Race 3 of the Clammy Cross Cyclocross Series

By Josh McCarrel

Race number 3 of the Clammy Cross Cyclocross series went down on November 26 at Art Dye Park in American Fork, Utah.

Team Revolution/Peak Fasteners signed on as a sponsor of the race bringing a little cash to the podiums and on this occasion, pie.

That’s right, this year after Black Friday came Brown Saturday and the First Annual Clammy Cross Pie Derby. The Derby is a barrier jumping contest. The rules are simple: in each flight, the person that hops the most barriers wins a pie. The course included five barriers, one regulation set and four 12 inchers.

In the C flight Brad Thurgood had it dialed. He jumped four barriers on each of the four laps completed by the C’s, in addition to taking sixth overall. The B flight proved to be a little more timid and the only racer to attempt the jumps was John James who cleared three before taking a trip over the bars on the fourth. The rest of the field presented no challenge and so John James laid claim to the Derby victory and snagged a 5th place finish in the B’s. You might expect the deep talent pool in the Men’s A’s to bring some high flying action but you’d be wrong. Taking a cue from the B’s, only one racer even attempted to jump the barriers. That racer however was Mark Albrecht, and he jumped 4 out of 5 barriers on every one of the nine laps completed by the A’s. On the first lap he even attempted the 40cm final barrier. That didn’t work out so well. The ensuing tumble cost him the lead in the race and a trip to the Urgent Care facility afterwards. But his signature tenacity helped him battle his way back to a respectable 5th place. Mark reports that nothing is broken, although he was cautioned against using beer as a pain medication.

Of course beyond the battle for pie, there was also a Cyclocross race going on. A beautiful sunny day greeted racers who have been slogging through the mud and snow for most of Utah’s CX season. The weather made for a fast firm course. With a couple passes through the clandestine dirt jumps in the woods, Art Dye Park upheld its reputation for gnarly technical sections. These features contrasted the rest of the course which included a long paved climb, a fast singletrack downhill to test each racers brake setup, and a labyrinth of grass turns.

The Men’s C race offered up the most spectator friendly race with many CX “virgins” taking a stab at hopping the barriers without success. Chris Dechet topped the podium by a commanding 90 seconds. For his efforts he won $25, a $20 Cafe Rio gift card and an automatic upgrade. Joe Sepulveda and Jim Wedge rounded out the podium.

The Men’s B’s were combined with all Women’s categories to fill out smaller fields. This pitted super fast Sarah Kaufman against the men. Many of whom she caught and passed despite a minute headstart. At the end for the Men racing B’s it was Dave Benson taking the $35 purse, followed by Alex Kim and Lou Melini. The Women’s A’s went Sarah Kaufman, Erika Powers then Jeanni Wheeler. Women’s B’s Podium was Erin Davis, Jennie Wade, Gigi Austria. And the lone Women’s C racer was Kristin Peterson (she won).

The Men’s A race was a tossup from the time Mark Albrecht went over the bars until the final laps. Chris Cole, Stewart Goodwin, Bob Saffell and Rich Caramadre stayed out in front for most of the race. Stewart Goodwin had a rear flat midway through the race that required two pits. After that it was all Chris Cole. Gaining about 10 seconds on his pursuers each of the last four laps. When the dust settled it was Chris Cole, Bob Saffell and Rich Caramadre. Cole received a $50 purse for his efforts.

The final race in the series is Saturday, December 10. This will be your last chance to check out a fantastic venue for Cyclocross. Come and join us. Find out more at clammycross.blogspot.com.

For more photos: http://www.flickr.com/#/photos/veloworks/sets/72157628169530439/

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