Overnight rain and cool temperatures made for slick conditions during the morning races on the second day of the 2023 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships. Sunny skies and a steady breeze dried out the course to make for some of the fastest laps of the day in the afternoon. The event, held at Joe Creason Park near the center of the city, is hosting the competition for the second time in five years, with the event last at the venue in 2018. Competitors tackled the dynamic 2.8-kilometer course, which includes both Belgian and Limestone steps, barriers, and a flyover.
Thirty-four Master Men 65-69 opened the second day of the event. The field was tightly packed for the majority of their five-lap race. After the first lap, a lead group of five riders emerged, including Scott Paisley (Charlottesville, Va.; Blue Wheel Bikes), David Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.; Team DSO Mfg - ERRACE), Curtis Southern (Frederick, Md.; NCVC/UnitedHealthcare), Jay Trojan (Cumberland, R.I.; Arc En Ciel Racing Team), and Brad Young (Porters Corner, N.Y.; #22 CX Team). Within two laps, the lead whittled down to three riders: Rustico, Southern, and Trojan. The three played cat-and-mouse for the remainder of the race, with each taking the lead position throughout. As they approached the finish line the final time, Rustico and Trojan duked it out, with Rustico taking the win.
1. David Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.; Team DSO Mfg - ERRACE)
2. Jay Trojan (Cumberland, R.I.; Arc En Ciel Racing Team)
3. Curtis Southern (Frederick, Md.; NCVC/UnitedHealthcare)
A large group of Master’s Women lined up at Joe Creason in the second wave of starts on Wednesday. Leading the charge from the beginning and winning by just under a minute, Gerry Schulze (Cincinnati, Ohio; Team Hungry) earned the Master Women 60-64 category over second-place finisher Michele Satrowsky (Newbury, Mass.; Salty Women Off Road Bicycle Team). Schulze, a Midwest native, said, “I’ve been training for this for a long time, I’ve been at it for many years, and I just felt like this was my year. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio, so this is kind of my home turf.”
Other winners included Karen Tripp (Brevard, N.C.; FinKraft Cycling Team), who secured the Master Women 65-69 win, and Martha Iverson (Durango, Colo.; DNA Cycling Masters) who emerged victorious in the Master Women 75-79 category.
Master Women 60-64
1. Gerry Schulze (Cincinnati, Ohio; Team Hungry)
2. Michele Satrowsky (Newbury, Mass.; Salty Women Off Road Bicycle Team)
3. Deirdre Garvey (Boulder, Colo.; Old School Industries)
Master Women 65-69
1. Karen Tripp (Brevard, N.C.; FinKraft Cycling Team)
2. Lisa Coyne (Seattle, Wash.)
3. Karen Purtill (Narragansett, R.I.; Stedmans)
Master Women 75-79
1. Martha Iverson (Durango, Colo.; DNA Cycling Masters)
The battle continued later in the morning as the Master Men 70+ raced head-to-head on the green course. Frank Jennings (Edgartown, Mass.; Spin Arts Cycling /American Lung Association Cycling Team) clinched the gold in the 70-74 age group, finishing in a time of 38:45. Robert Ogren (Bloomington, Minn.; NorthStar Development) secured the top step for the Master Men 75-79 after a fierce battle. In the Master Men 80-84 wave, Paul McKeithan (Apex, N.C.; Blue Ridge Cross) earned the Stars and Stripes jersey. Wrapping up the morning session with the oldest competitors of the day, multi-time national champion Fred Schmid (Waco, Texas; Geri Atrix) secured gold in the Master Men 90-94 race.
Master Men 70-74
1. Frank Jennings (Edgartown, Mass.; Spin Arts Cycling /American Lung Association Cycling Team)
2. Bob Fetherston (Los Gatos, Calif.; Bike X p/b Hyperthreads)
3. Fred Wittwer (Nellysford, Va.; Sweet Spot Cycling)
Master Men 75-79
1. Robert Ogren (Bloomington, Minn.; NorthStar Development)
2. Arthur Allen (Boulder, Colo.)
3. Steven Toplitz (Leverett, Mass.; Cyclonauts)
Master Men 80-84
1. Paul McKeithan (Apex, N.C.; Blue Ridge Cross)
2. Gary Devoss (San Diego, Calif.; Padyak Racing Team)
Master Men 90-94
1. Fred Schmid (Waco, Texas; Geri Atrix)
The slick conditions from the morning races began to improve as the Master Men 60-64 category started to race. In the largest wave of the day, a four-man group comprising Samuel Morse (Cohasset, Mass.; Corner Cycle/FinKraft), Todd Cassan (Boulder, Colo.; Rally), Gunnar Shogren (Morgantown, W.V.; Pathfinder Factory Racing p/b Green Angels), and Ralf Warmuth (Piscataway, N.J.) battled at the front of the race. Amongst them, New England legend Morse emerged victorious, securing the title of 2023 Cyclocross National Champion for the Master Men 60-64 category.
1. Samuel Morse (Cohasset, Mass.; Corner Cycle/FinKraft)
2. Todd Cassan (Boulder, Colo.; Rally)
3. Ralf Warmuth (Piscataway, N.J.)
Racing continued with the Master Women 30-34 category, as a lead group of five remained together during the early parts of the race. Anna Dorovskikh (Boulder, Colo.) gradually increased the race’s tempo, eventually establishing an 18-second gap and the overall win.
1. Anna Dorovskikh (Boulder, Colo.)
2. Bry Osmonson (Seattle, Wash.; Breakfast Racing Team)
3. Charlotte Lellman (Jamaica Plain, Mass.; BikeReg | Share Coffee)
In a two-man battle to the finish, Andrew Giniat (Asheville, N.C.; Pony Shop PSCX Team) and Cypress Gorry (Pisgah Forest, N.C.; Rouleur Coaching/Specialized/The Bike Farm) earned first and second respectively in the Master Men 30-34 race.
1. Andrew Giniat (Asheville, N.C.; Pony Shop PSCX Team)
2. Cypress Gorry (Pisgah Forest, N.C.; Rouleur Coaching/Specialized/The Bike Farm)
3. Gabriel Anthony (Raleigh, N.C.)
In the day’s final race, the Master Men 35-39 raced on the blue course for a total of 45-minutes. Earning the top spot at the conclusion of the day was Isaac Neff (Madison, Wis.; Neff Cycle Service). Terol Pursell (Lafayette, Colo.; Go4Graham/ Forever Endurance) claimed second place, and rounding out the podium was Midwest native Michael Larson (Bloomington, Ind.). When asked about his race, Neff said, “Judelson and Larson went to the front, kept it super hard right away, and we traded punches for a while until I got a little gap and was able to stick with it until the end.”
1. Isaac Neff (Madison, Wis.; Neff Cycle Service)
2. Terol Pursell (Lafayette, Colo.; Go4Graham/ Forever Endurance)
3. Michael Larson (Bloomington, Ind.)
Racing continues Thursday with the individual Collegiate events and the Master Men 40-59 races. The Collegiate Varsity Men will start first, commencing at 8:00 AM EST. The day will conclude with the Master Men 45-49 race, followed by the awards ceremony at 4:45 PM EST. The event will culminate on Sunday with the U23 and Elite Races. All races scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will be livestreamed on USA Cycling’s official media partner, FloBikes. You can find information on how to watch the stream here.
Photo By: Snowy Mountain Photography
