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Baumann gets past Knapp. © Kent Baumbardt

Baumann gets past Knapp. © Kent Baumbardt

by Joe Bellante

Cincinnati, Ohio – Derailleur hangers snapped.  Disc brakes disintegrated.  Still hundreds turned out in rain gear and rubber boots and stepped out from their team tents to race, cheer and heckle at Zipp OVCX Series Race #3, Gun Club Cross, in Cincinnati.

In a sweet remembrance, the women’s elite race was preceded by a moment of silence for Amy Dombroski.  As racers removed their helmets and bowed their heads, a Telenet-Fidea team jersey was displayed on top of the top of the flyover.

According to Weather.com, between Saturday and race day Sunday, Cincinnati received a deluge of 3.62 inches of rain.  With the race course wedged into a steep valley, the gun club was a pool of mud over most of the course.  Like the week earlier, Ryan Knapp (Pony Shop) and Mackenzie Woodring (Foundry Cycles) retained their respective KOM and QOM titles (King and Queen Of Mud.)

Racing returns Sunday (10/13) near Dayton Ohio, with Caesar’s Ford CX. The OVCX Series is presented by Zipp, Papa John’s Pizza, RoadID, Apex Physical Therapy and BikeReg.

ELITE MEN

Of course it rained all night and all morning.  Of course the rain stopped just before the men’s elite, turning the muddy milk to chocolate butter in places.  According to Knapp, “Many of the sections I rode in warm-up only an hour before, were now long running sections.”

Knapp turned the screws from the shotgun start.  Headed into the flyover and sand section past the start/finish, Sven Baumann (Wolverine/Trek) was under the spray of Knapp’s rear wheel.  The course was about to claim its first victim.  Finding the breaking point of the slick corners the hard way, Knapp got tangled with a wooden stake and course tape.  Bauman got by, churned through the muck, and stretched a lead from three to ten seconds.  Battling behind were Andy Messer (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com), John Francisco (Red Zone Cycling) and Spencer Petrov (Sophisticated Living/Bob’s Red Mill).

Knapp stayed focused through lap 4 and mitigated the gap.  Within those 4 laps, a quarter of the field had abandoned with mechanicals or fatigue.  With two to go, Knapp managed to close to Baumann, and then launched an attack of his own.  The move put Bauman 20 seconds in arrears.  Then Knapp flatted.  Then it started pouring rain.

“So I came back into the pits for my other bike, but my crew was still washing it.  They hadn’t had time to get it ready, nor were they expecting me to be off our pitting schedule. It certainly wasn’t their fault, because they did a flawless job, but just an unfortunate set of circumstances. Once they crawled out of the river with my bike, my gap had gone from 20 seconds to 20 meters with just under 1 lap remaining.”  With Baumann nearing the pit, Knapp mounted up and kept the 20 meters to the line.  Messer, Francisco, and Petrov rounded out the top 5.

Woodring_Finishes_on_Foot_by_Kent_Baumgardt

Woodring finishes on foot. © Kent Baumgardt

ELITE WOMEN

Along with podium mates, Chloe Dygert (Midwest Devo) and Kim Thomas (New Holland Brewing), eventual winner Mackenzie Woodring also started from the back row.  According to Woodring, “We all spent a fair amount of time on foot for the first 400 meters with back-ups and such.”  Eventually they weaved their way to the front within a half lap. Like her win the previous week in Indianapolis, Woodring found a way to turn pedal power into forward momentum and stretched her lead on Dygert and Thomas throughout the race.

Throughout most of the course the mud was 3-4 inches deep.  Many racers described the sand as being the easiest part of the course.  Woodring joked, “I was on foot 6-8 times per lap.”  She also pitted every lap.  It wasn’t all good luck for Woodring however.  Within a few hundred meters to the finish, a fallen branch kicked up into her wheel and tore through her derailleur.  She would cross the finish line on foot for the win.

Cooper Ambjorn (Team Hungry) and Gerry Schulze (BioWheels/Reece Campbell Racing), despite an untimely broken derailleur hanger and a long run to the pit, filled out the 4th and 5th spots on the day.

In its 10th anniversary season, the Zipp OVCX Series, including the MudFund Derby City Cup and Cincy3 UCI weekends and a date of Cross After Dark, will continue its focus on maximizing the growth of regional cyclocross through great courses, competitive fields, and good times.  Find the complete schedule and registration links online at OVCX.com.  Like OVCX on Facebook and follow OhioValleyCX on Twitter.

Photo Gallery:

Results:

