LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – In sharp contrast to the windy, balmy conditions that the Masters racers experienced in the opening heats, the first men today lined up today in a freezing flurry of snowfall. Far from frozen, however, the course had soaked up two days of rain and gave the men some hard, muddy power conditions that saw wheels locking up and bikes weighing down.
Racers faced power-sucking conditions today © Cyclocross Magazine
In the 65-69 category, Robert Ogren (Kenwood Racing) established an early lead, with Rick Abbott (Excel Sports Boulder), National Champion Leone Pizzini (First State Velo) and Victor Barnett (Welland Valley) making it a tight race behind. Though Ogren had daylight for the first two thirds of the race, the wheel-sucking mud – which saw riders throwing their bodies on the bike to generate enough power to ride – eventually pulled him back into the fold. On the final of three laps, Barnett made his move, pulling ahead and holding off the rest to win the World title.
Victor Barnett surged to the win in the final lap © Cyclocross Magazine
Impressively, it was 70+ winner Jimmy Wagner who had the best ride of the morning, as on his way to a commanding win he nearly caught the lead group of the category below him. Though split into further categories in previous years, the 70+ group combined all ages above the mark, and due to the incredibly slow conditions and the tight racing schedule, many saw themselves pulled despite being at no risk of being lapped.
Multi-time National Champion Walt Axthelm was one of the riders pulled early due to the combined age groups. © Cyclocross Magazine
Interview with Jimmy Wagner
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Interview with Victor Barnett
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2013 Masters World Championships: Men 65-69 and 70+ Photo Gallery:
Masters Cyclocross World Championships 65-69 Results
| Place | Name | City, State | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor BARNETT | welland valley cc | |
| 2 | Rick ABBOTT | Boulder, CO | Excel Sports Boulder |
| 3 | Robin WILLARD | oak bay Bikes | |
| 4 | Leone PIZZINI | Avondale, PA | First State Velo Sport |
| 5 | Robert OGREN | Bloomington, MN | Kenwood Racing |
| 6 | Julian COUPLAND | Chicago, IL | Verdigris-Village CX Team/Villa |
| 7 | David FULLER | Greensboro, NC | Cone Health/cycles de ORO/Green |
| 8 | Paul MCCARTHY | Nederland, CO | CROSS PROPZ RACING |
| 9 | Bill MOREMAN | Arlington, TX | Team Bicycles Inc. |
| 10 | James CARLSON | Springfield, VA | Potomac Velo Club |
| DNS | Lewis ROLLINS | Salt Lake City, UT | CONTENDER BICYCLES/The Contende |
| DNS | Larry MAYSE(Cat4) | Milton, GA | |
| DNS | Bill CULLINS | San Angelo, TX | Permian Basin Bicycle Assoc |
| DNF | james BRIGGS | North Huntingdon, PA | Allegheny Cycling Association |
| DNF | David STEVENS | Vilas, NC | Raleigh All Stars/Constellation |
Masters Cyclocross World Championships 70+ Results
| Place | Name | City, State | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James WAGNER | Auburn, WA | Bike Masters- WA |
| 2 | John GINLEY | Condor Road Club | |
| 3 | Joe SALING | Bridgewater, NJ | Somerset Wheelmen |
| 4 | Derek STEEL | Arrowsmith Bikes | |
| 5 | Loren HETTINGER | Littleton, CO | |
| 6 | Frederic SCHMID | Waco, TX | Jubilee Subaru |
| 7 | Walter AXTHELM | Durango, CO | NoTubes Endurance Racing |
| 8 | John OOYEN | Boulder | Real D-Amgen Masters Cycling |
| 9 | Ronald RILEY | Aptos, CA | Bike Station Aptos |
| DNF | Erik NORDENSON | Moab, UT |
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.
