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Colorado Cyclocross Championships
Denver, CO, USA, December 4-5, 2004
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Sunny skies and hundreds of competitors transformed packed snow and ice into endless mud bogs at the 2004 ACA Colorado State Cyclo-Cross Championships this past weekend as Heather Szabo and Marc Gullickson claimed the top crowns.
Day one got off to a roaring start as the Pro 1-2-3 women toed the line first with the senior cat 4 and Masters Women categories following at one minute intervals . Packed snow and ice prevailed at the start with the first mud forming toward the end the race. In the main event it only took half a lap for the tone of the race to be set as Katie Compton (Cody Racing) rode off the front with the Tokyo Joe's dynamic duo of Heather Szabo and Jennifer Gersbach chasing tandem style at about 20 seconds back. Over the ensuing laps Compton increased her lead while Gersbach slowly pulled away from her teammate. Meanwhile Margell Abel (Colorado Velo) worked her way through the field to make contact with Szabo just about the same time as Gersbach broke her chain and was forced to run almost an entire lap. In the end Compton lapped Gersbach just before the finish to end Gersbachs chances of chasing back into contention. In the final lap it was Szabo who surged away from Abel to claim second place and the State Champion's jersey as Compton was racing with a one-day license and therefore not eligible for the title. Next was the Senior Men Cat 4s. With a full hour in between categories for course inspection and warmup, the combination of hundreds of tires and sunshine turned the course into a soupy mess. Crashes were abundant and at one point both the leader and third placed rider went down in the same spot, only seconds apart. Sebastian Welterlin led almost wire to wire to claim the crown.
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In mens Cat 3 action, it was heavy favourite Eric Fostvedt (Excel Sports) with the hole shot on lap one before a mechanical took him out of contention and opened the door for last year's Cat 4 and Jr 15-16 State Champ Daniel Summerhill (RMCEF) to claim yet another state title despite fierce competition from Vincent Davis (Optic Nerve). The final race of day one was the Mens Pro 1-2 race where over a dozen rear derailleurs were torn off in the atrocious conditions as the thick clay like mud started to dry out and clogged up almost every bike that dared to be ridden. A combination of equipment choice ("skinny Hutchinson tires"), momentum and perfect technique saw Marc "Gully" Gullickson lap most of the field in a sweet Colorado Swan song as he competed in his last professional race in Colorado. This coming weekend's National Championships mark his final pro race as the veteran MTB and 'cross racer looks forward to his new career in Public Relations and less travelling away from his wife and two kids.
Day two dawned bright and early with quickly thawing frozen ruts greeting the Junior categories, making most of the course unridable. Alex Coelho (Rio Grande) figured out the best way of dealing with the course and took a convincing win in the Jr Men 13-14 category by riding pretty much only on the paved sections and running the rest with his bike shouldered while most of his competitors bikes were too clogged with mud to be ridden well once the pavement was reached. This would set the tone for most of the day as the strongest runners prevailed in most all categories. In Jr men 17-18 action, Braden Kappius (TIAA-CREF 5280) followed up his fine fifth place in the Pro 1-2 race from the day before with a win propelled by his long running stride. He looks to be a favourite for the national title in Portland this weekend.
Next up were the Masters 45+, 55+, and 65+. Run concurrently it was difficult to tell what happened in any race except for the 45+ as Brook Watts (ProCycling/Fuji) built up an early advantage that looked to be insurmountable until the running prowess of Gray Thacker (Louisville Cyclery) came storming up to him, and so a tight race with many lead changes ensued. Hitting the final run up it was Thacker in front to claim the Championship.
