Competition kicks off 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 first race of the day began under clear but cold skies. With only a few warm-up riders on the course, the snow had yet to be packed down and riders adhered to a few good lines. Holly Klug took the win in the women's B race out of the lead pack followed closely by Stephanie Thompson (HRS Rock Lobster) and Courtney Shipman.

As the day wore on the course changed from hard-packed snow singletrack to soft, spring snow. For the men's B 40+ race, the sun began to set and the ground began to harden as the course once again got slippery. With 165 racers at the start, the field was crowded and two crashes required medical attention. But the racers at the front stayed out of trouble with single-speeder Scott McLaughlin taking the win only six seconds ahead of Aussie Michael Robson.