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Henry Kramer of Cal Giant gets the big title that has eluded him for years. 2013 Cyclocross World Championships – Masters Men 55-59. © Cyclocross Magazine

“The reason I screwed the start up was I was in too big of a gear … So I had to be patient and wait,” Henry Kramer of Cal-Giant said after his race, smiling. And he had reason to: after years of trying, he’d finally taken home the title of World Champion, in a hard-fought battle with Randy Shields. Behind them, Thomas Hayles took home third, while the Swedish racer who had snagged the holeshot, Ben Andersson, fell behind to seventh place.

“You’re pedaling and pedaling and can’t go,” Kramer said after collapsing at the finish line. “And that’s the hardest thing in the world.”

What catapulted him into the front? “The cold weather,” he wheezed, then laughed. “You did. You all did. A lifetime’s worth of work catapulted me into the front.”

“Pit stops were  everything,” Kramer said, adding that he pitted twice a lap. But still, “You could hardly move by the end.”

“You don’t know how hard I’ve worked to get this. I felt like I might lose it! But I was struggling so hard.”

Henry Kramer Interview:

Randy Shields Interview:

Thomas Hayles Interview:

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Masters Cyclocross World Championships 55-59 Results

Don’t miss our LIVE STREAMING VIDEO of the 2013 Cyclocross World Championships. And for all the latest news, results, photos and videos from the 2013 Cyclocross World Championships and Masters World Championships in Louisville, KY, keep checking our 2013 Cyclocross World Championships page.