earned victory over Walker with Sherwin crossing in third.

The Men's A side saw Bart “Cross King” Gillespie (Revolution/Peak Fasteners) and Jason Sager (Jamis Factory Team) go head to head for nearly 60 minutes. Bart put an early gap on the field. Jason bridged up and the two swapped leads for 55 minutes. In end, Gillespie put in an attack that left Sagar unable to answer. Add in some slower traffic, and The Cross King took home top honors. Reed Wycoff (Contender Bicycles) rounded out the Podium.

Running concurrent to the A flight, Masters 35+ A, put on a show as well. After a pair laps of pack racing an elite few went free. The group of John McKone (Cole Sport), Matt Ohran (Cannondale Factory Team), Sam Moore (Canyon Bicycles), John Iltis (Barbacoa/Mi Duole) Art O'Connor and Bo Pitkin (both Church Of The Big Ring), went head to head right to the finish. Moore proved to be the stronger of the group, and took home the win ahead of McKone and O'Connor.

Rounding out the event were large fields in Men's B and C, a thundering herd of juniors and the growing Kiddie Cross Crew. The next UTCX event is Saturday October 16 at the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake City. The fairground is a new venue and will feature a mix of dirt and pavement billed as crit-cross.

If Saturday wasn't enough, the fledgling Sabbath Cross Series sponsored by Raleigh, Utah Criterium Series and the Cyclesmith bike shop held it's 4th race on Sunday. The Big Cottonwood Sports Complex featured a grass venue over short, sharp climbs and a tricky concrete amphitheater to negotiate. The puzzle presented by the concrete steps was finally solved by Reed Wycoff (Contender Bicycles) and Art O'Connor (Church Of The Big Ring) in the A flight. While most riders dismounted and ran the section both Art and Reed discovered there was a line that made it possible to ride the entire obstacle. It was quickly proven that riding was faster than running and the gap between first, second and third became well defined.

In the end Reed took top honors, Art placed second. Eric Rasmussen (Kühl/Scott) battled back through the combined A/B field after a first lap incedent with a barrier to finish third. Hüdz/Vista pro, Kathy Sherwin, came out to play with the boys in B and showed that girls can do this stuff too, by claiming the top step. Kathy currently holds down the number 6 spot in the USGP of cyclocross.