Masters men battle in Bend

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Despite freezing temperatures, snow and ice, large crowds and about 500 racers from around the country gathered in Bend, Oregon for the B and Master races on Thursday, the first of four days of racing at the US National Cyclo-cross Championships.

Racers praised the highly technical course which features a mixture of textures (snow, frozen grass and road) along with a stair run-up, and fast and slick-straight-aways.

The Master's category awarded six red-white-and-blue jerseys on Thursday. Former elite national champion Paul Curley (Gearworks) took home his twenty-third stars-and-stripes jersey in the Master men's 55-59 race. Riding with a wheel cover to keep debris out, Curley easily gapped chasers and afterwards enthusiastically stated that the course must have been "designed for me."

Another long-time racer, Dan Norton (Redline), stepped into another national championship jersey in the Master men's 60-64 race. Phil Bannister, the 2008 champion, and John Elgart were left to battle for second place with Bannister edging Elgart for the bronze by two seconds.

Joe Saling also collected another national championship jersey (his nineteenth championship across several disciplines) in the Master's 70-74 age group despite crashing during his warm-up and badly cutting his hand. While medics recommended stitches, Saling asked for it just to be taped up so he could race. The injury proved no hindrance and Saling, in his final cyclo-cross race, retires as a national champion.

Walt Axelhelm, the oldest racer at 77 years old, was awarded the stars-and-stripes jersey for the Master's 75-79 age group.