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The hotly contested 35+ race finished much the same. The action started started early as defending National Champ Karl Kiester (Procycling/Fuji) led into the big downhill. While Kiester chose to run downhill through the thick mud, Jon Cariveau (Moots) hopped on his bike and came rolling past. As the race wore on the course easier to ride as the mud firmed up and a tight race kept the crowd on edge - Kiester first built up a 30 second advantage only to be caught be a hard charging Cariveau. With one to go, it was Kiester in control with the Moots man only a few bikes lengths behind and this is how it would remain to the end. The final race was a non-championship category, though it was raced with all the gusto of one. Nine riders toed the line in the Masters 30+ Cat 4 men and women, but none of them had pre-ridden the course. A sloppy mudfest ensued with Bill Pfaffendorf (Freewheel Bike) and Jeanne DeSautels taking top honours.
Photography
Images by Rob Karman/www.karmanphotos.com
- A cat 4 rider's shin and barrier get acquainted
- The mens cat 4 podium
- Sebastian Welterlin rode to a powerful win the Mens Cat 4 race
- Leonard Stemmons had great race to finish 3rd, expect for this one lap...
- The Mens Pro 1-2 race gets underway with downtown Denver in the background
- Jason Tullous chased valiantly but ultimately in vain to finish 2nd behind Gully.
- Gully Shoulders his bike for the final time as a pro in Colorado
- Victory is sweet as Gully goes out on top
- Braden Kappius next to the podium
- A Red Bull for everyone on the Red Bull podium
- Katie Compton was off the front on lap one
- Heather Szabo leads Tokyo Joe's Teammate Jennifer Gersbach in pursuit of Compton
- Katie Compton charges up the Wall-O-Rama
- Cindi Toepel (Cornerstone) flies over a barrier en route to taking the Masters Women 45+ State title
- A broken chain cost Jennifer Gersbach the state title
- Katie Compton rides an icy section that had all the other women off their bikes
- Eric Fostvedt leads on lap one of the senior men cat 3 race
- Young Daniel Summerhill took a well earned win in the cat 3s
- Summerhill celebrates another State Championship
- Karl Kiester plows down the hill en route to the state title for men 35 plus
- Jon Cariveau made a valiant effort to upset Kiester for the victory but came up a few bike lengths short
- Alex Coelho ran away with the victory in the Junior men 13-14 race
- Braden Kappius leads on lap one
- Danielle Haulman took another state title in the Junior Womens 17-18 category
- Alex Howes rode when most other walked
- Promoter Pat Zeller goes pallet surfing in an attempt to make the course more rideable.
- Brook Watts led for most of the race
- Gary Thacker's running ability helped him secure victory in the Masters 45 plus race
Results
