Pacocha, Baker, Webber, Tilford earn masters titles

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Masters Men 30-34

Gusty winds greeted the masters 30- to 34-year-old men, but to the rest of the field Matthew Pacocha (Hudz-Subaru) must have appeared to be riding with a tailwind for much of the race. Pacocha bolted from the gun, and by the end of the second lap had built a more than 20-second lead.

"I was just riding my own race the whole time," Pacocha said. "I tried maybe with two to go to step it up because I heard the announcers calling that I wasn't the fastest guy on the course. I thought I was going to get caught." He didn't, and cruised into the Stars-and-Stripes jersey ahead of Weston Schempf (Charm City Cycling Squad) by 45 seconds.

Masters Men 35-39

At one point, the masters 35-39 men's race seemed as much a test of wits as a battle of legs. Justin Robinson (California Giant-Specialized), Russell Stevenson (Cycling Northwest) and Jonathan Baker (Hudz-Subaru) rode together to begin the last lap in such a way as to draw comparisons from the announcers to track racing.

"We were just real tactical. We'd go hard in the mud and then slow down in the wind. I tried to take the lead a couple times but Russell was really strong. He wouldn't let me take it," said Baker, who took the lead for good around the last turn and hung on to beat Stevenson to the line by a mere three seconds and defend his 2009 national title.

"The last lap, I knew that was my spot. So I just drilled it. I hit my line perfect and I hit the pavement first. I just sprinted until I hit the line."

Masters Men 40-44

It was an all-Colorado affair in the front three for the masters 40-44 men, with Pete Webber (Boulder Cycle Sport) defending his national title in the division.

"It feels awesome. Winning two in a row is incredible. Last year was really special because it was my first one, but I wanted it bad this year," Webber said. Webber's teammate Brandon Dwight (Boulder Cycle Sport) outdueled Jon Cariveau (Moots) for the second podium spot.

"The crowd was incredible. My best friend Brandon pushed me right to the end, and he got second place. Really proud of him and our whole team," said Webber. "The conditions were just epic, which is great for me. The course was just 100 percent deep, deep mud. It was incredibly cold with lakes of ice water. My hands and feet were like blocks of wood - I couldn't even feel the bike."

Masters Men 50-54

The masters 50-54 men opened the day racing through a falling mixture of snow and rain. Steve Tilford (Tradewind Energy-Trek) showed the kind of form that earned him two previous elite cyclo-cross national titles, riding to another Stars-and-Stripes jersey.

"I used to ride the masters as a pre-ride for the elite race, but now I'm kind of thinking of going to masters worlds," said Tilford. "Cyclo-cross is a culty sport. It's amazing that at 8:30 am in the morning when it is down-pouring rain how many people come out and watch. It's like a big family and a nice party. It's fun."

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