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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – As the sun came out, briefly calming the snow flurries and giving a welcome moment of warmth to the racers, current National Champion Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy) wasted no time establishing his lead. Though the holeshot went to Gunnar Shogren (Pathfinder of WV / Stan’s NoTubes), Tilford was ahead of him before the first turn and never looked back, slogging his way through the thick, muddy course and taking the win three laps later with a comfortable lead.

Steve Tilford wasted no time moving to the front in the first 100 feet, and within one lap had 40 seconds. © Cyclocross Magazine

“It’s so slow,” said Tilford of the course. “You put an extra hundred watts in, you go a quarter mile faster. There’s no bike handling involved. Just trying to pick the wet lines. I’d like to do another lap.”

The man most likely to challenge Tilford, was Shogren, who qualified with the fastest time. The two former mountain bike professionals raced together in the 90′s, and Shogren recalls being in a break with Tilford and Don Myrah, another ex-pro who continues to race cyclocross at a high-level.

Shogren made a strong bid for the holeshot before Tilford took over, but soon rolled his tubeless Maxxis Mud Wrestler clincher on the first lap [see our Going Tubeless for cyclocross series and tire recommendations and thoughts on Maxxis tires being run tubeless], and had to run a large portion of the course to reach the pits, where he swapped out for a singlespeed while his crew replaced the wheels on his geared bike.

Shogren then had the ride of the race, working his way up from the back of the field to contest the podium, ultimately finishing in third behind Canadian Soul Sportif’s Peter Lawrence. Shogren is a tubeless convert, and said that despite having a basement full of tubulars, he’s run tubeless all season without a single burp. Today’s mishap doesn’t diminish his dedication to racing without tubes. See Shogren’s thoughts on tubeless in the Gunnar Shogren video interview below.

Steve Tilford Interview:

Peter Lawrence Interview:

Gunnar Shogren Interview (with Tilford Cameo):

2013 Cyclocross World Championships Masters Men 50-54 Photo Gallery:

Masters Cyclocross World Championships 50-54 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.