Senior Men Cat 1 & 2 1 Marc Gullickson (Unattached) 2 Jason Tullous (Unattached) 3 Mike West (Unattached) 4 Brian Hludzinski (Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team) 5 Braden Kappius (TIAA-CREF/5280) 6 Jon Cariveau (Moots) 7 Christian McCarthy (Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team) 8 Frank Mapel (Excel Sports) 9 Joe DePaemelaere (Denver Boulder Couriers) 10 Joseph Saperstein (FCCC- Lee's Cyclery) 11 Peter Stetina (TIAA-CREF/5280) 12 Matthew Pacocha (Red Rocks Velo) 13 Mitch Westall (Team Dean) 14 Josh Harrod (Unattached) 15 John Phillips (Unattached) 16 Dwight DeBroux (Giant) 17 Joseph Taddeucci (Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team) 18 John Vickers (Team (ProCycling/Fuji) 19 Shanks Daimeon (Team Rio Grande) Senior Men Cat 3 1 Daniel Summerhill (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) 2 Vincent Davis (Optic Nerve/Lee's Cyclery) 3 Jeff Cospolich (Breckenridge Brewery) 4 Scott Bourque (Red Rocks Velo) 5 Kenny Deemer (Comotion/Yeti) 6 Ryan Hamilton (Team Dean) 7 John Drake (Red Rocks Velo) 8 Matthew Opperman (Pro Peloton Racing) 9 Seth Ramsbottom (Yeti / RPM) 10 Glen Light (Red Rocks Velo) 11 John Barclay (Tokyo Joe's) 12 Ewam de Freitas (Haul'n Ass Racing Team) 13 Steve Stalgren (Unattached) 14 Peter Lopez (Jamba Juice/Fuji) 15 Eric Fostvedt (Excel Sports) Senior Men Cat 4 1 Sebastien Welterlin (Unattached) 2 Bill Pfaffendorf (Freewheel Bike) 3 Leonard Stemmons (Haul'n Ass Racing Team) 4 Steve Pardoe (Unattached) 5 Darron Cheek (A Racer's Edge) 6 Scott Jaime (Unattached) 7 John Niedzwiecki (Unattached) 8 Zach Vanderkooy (Senior Womenift Cycling) 9 John Brant (Unattached) 10 Roger Knight (Unattached) 11 Chad Elmendorf (Unattached) 12 Jim Heuck (Red Rocks Velo) 13 Alec Uitti (GS Boulder Cycling) 14 Marlon Crespin (Unattached) 15 Quinn Macleod (Unattached) 16 Reeves MacDonald (Sports Garage/Titus) 17 Tom Fiersten (Haul'n Ass Racing Team) 18 Lane Miller (Team Louisville Cyclery) 19 Francisco Rocha (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) 20 Benjamin Wojtowicz (Red Rocks Velo) 21 Michael Hagen (Pikes Peak Velo Racing) 22 Sasha Razifard (Unattached) 23 Stephen Stratman (Haul'n Ass Racing Team) 24 Jacob Gruzalski (Eastside Wheelmen) 25 David Burns (Mountain Pedaler) 26 Bob Prieto (Unattached) 27 Ben Coates (Unattached) 28 Philip Higgs (Unattached) 29 Dniel Bork (Unattached) 30 Michael Beck (Unattached) 31 Michael Starck (Unattached) 32 Peter Liehr (Unattached) 33 Larry Varys (Christiancycling.com) 34 Greg Powers (Haul'n Ass Racing Team) 35 Greenwood Zach (University of Colorado) Senior Men 30+ Cat 4 1 Bill Pfaffendorf (Freewheel Bike) 2 Philip Higgs (Unattached) 3 Kurt DeSautels (Unattached) 4 Doug Felkley (Unattached) 5 Justin Green (Dean Bicycles) 6 William Teasdale (Unattached) 7 Michael Beck (Unattached) 8 Ed Browne (Eastside Wheelmen) Senior Men 35+ 1 Karl Kiester (Team ProCycling/Fuji) 2 Jon Cariveau (Moots) 3 Terry Wheeler (Red Rocks Velo) 4 Dennis Farrell (Red Rocks Velo) 5 Charlie Hayes (Excel Sports) 6 John Vickers (Team ProCycling/Fuji) 7 Chris Phenicie (Unattached) 8 Steven Petersen (Red Rocks Velo) 9 Rod Yoder (Red Rocks Velo) 10 Tim Leahy (Simple Green) 11 Charles Brown (Mountain Pedaler) 12 Bruce Whitesel (Team ProCycling/Fuji) 13 Duke Matthews (Senior Womenift Cycling) 14 Jared Shuttleworth (Red Rocks Velo) 15 Dan Miller (Simple (Green) 16 Bob Dahl (Valdoro Mountain Lodge Cycling Team) 17 Bill Johnson (Unattached) 18 Jeff Vibert (Denver Boulder Couriers) 19 Corky Grimm (Unattached) Senior Men 45+ 1 Gary Thacker (Team Louisville Cyclery) 2 Brook Watts (Team (ProCycling/Fuji) 3 Robert Bieterman (Simple Green) 4 Circ Toepel (Unattached) 5 Jeff Payne (King of the Rockies) 6 Richard