The first three Stars-and-Stripes jerseys of the 2013 USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National Championships were awarded Thursday at Bear Creek Resort in Macungie, Pa.
Three late surges in the short track cross-country races landed the winning riders on the top step of the podium. Nic Jenkins(Colorado Springs, Colo./Front Rangers Junior Cycling) won the juniors men’s 10-14 race in the last lap of the race. Jason Blodgett (Berlin Heights, Ohio/Spin-Litzler Automation) emerged from a group of four riders to win the senior men’s 19-29 race and Brandon Gritters (Mission Viejo, Calif./Blackstar Racing) won the men’s 30-and-up Thursday’s last race.
With one lap remaining in the 39-rider juniors 10-14 race, it seemed to be a battle between two riders, Mateo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho/BYRDS) and Michael Mace (Ocala, Fla.). Jorgensen tried to pass Mace, but their bars tangled, sending both riders temporarily to the ground. Mace bounced back up and began to ride, but Jorgenson’s handlebars were twisted, preventing him from riding. The delay was all Jenkins needed to capitalize as he caught Mace and sprinted past him at the finish line. Cole Avery (Thousand Oaks, Clif./Whole Athlete-Specialized) placed third.
“I got in this pile up at the start then I just passed people,” Jenkins, who finished second at the 2012 USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships, said. “There was a bottle up with the two leaders and I somehow got them at the hill and beat them to the finish.”
The senior men’s 19-29 race quickly turned into a five rider contest as Casey Hildebrandt (Weston, Wis./Twin Six), Jason Blodgett (Berlin Heights, Ohio/Spin-Litzler Automation), Westley Richards (Winston-Salem, N.C./Clemmons Bicycle Racing),Matthew Spohn (West Chester, Pa./The Performance Lab p/b Caffeinated Cyclist) and Tyler Jenema (Marquette, Mich.) built a lead on the 21-rider field. As the five riders turned into their last lap, Jenema was unable to continue with the lead group due to a flat tire. As the foursome made its final small climb, Hildebrandt attacked, but Blodgett answered and cruised to secure his first individual national championship.
“Going into the last lap, Casey made a move at the top of the hill,” Blodgett said. “I came around the other two guys to get on his wheel. I was able to beat him to the rocks and that was the big difference, beating him there and being able to create a little bit of a gap.”
The day’s final race, pitted 25 category 1 men 30-and-up against each other. After a few laps, Jared Nieters (Haymarket, Va./SEAVS-Haymarket) and Gritters distinguished themselves as the riders to beat. About midway through the race’s penultimate lap, Nieters dropped on a sweeping left turn, allowing Gritters to open a margin. Nieters closed the margin on the climbs, but Gritters regained his gap on the descents as he pulled away on the last lap to secure the second national championship of his career.
“With two to go, I got to the front,” Gritters said. “I just wanted to keep him behind me from that point on. He kinda lost it in the loose stuff in the corner. I just put my head down and went from there. I didn’t want to give him a chance to catch back up.”
The first day of competition in Pennsylvania began with category 2 and 3 cross-country mountain bike races. The morning’s races featured the category 3 riders turning one lap of the six-kilometer amateur course while the category 2 riders completed two laps of the same course in their national competitions.
Sixteen-year-old Carson Beckett (Benton, Ky./Wood-n-Wave) registered the best time among the category riders, finishing his two-lap contest in 1:25:33 to win the juniors men’s 15-18 race by three minutes over Carter Anderson (Dunwoody, Ga./Cycle Youth). Anderson edged Robert Pearce (Corte Madera, Calif.) by one second to secure second place. Grayson Keppler (Allen, Texas/Cadence Cyclery) won the senior men’s 19-29 race by only 12 seconds over Kurt Daniello (Woodbridge, Conn./Laurel Bicycle Club). Joshua Cauffman (Kennett Square, Pa.) was nearly two minutes faster than his closest competitor in the masters men’s 30-34 field, posting a time of 1:36:58. Sean Keefe (Quantico, Va.) topped the masters men’s 35-39 field, posting a time of 1:29:28, over four minutes faster than his closest competitor, Fraser Kirkpatrick (Macungie, Pa.). Albert Picarello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Down Cycles) won the masters men’s 40-44 race with a time of 1:37:17 while Tony Doll (Dallastown, Pa./Keystone Velo Club) finished second, 1:54 behind Picarello. John Bobb (Boiling Springs, Pa.) was 2:26 faster than Jim Dowd (Tiverton, R.I.) to win the masters men’s 45-49 race. Michael Falk (Louisville, Ky./Rogue Racing Project) topped the masters men’s 50-54 field with a time of 1:40:54.
