DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. - The second day at the 2021 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships saw warmer temperatures as championship racing kicked off. The 3.4-kilometer course was, however, still frozen as the Masters Women 30-34 took to the course. Racers describe this year's course as "a solid mix between power and technical. The hardest thing about this course is staying consistent lap after lap," said Jordan Villella, a coach at Cycle-Smart.
Villella continued, "Racing will be incredibly tactical, I don't think there will be much group riding. If the weather changes, racing is going to get very interesting."
It was a day for the Masters racers and the women kicked it off. It was tight racing between Elizabeth Van Houweling and Traci Judge, who went back and forth for 45-minutes uninterrupted. Their race came down to a sprint and a photo finish. After the photo finish review, Judge was crowned the National Champion.
1- Traci Judge (Oakdale, Pa.)
2- Elizabeth Van Houweling (Adel, Iowa)
3- Laura Abbey (Saddle Brook, N.J.; Colavita - Whole Foods Market Racing Team)
Joseph Schmalz was honored to win the National Championship for the Men's 30-34 race. He took the win 35-seconds ahead of Matthew Riley, with Andy Scott not too far behind.
1- Joseph Schmalz (Lawrence, Kan.; Steve Tilford Foundation Racing)
2- Matthew Riley (Madison, Wisc.; Linear Sport/ Trek)
3- Andy Scott (Newburyport, Mass.; Riverside Racing)
The day was full of photo finishes. David Rustico took the win 5-seconds ahead of the battle for second with Robert Downs and George Smith. The silver medal went to Downs.
1- David Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.; Team DSO Mfg - ERRACE)
2- Robert Downs (Belleville, Wisc.; A. Dugast USA)
3- George Smith (Menlo Park, Calif.; Menlo Velo Cyclocross Team)
The top-three 60-64 Women were on fire today and kept the racing tight. Karen Tripp, Kim Chance, and Deirdre Garvey were back and forth the entire race. Tripp's tactics played out according to plan. She made the moves on the other ladies on the last lap. With half a lap to go, she made her move to get by Chance and win the title.
1- Karen Tripp (Brevard, N.C.; FinKraft Cycling Team)
2- Kim Chance (The Colony, Texas; Bike Mart/ LIV)
3- Deirdre Garvey (Boulder, Colo.; Old School Industries)
Mary Geralts had a standout performance, taking gold in the Women's 65-69 race. Karen Purtill took home second.
1- Mary Geralts (Dousman, Wisc.; Midwest Orthopedic Surgery Hospital)
2- Karen Purtill (Narragansett, R.I.; Stedmans/ MeltSnow Racing)
Racing continued with the Women's 70-74. Winds picked up later in the afternoon, which led to yet another thing for athletes to battle. Martha Iverson would go on to ride a smooth consistent race resulting in her winning big!
1- Martha Iverson (Durango, Colo.; DNA Cycling Masters)
2- Karen Wells-Ham (Fairborn, Ohio; Team Dayton Cycling)
Frances Marquardt had an incredible ride at Cantigny Park. She would take gold in the Masters Women 80-84 race. Marquardt is the oldest female racer racing the championship, with a racing age of 80 years old.
1- Frances Marquardt (Lakewood, Wash.; Unavita)
Finishing in a time of 41:07, Bob Fetherston finished 13-seconds ahead of second place, Geroge Pawle, and earned himself the stars and stripes jersey.
1- Bob Fetherston (Los Gatos, Calif.; Menlo Velo Cyclocross)
2- George Pawle (Salem, Mass.; Cyclonauts Racers)
3- Fred Wittwer (Nellysford, Va.; Sweet Spot Cycling)
After a podium finish at the 2017 Cyclocross National Championship, Jim Mueller would go on to win in today's Masters Men 75-79 race.
1- Jim Mueller (Pottstown, Pa.; Bikesport/Sly Fox)
2- Whitney Fanning (Waco, Texas; GeriAtrix)
3- Richard Bagienski (Durango, Colo.)
Fred Schmid is known around the cycling community as an all-arounder. Schmid raced at multiple national championships this year. He rode a tremendous race, adding to his already prestigious count of over 28 national titles won!
1- Fred Schmid (Waco, Texas; GeriAtrix)
The younger Masters racers would take to the course in the late afternoon. Temperatures were sitting comfortably above freezing and racing was getting hot! Isaac Neff rode a great race and managed to hold off second-place finisher Michael Larson to take the win.
1- Isaac Neff (Madison, Wisc.; Neff Cycle Service)
2- Michael Larson (Bloomington, Ind.; Red Kite Fund)
3- Caleb Thompson (Durango, Colo.; Victory Bicycle Studio/ Scott)
Racing concluded with the Masters Men 60-64 where Gunnar Shogren took home the win. Shogren really enjoyed the racing stating, "The sand in practice was pretty easy yesterday it was so dry and cold, and today it was treacherous". Shogren followed Barry Makarewicz until Makarewicz had an incident in the sandpit towards the end of the race, resulting in Shogren taking the lead. Course conditions continue to change daily, begging the ultimate question... what will course conditions be like for the pros on Sunday?
1- Gunnar Shogren (Morgantown, W.V.; Pathfinder Factory Racing p/b Green Angels)
2- Barry Makarewicz (Salt Lake City; Kuhl Cycling Team)
3- Tim Hacker (Madison, Wisc.; Neff Cycle Service)
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