Squires (Red Rocks Velo) 7 Galen Classen (Christiancycling.com) 8 Tim Downing (Team Louisville Cyclery) 9 Michael Spak (Lakewood Racing Team) 10 William Mills (Red Rocks Velo) 11 Pete Watson (Klein/WRC) 12 Scott Glasscock (Team Rio Grande) 13 Walt Lee (Eastside (Wheelmen) 14 Paul Bauersfeld (Senior Womenift Cycling) 15 Bob Brown (Schwab (Cycles/Torelli) 16 Larry GrosSenior Menan (Mountain Pedaler/Eagle) 17 Kris Errett (Lakewood Racing Team) 18 Dave Kennedy (Front Rangers Cycling Club) 19 Peter Strebe (FCCC- Lee's Cyclery) 20 Alan Hills (Unattached) 21 Charles Edwards (Lakewood Racing Team) 22 Jim Veraldi (Unattached) Senior Men 55+ 1 Al Marvin (Red Rocks Velo) 2 Guillermo Garibay (Unattached) 3 David Firmin (Lakewood Racing Team) 4 Donald Haywood (FCCC- Lee's Cyclery) 5 Erik Nordenson (CyclocroSenior (Womenorld.com) Senior Women 1-2-3 1 Katie Compton (Unattached) 2 Heather Szabo (Tokyo Joe's) 3 Margell Abel (Colorado Velo - Denver Spoke) 4 Megan Harrod (Unattached) 5 Jennifer Gersbach (Tokyo Joe's) 6 Catherine Powers (Unattached) 7 Danielle Haulman (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) 8 Catherine Johnson (Pro Peloton Racing) Senior Women 1-2 1 Katie Compton (Unattached) 2 Heather Szabo (Tokyo Joe's) 3 Margell Abel (Colorado Velo - Denver Spoke) 4 Megan Harrod (Unattached) 5 Jennifer Gersbach (Tokyo Joe's) 6 Catherine Powers (Unattached) 7 Catherine Johnson (Pro Peloton Racing) Senior Women 3 1 Danielle Haulman (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) Senior Women 4 1 Kay Levesque (Unattached) 2 Terrie Clouse (Title 9 Sports) 3 Shan Wo (Colorado Velo - Denver Spoke) 4 Shawnee O'Senior (Womenald Red Rocks Velo) 5 Devora Peterson (Tokyo Joe's) 6 Darcy Tiglas (Unattached) Senior Women 30+ Cat 4 1 Jeanne DeSautels (Unattached) Senior Women 35+/45+ 1 Mary Monroe (Unattached) 2 Althea Clary (Pikes Peak Velo Racing) 3 Cindi Toepel (Unattached) 4 Beth Jordan (Boulder Women's Cycling Team) 5 Susan Prieto (Unattached) 6 Frances Summerhill (La Forza) 7 Krin Soll (Unattached) 8 Kayla Thomason (Lakewood Racing Team) Senior Women 35+ 1 Mary Monroe (Unattached) 2 Althea Clary (Pikes Peak Velo Racing) 3 Beth Jordan (Boulder Women's Cycling Team) 4 Susan Prieto (Unattached) 5 Krin Soll (Unattached) 6 Kayla Thomason (Lakewood Racing Team) Senior Women 45+ 1 Cindi Toepel (Unattached) 2 Frances Summerhill (La Forza) Junior Men 10-12 1 Joe Haulman (Front Rangers Cycling (Club) 2 Zack Gould (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) 3 John Noonan (Unattached) 4 Dean Haas (Unattached) Junior Men 13-14 1 Alex Coelho (Team Rio (Grande) 2 Andrew Barker (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) 3 Ivan Rocha (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) Junior Men 15-16 1 Alex Howes (TIAA-CREF/5280) 2 Emil Marinov (Vitamin Cottage Cycling Team) 3 T J Toepel (Unattached) 4 Tyler Gallup (North Metro Cycling) 5 Francisco Rocha (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) Junior Men 17-18 1 Braden Kappius (TIAA-CREF/5280) 2 Peter Stetina (TIAA-CREF/5280) 3 James Anderson (Team Rio Grande) Junior Women 10-12 1 Hannah Summerhill (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation) Junior Women 17-18 1 Haulman Danielle (Rocky Mtn Cycling Education Foundation)
Local results 2004