Women - Cat 1/2/3    
PlacePointsNameCity, StateTeam
1139.15Mackenzie WoodringBelmont, MIFoundry Cycles
2147.68Chloe DygertBrownsburgMidwest Devo
3156.22Kimberly ThomasBelmont, MINew Holland Brewing
4164.75Cooper AmbjornPark Hills, KYTeam Hungry*
5173.29Geraldine SchulzeCincinnati, OHBioWheels/Reece-Campbell Racing
6181.82Sierra SiebenlistIndianapolis, INMatthews Bicycles
7190.36Katherine SantosLouisville, KYRed Zone Cycling
8198.89Elizabeth Cobb(1 - Cat2)Bloomington, INScholars Inn Bakehouse
9207.43Mackenzie GreenMason, OHBorah
10215.96Bridget Donovan(2 - Cat2)Cincinnati, OHBio Wheels Racing
11224.5Jenna Blandford(1 - Cat3)Louisville, KYVO2 Multisport
12233.03Kelly Kowalczyk(2 - Cat3)Louisville, KYMcDonalds Cycling Team
13241.57Emily FalkLouisville, KYRed Zone Cycling
14250.1Valarie Gossage(3 - Cat2)Shelbyville, INGray Goat Sports
15258.64Julie Herrmann(3 - Cat3)Loveland, OHTEAM DAYTON-SECRET CYCLING
16267.17Kathleen Neff(4 - Cat3)Cincinnati, OHBishops Bicycles
17275.71Shera Clark(5 - Cat3)Shelbyville, KYMcDonalds Cycling Team
18284.24Rebecca ZinkIndianapolis, INShamrock Cycles
19292.78Karen Elmore(6 - Cat3)Elizabethtown, KYOutdoor Ventures
20301.31Flavia Sancier(7 - Cat3)Yellow Springs, OHTEAM DAYTON-SECRET CYCLING
21309.85Margaret Burns(8 - Cat3)Louisville, KYTeam Fleur de Lis
22318.38Anne McDonald(9 - Cat3)Cincinnati, OHTeam Hungry
23326.92Lindsay Rodkey(10 - Cat3)Bloomington, INSpeedway Wheelmen
24335.45Claudia Fritzinger(11 - Cat3)Georgetown, INMcDonalds Cycling Team
25343.99Jillian Hall(12 - Cat3)Columbus, OHQueen City Wheels
26352.52Sarah Swallow(13 - Cat3)Loveland, OHSwallow Bicycleworks
27361.05Sydney LachCincinnati, OHKenda
28369.59Kristy Matherly(14 - Cat3)Lexington, KYCommonwealth Eye Surgery / Crankworks
29378.12Nicole BoremWarsaw, INDon Walker Cycles Racing
DNSSarah FredricksonBloomington, INSpeedway Wheelmen
DNSStaci Mandrola(Cat3)Louisville, KYPapa John's Racing Team
DNSKatie ArnoldColumbus, OHSophisticated Living/Bobs Red Mill
DNSRachel DobrozsiLoveland, OHLionhearts Junior Racing
DNSJanelle Renschler(Cat2)Indianapolis, INSpeedway Wheelmen
DNFjeni roosenCincinnati, OHBishops
DNFElli SigmondÊ(Cat3)Dayton, OH
DNFKennedy AdamsÊ(Cat3)Stow, OHWAS Labs Cycling
Men - Cat 1/2
PlacePointsNameCity, StateTeam
1116.19Ryan KnappColumbus, INPony Shop Cyclocross
2120.46Sven Baumann(1 - Cat1)Lake Orion, MIWolverine Racing/Trek
3124.73Andrew MesserBloomington, INCannondale Cyclocrossworld
4129.01John FranciscoLouisville, KYRed Zone Cycling
5133.28Spencer PetrovMason, OHSophisticated Living/Bobs Red Mill
6137.55Jason MonkLexington, KYTeam WHAYNE
7141.83Robert KendallGeorgetown, INPapa John's Racing Team
8146.1Ryan Hubbs(1 - Cat2)Bargersville , INSpeedway Wheelmen
9150.37Adam Rodkey(2 - Cat2)Bloomington, INSpeedway Wheelmen
10154.64Gunner Dygert(3 - Cat2)Brownsburg, INBISSELL-ABG-GIANT
11158.92Adam YorkOkemos MiWolverine Sports Club
12163.19Joshua PraterIndianapolis, INSpeedway Wheelman
13167.46Frederick RoseBloomington, INSophisticated Living/Bobs Red Mill
14171.74David Neis(4 - Cat2)Yellow Springs, OHTEAM DAYTON-MERRILL LYNCH CYCLING
15176.01Mitchell Graham(5 - Cat2)Cincinnati, OHBioWheels/Reece-Campbell Racing
16180.28William Sherman(2 - Cat1)Indianapolis, INShamrock Cycles
17184.55Jason KarewCincinnati, OHBandwidth.com/Revolution Fitness
18188.83Ryan O'ConnorCincinnati, OHBarbasol Racing
19193.1Daniel Pike(6 - Cat2)Cincinnati, OHBio Wheels Racing
20197.37Zach BenderGlen Rock, NJCycle-Smart
21201.64Raymond SmithLouisville, KYSophisticated Living/Bobs Red Mill
22205.92James BilliterCincinnati, OHBioWheels/Reece-Campbell Racing
23210.19Chris Mayhew(7 - Cat2)Pittsburgh, PAJBV Coaching
24214.46Andrew Boneff(8 - Cat2)Fairborn, OHJ's Bikes/IHOP
25218.74Scot HerrmannLoveland, OHteam DAYTON
26223.01Joseph HatleyIndianapolis, INTeam WBR - Indiana
27227.28Doug CarrawayColumbus, OHTeam Six One Four
28231.55Jason StonerAthens, OHLarry H. Miller BCC Wheelman
29235.83jeff schoeny(9 - Cat2)Cincinnati, OHTEAM DAYTON-MERRILL LYNCH CYCLING
DNSMichael AdamsStow, OHWAS Labs Cycling
DNSDavid (Shawn) AdamsAkron, OHCycle-Smart
DNSDaniel OttCincinnati, OHDarkhorse Racing
DNSChristopher NevittÊ(Cat2)Louisville, KYBicycle Sport/Rooibee Red Tea
DNFPaul MartinNorth Royalton, OHPanther/Bakehouse
DNFRyan GammOxford, OHOhio Valley Velo Sports
DNFDavid RoseLexington, KYTeam WHAYNE
DNFJames BaldesareÊ(Cat1)Kent, OHWas Labs Cycling
DNFSteven GersBellevue, KYBioWheels Racing
DNFMark HootonÊ(Cat2)Cincinnati, OHTeam Hungry*
DNFJason MottÊ(Cat2)Cincinnati, OHBio Wheels Racing
DNFMichael HemelgarnAvon, INDRT Racing
DNFChad TiemanLeo, INSummit City Specialized