Bob’s Red Mill Sweeps Zipp OVCX

by Chris Halioris

November 21, 2009; Indianapolis, IN – The twelfth race in the Zipp OVCX Tour was held at Southeastway Park in suburban Indianapolis today.  This was a new race, and new stop in the OVCX series this year, forming a double weekend with race thirteen of fifteen coming tomorrow at Brookside Park in Indianapolis.  The race drew about 200 racers on the day, quite a showing for the first year event.  Bob’s Red Mill racers Mitchell Kersting and Nikki Dallaire swept the elite races for the second time this season, repeating the feat they accomplished earlier this season at the Gun Club Cross in Dayton, OH.

The Speedway Wheelmen designed a very spectator friendly course that was twisty and rolling near the start/finish and had two nice hills, one rideable and the other a run-up with barriers, on the back side.  Spectators and racers alike had gorgeous fall weather all day with morning temps around 40 degrees and warming up to around 60 degrees by mid afternoon for the elite races.  Add to that the always cool British voice of Geraint Parry on the P.A. system and the crowd couldn’t have asked for a better day.  Rain earlier in the week left some residual moisture that had more than one racer sliding around a corner on their side, but that’s what makes cyclocross racing what it is.  The wet grounds also made for some very soft flat sections that made it tough for the power riders to really hammer down.

The elite men’s race was dominated by Mitchell Kersting from start to finish.  Mitchell pulled away early and never looked back.  Andrew Llewellyn, the Fort Collins, Colorado, college student pulled in for second while Tom Burke finished 3^rd.  The women’s race was much closer as Nikki Dallaire and Micole Borem rode together most of the race before Nikki broke free for the last lap and a half finishing with a 20 second gap over Borem with Amanda McKay coming in 3^rd.

In the elite masters race Mike McShane took the overall and 45+ crown, while Don Galligher was 2^nd overall and first in the 35+ field.  “Don deserved all the credit today” McShane said.  “He did most of the work and then I finally attacked him the last lap.  He was faster on the straights and I had to get him in the turns.” noted McShane.  This was McShane’s eighth win of the season in 10 races.  The only two races he failed to win were the USGP races in Louisville that were part of the Zipp OVCX series.

Zipp OVCX has three races prior to the season finale coming in Louisville on December 6^th.  Fro more information on the three races, all state championships, see www.OVCX.com.

Elite Men

Elite Women