By: Sean Mealey
Even though the seasons seem to come and go faster and faster each year, Sunday marked the start to the 2012 Cyclocross campaign at Tacchino, Cyclocross. We had representation in 6 fields with a total off 11 riders. This was race number one of the MABRA Super8, which will have three of the races, sponsored by Nuts About Granola. It was super motivating to have Sarah on hand representing her brand and handing out samples of her product, look for the red tent at Hyattsville and DCCX if you missed her on Sunday.
(photo courtesy Broken Spoke)
First up for the day was the JR race with Owen B and Ean M racing for the 10-14 age group. They were up against a pretty strong group that included a national champion. Owen was all business from the gun and made climbing look like it was recess. He ended up with a 4th place finish. Ean was taking it all in and ended up 16th for the day.
The highlight of the day was that the Jeremy Powers (National Cyclocross Champ) made an appearance and signed something for both of the JRs . He talked to both of the boys, giving them some great advice and tips. It's so great to have him as a driving personality of the sport.
(photo courtesy Angie Brenneman)
Next up was our "bakers 6 pack" 35 + 34's. It was great to see the large representation in action. The sold out (125) field made for a bottleneck of excitement and as the race started to unfold the crew went to work. Mark C and Will found each other eventually and ended up 19 & 22 with the rest coming in as follows Chris S , Shane, Myke B, Michael B and Skibby.
(photo courtesy brokenspoke)
The next race to watch was the Single Speeders that left Skip fighting lady luck and a broken chain after he put in a half lap. No pit bike meant game over and that's a tough one to swallow but we know he'll be back to make another go at it.
Clark and I were into the mix of the Elite masters 35+. The racing seems to get harder and faster every year no matter how much you think you are ready. We raced the first lap and a half together when Clark decided to make his move forward. I tried to keep him in sight by putting in a hard last lap to bridge up but he was finishing up strong. He ended up 20th with me coming in 23rd for the day.
The 3/4 race was represented by Mark K. Mark typically rides a Single Speed MtB but decided to come back for more CX after spending a few years away, fighting through the sold out field of 125 to a respectable finish at 26th place.
For the final race of the day it was the men’s Elite race with Jake doing his first elite race and returning to Cx since his freshman year in high school. He was excited to get the race experience and see how he stacked up against the tough MABRA competition with the aforementioned National Champ on hand as well. I was pretty confident that this course suited Jake and when the separations began I could tell Jake was riding strong. He ended the day in 10th place, pretty impressive for his first Cat1 CX race! I know without a doubt that he will only keep improving and I am stoked to have him on board.
(photo courtesy broken spoke)
Thanks to Kelley from Broken Spoke Photography for all the shots check out more here: http://www.brokenspokephotos.com/









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