DenverCross!

Cyclocross, what to say about a discipline that has so much to offer. Many people claim that the sport combines the best of all cycling disciplines with the need for handling and technical skills while also being able to put the power to the pedals. Then they go and throw a whole new aspect at you. The sport takes away the very thing that us as cyclist rely on. We are all so used to turning over the pedals and all of a sudden you are being forced to hurdle yourself and the very thing you love over barriers, through sand pits, and up stairs. It is as if everything you normally would not do on a road bike is required in this unique race. Alas, the cross bug has bitten many of the people around the Denver community. It is just different enough to have a following that slowly went from cult status to very popular in just a few years in this region. Velo16 decided a while ago that it was time to do a race of our own and we had the perfect venue at the Denver trails.

The race was as much fun as it was a learning experience. We had enough volunteers to where everyone that wanted a race had the opportunity. The course was in great condition although a little slippery and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. There was enough road to open your legs up, the wooded sections were fast and flowing, and finally the field was in my opinion the most brutal as it felt like you were mashing through quicksand.

CX4 Podium

Sean & BC in a heated battle

The first race of the day was the CX4s. Sean Zurek dropped the Hammer at the start and grabbed the hole shot. He held his lead the first lap and came around on lap two with a respectable gap to the rest of the field. BC Roberts put in an attack and started closing down the gap to Zurek. Roberts caught Zurek and the two engaged in a fierce battle for the prized first place of DenverCross. Zurek put in a solid effort but on the final lap Roberts started to pull away and won with time between them. Bryan Miller rounded out the podium.

CX 1,2,3

Ginding away

The second race of the day was the CX123s. They raced for an hour and put in some solid efforts. The field split and it seemed as though the race was decided with Luke Sagur in the lead. Richard Tsui Crashed on the final turn of the race on the concrete. He quickly recovered like a champ and held his position for the rest of the race. Luke Sagur was the winner of the day. Richard Tsui grabbed second. Jason Duvall was awarded third and Cameron Moss rounded out the top four (also the final position) with slobber on his top tube. Everyone at least got a top five in. The 1,2,3s so it can be marked as a good day.

Prancer going over the barriers

Frame and the Staminator

The final race of the day consisted of the open masters category and the ladies. James Clark was off to a good start. The race stayed together consistently until Richard Tsui rode off the front for the win. Clark and Gregory Frame grabbed the last two spots on the podium. The women's race was quite epic. Kristy Goelzer had a tough day of racing as she nabbed the hole shot for her category and continued to dominate all the way to a solo victory.

Women's Open

Masters

For Velo 16's first race I would have to mark it down as a success. We had a great venue with plenty of parking and a nice little set up for food. There were no complaints and everyone looked to have had a good time. We look forward to holding another race at the Denver trails later this year. We especially want to thank all the volunteers for coming out And converting the trails into a nice little cyclocross venue. We also need to thank Marcy for the Johns and the Denver Baptist Men's Ministry for the awesome food.

Hope to see everyone next Sunday for the pukefest of a short track series!