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Cyclocross news & racing round-up for October 22, 2005Edited by Steve Medcroft Welcome to our regular round-up of what's happening in cyclocross. Feel free to send feedback, news and gossip to mtb@cyclingnews.com U.S. ‘crosser in brush with deathBy Steve Medcroft
Cycling and training for cycling are dangerous enough that most of us constantly aware of our surroundings when we're out on the road. But as New Hampshire Cycling Club racer Mike Jankwoski recently found out when he was sideswiped by a speeding motorcycle during a training ride, no attempt to be safe is a guarantee of a trouble free ride. Kankowski, 33, or Kerhonkson, New York , was riding in the Catskills when he heard the unmistakable sound of a high-end motorcycle approaching from behind at high speed. "I moved over to the right," he said about the accident. "A split second later I felt something hit my left elbow." That something was a racing-style motorcycle "something like a Suzuki GSXR," Jankowski says. Jankowski says the next thing he knew he had landed on his hip on a guardrail and fell to the ground. "The portion of road I was on is a long, sweeping left turn followed by a straight, then a sharp left and a stop sign. By the time I sat up and got my bike off me I heard the sickening thud of metal yielding to solid ground." The rider of the motorcycle had failed to make the turn at the end of the road. Jankowski says he was passed by a police car moments later, and went over to the accident. The rider was dead by the time he arrived. "I described what happened to me and what I heard (to the police). They made me go to the body and what was left of the bike to make sure it was the same guy." Jankowski says the police officers speed recorder showed the motorcycle as traveling greater than 140mph. The 33 year old B-category ‘cross and Cat 3 road racer rode home but discovered he had fractured his hip in the accident after unusual bruising appeared over the next two days. And although he was happy he only break what he did, the shock of the freak accident temporarily killed his passion for riding. "I've crashed before, many times, been hurt much worse a few times, but this was different." Jankowski says there were several things to learn from the accident. "One, irresponsible behaviour on the road - no matter what we're piloting - can have disastrous repercussions. Two, anything can happen to us even when we're doing everything right; I was inches from a massive accident." The shock is now wearing off, the injuries (which may take as long as four to six more weeks to properly heal) are fading and Jankowski is finding his way back to the bike. "I'm just now getting motivation back to train again, after quite a few weeks. I was hoping to go to Colonie , New York this weekend to race (Second Annual Colonie Cyclocross Race, October 23), but my hip is too sore to dismount yet. I'm not sure if I'll even race at all this year but I'm hoping to go to cross Nationals to be a spectator/photographer." Superprestige #1: Wellens wins, but Nys is backBy Jeff Jones Bart Wellens (Fidea) continued his good run of form by winning the first round of the Superprestige series in Ruddervoorde, Belgium. On a fast, dry circuit, Wellens was too good in the sprint against Sven Nys (Rabobank), who was nevertheless satisfied with second place. In third was Wellens' teammate Wim Jacobs, who rode well to finish just 9 seconds behind. During the race, Nys tried several times to get away from Wellens, but he could not and the odds were against him in a two man sprint. He also fell on the stairs on the last lap, but was able to come back to Wellens. "After Nys' fall, the best Wellens would have ridden away," said Wellens. "But I took advantage of the sprint. I wasn't good enough to ride away from him, and it didn't make sense for me to do a turn because my teammate Jacobs was behind us. In this race, the teamwork was very important. "It's clear that Nys and I are the best. This was the first of many nice duels. You saw also that the public enjoyed it, what an atmosphere here in Ruddervoorde." The World Champion Nys was relatively content with his second place, especially after his crash last weekend and subsequent balance problems. "I don't feel desperate after this," he said. "I finished here in the same time as Wellens, so I'm mentally ready for the following duels. I had the feeling during the race that I could take the initiative, but I didn't dare do it alone. This was a semi-road race and team tactics play a much bigger part. "When I fell, I was perhaps just on the verge of getting a gap, but I was happy that I could come back. I really should work on my sprint, that was a disaster. I'm like a snail." Read the entire Ruddervoorde Superprestige race report here. Trebon, Bessette lead USGP after two racesUSA Cycling With two of the series' six races in the books, the 2005 Crank Brothers US Gran Prix of Cyclocross is shaping up to a down-to-the-wire affair for the overall crowns on offer. After sweeping the opening weekend of races, in Portland, OR and Tacoma, WA, Lyne Bessette (cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) holds an impressive lead in the Elite Women's division over Barbara Howe (Velo Bella) and Ann Knapp (Kona). But with the overall series title resting on each racer's best five finishes, a single off day from Bessette could open the door to any number of challengers. Bessette also leads the FOCUS First-Lap Competition. Last weekend's Elite Men's winners, Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Mark McCormack (Clif Bar), are separated by a scant 10 points in the series standings. Trebon's Kona teammate, Barry Wicks, rests in third in series points and also leads the FOCUS First-Lap Competition. Wicks, fourth place Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau), and fifth place Adam Craig (Giant) are all within 10 points of each other in the standings. Defending Under-23 National and US Gran Prix Champion Jesse Anthony (Clif Bar) maintains a healthy lead in the U-23 category. In the tightest category so far, Bjorn Selander (Alan Factory) and Alex Howes (TIAA-CREF) exit the first weekend tied for the series lead in the Junior Men. Selander and Howes swapped wins in Tacoma and Portland, respectively, with each finishing third in the race the other won. But, Selander leads the Junior FOCUS First-Lap Competition. The 2005 Crank Brothers US Gran Prix continues October 29-30 with the Michelob ULTRA Grand Prix of Cyclocross from Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, Mass. Points Standings after 2 of 6 Series Races:Elite Men: 1. Ryan Trebon/Kona, 90 Elite Women: 1. Lyne Bessette/ Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau, 100 Under-23 Men: 1. Jesse Anthony/Clif Bar, 100 Junior Men: 1. Alex Howes/TIAA-CREF, 84 The remaining Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross Series schedule for 2005: Race 3: October 29 - Michelob ULTRA Grand Prix of Gloucester #1, Stage
Fort Park, Gloucester, MA. A home game: the Barbara Howe diary
October 16, 2005 - This week there was no travelling; my own team hosted a race in Santa Cruz. This particular race was the first Surf City Revival Race, a popular race series not held for the last year. As a tribute to Norcal 'cross races past there was also a 30 minute Jungle Cross race. Jungle Cross used portions of the normal course as well as long bushwhacks through poison oak infested underbrush. With homemade pies for prizes, Jungle Cross was a hotly contested race. Several participants were also getting an early start on Halloween. Not only was there a woodland fairy complete with golden wings but also a dedicated racer in a full gorilla suit. The gorilla suit is all the more impressive due to the fact that the weather was in the mid 80's. Needless to say the gorilla took lots of feeds. The course itself had excessive forced dismounts (5 runups one log), lots of dust, the chicane of despair, some bumpy turf, and more dust. We had over 40 women racing, not bad for a local race. Several of the women were first timers and had attended a 'cross clinic the day before. Read the entire Barbara Howe diary here. Global 'cross racing round-up
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