Louisville, Ky. --The second day of racing at the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships for the 2018 season included two Women's Masters and four Men’s Masters categories. As temperatures warmed into the mid-50s Wednesday, athletes faced slick corners made even trickier by the winds on the tough course at Joe Creason Park in Louisville, Ky.
The first of the Master’s categories featured Taylor Kuyk-White (Philadelphia, Penn.) taking the women's 30-34 title in 44 minutes, 5 seconds. Daniel Chabanov (Philadelphia, Penn./RSCX - House Ind - DWR – Herman) captured the men’s 30-34 division in 48:39.
The course was described as “chunky frozen mustard” by Kuyk-White on the 2.41-kilometer track with its relentless elevation changes. Constant winds of 16 miles per hour added an extra challenge for all the competitors especially on the slippery, lower section of the course.
“The conditions changed a little bit throughout the course,” added Kuyk-White, who rode away from the 17-rider field to win her first title. “I don't know if mustard can freeze, but if you froze mustard and then you pulled it out and put it on the picnic table and it kind of started to thaw and it was a little bit chunky.”
The Masters Women 60+ event saw previous champions reclaim the Stars-and-Stripes championship jerseys in four divisions. Taking the top step of the podium in the Masters Women 60-64 race was Karen Tripp (Sylva, N.C./Finkraft Cyling Team) in 35:07. Tripp won the Masters Women 55-59 title in 2016.
The Masters Women 65-69 title was taken by 2016 winner Maurine Sweeney (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Racer X Cycling/ColoBikeLaw) in 39:58. The 70-74 title went to Martha Iverson (Durango, Colo./K4 Racing), winner of the 65-69 title in 2014, in a time of 33:40. And multiple-time champion Julie Lockhart (Dunstable, Mass./Northeast Bicycle Club) rode solo to victory in the Masters Women 75-79 division in a time 38:02.
The afternoon session opened with the Masters Men 70+ divisions. John Ruger (Boulder, Colo.) bested the group of men's 70-74 riders with a 44:19 victory, while Paul McKeithan (Cary, N.C./Evolution Jr. Development) took top honors in the men’s 75-79 event in a time of 51:05. Multiple-time champion Fred Schmid (Waco, Texas/Bear Mountain Wolfpack) rode solo in the Masters Men 85-80 division, finishing in 46:01.
The Masters Men 65-69 title was taken by Fred Wittwer (Charlottesville, Virg./C3-Twenty20Cycling) in 38:51. Wittwer, who last won the title in 2017, worked his way from a 50-second deficit to move up four spots to a 36-second victory in the four-lap race.
In the largest field of the day, Jay Trojan (Lincoln, R.I./Arc En Ciel Racing Team) bested 69 riders to claim the Masters Men 60-64 title.
“It's always good to win in Louisville, especially with the kind of conditions they have here. It is my second national title, it is just as sweet as the first one,” said Trojan, who won the Masters Men 55-59 title in 2016.
“I had worked my way up from five, to four, to three and into second (place). I grabbed the leader's wheel going through the sand pit. He jumped off and I was able to muscle through it on the last lap, which was huge,” Trojan continued. “We got to the off-camber section and I rode it. He was right behind and he kind of bobbled a bit and I picked up a little time right there, and that was it. I dug as deep as I could and rode it all the way home.”
Day Three of the Championships continue Thursday, Dec. 13 with events for Collegiate and Masters events for women beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. The non-championship mixed team relay will cap the day at 3:30 p.m., with awards following.
The USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships will conclude on Sunday, Dec. 16. Live streaming will be available on USA Cycling’s YouTube channel for the Junior Men’s, youth Women’s (ages 17-22), U23 men’s, Elite Women’s, and Elite Men’s races. Racing will begin at 9 a.m. ET with commentary by Tim Johnson, Meredith Miller and Brad Sohner.
Fans can follow races on all USA Cycling social channels using hashtag #CXNats. Championship and non-championship aces will be covered all week on Twitter via @USACyclingLIVE. Galleries will be posted nightly on USA Cycling’s Facebook Page. Follow your favorite athletes this week at www.livelynxresults.com. One2Go Results will provide live lap splits for every athlete every time they cross the line for all events.
Day Two results can be found here. Day Three start lists and call ups can be found here. More information about the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships is available on the event webpage.