Miki Kedo (Liberty, N.C./Greensboro Velo Club-Cone Health-Cycles de Oro) was the only category 2 woman to complete the two-lap race in under two hours, as she won the masters women’s 30-39 race with a time of 1:58:07. Anna Poulton (Lake Forest, Ill./Activator Cycle Club) won the juniors women’s 15-18 race by 1:39 over Fiona Dougherty (Waco, Texas/Jubilee Subaru).Nicole Miranda (Valley City, Ohio/Mirco Racing) won the senior women’s 19-29 race by over 28 minutes after finishing her two-lap race in 2:05:35. Katie Casey (Bethel, Maine/Gould Academy) nearly cracked the two-hour mark, won the masters women’s 40-49 race with a time of 2:01:00.
In the category 3 races, Dylan Drake (Ocala, Fla.) won the juniors men’s 15-18 race by 1:41 over Nathan Hake (Mount Wolf, Pa./Mason Dixon Field). Jason Mariani (Lambertville, N.J./Pure Energy Racing) won the senior men’s 19-29 race with Matt Galantuomini (Cheyenne, Wyo./Spradley Barr Wind Chill Cycling) placing second. Johnny Hudson (Carpentersville, Ill.) recorded the best time among the category three riders, completing his one-lap race in 41:41 to win the masters men 30-39 by over 10 minutes. Local rider Joel Allmandinger (Macungie, Pa.) won a tightly-contested race among masters men 40-49. Allmandinger’s closest competitor was Brian Grace (Port Orange, Fla.), who finished the race only 2:55 behind the winner whilePeter Southam (Bethel, Maine) was only nine seconds behind Grace in third place. Robert Gebel (Bridgewater, N.J./Somerset Wheelmen) won the masters men 50-54 race, finishing his lap in 57:46. Hailey Fortin (Albuquerque, N.M. Get Out! New Mexico) won the juniors women’s 15-18 race by nearly five minutes over Leela Hornbach (Wilton, Maine/Gould Academy). April Nabholz(Felton, Pa./Mason Dixon Velo) finished the senior women’s 19-29 race 16:08 faster than Amanda Swords (Langhorne, Pa./Swashbuckler Brewing Co Cycling). Amy Alton (Baltimore, Md.) topped the masters women’s 30-39 field after finishing her one-lap contest in 1:02:54. Christa Ross (Murrysville, Pa./Allegheny Cycling Association) won the masters women’s 40-49 race, completing her lap in 1:02:21, nearly seven minutes faster than Suzanne Kornutiak (Scott Township, Pa./Iron-Tree Data Networks Cycling).
The action heats up on Friday with the men’s and women’s U23 races on the pro cross-country course. The women’s U23 race opens the day of racing at 8:30 a.m. while the men’s race is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. The category 1 juniors women’s 15-16 and 17-18 races are scheduled to begin at 8:33 a.m. The U23 men’s race will be followed by the category 1 juniors men 15-16 and 17-18 starting at 10:33 a.m. The spectators’ focus will shift to the juniors cross-country course for six races beginning with the juniors men’s and women’s 13-14 races beginning at 12:30 p.m. The juniors men’s and women’s 11-12 races begin at 2 p.m.before the juniors men’s and women’s 6-10 toe the line at 3:30 p.m. Seven groups of masters racers cap the day’s racing with two laps of the amateur cross-country course beginning at 4:30 p.m. The masters men 55-and-up will race two laps alongside the masters women 50-and-up to conclude Friday’s racing.
For complete details on this event, including a complete schedule, results, course maps and a photo gallery, please visit the event web site. If you can’t make it out for the event, follow all of the action on Twitter using the hashtag #MTBNats.
2013 USA Cycling Cross-Country Mountain Bike National Championships
Bear Creek Mountain Resort
Macungie, Pa.
July 18-21, 2013
Short Track Cross-Country
Juniors men 10-14
1. Nic Jenkins (Colorado Springs, Colo./Front Rangers Junior Cycling)
2. Michael Mace (Ocala, Fla.)
3. Cole Avery (Thousand Oaks, Clif./Whole Athlete-Specialized)
4. Adam Croft (Toano, Va./Slipstream-Craddock Junior Development)
5. Jake Yackle (Cortez, Colo./Yackle Brothers Racing)
Senior men 19-29
1. Jason Blodgett (Berlin Heights, Ohio/Spin-Litzler Automation)
2. Casey Hildebrandt (Weston, Wis./Twin Six)
3. Westley Richards (Winston-Salem, N.C./Clemmonds Bicycle Racing)
4. Matthew Spohn (West Chester, Pa./The Performance Lab p/b Caffeinated Cyclist)
5. Stephane Roch (San Diego, Calif./Swami’s Cycling Club-SKLZ)
Masters men 30-and-up
1. Brandon Gritters (Mission Viejo, Calif./Blackstar Racing)
2. Jared Nieters (Wilmington, Vt./SEAVS-Haymarket)
3. Trent Ford (Newport Coast, Calif./Blackstar Racing)
4. Rob McGee (San Clemente, Calif./Blackstar Racing)
5. Rich Weis (Gilbert, Ariz./Subaru-Trek)
Category 2 Cross-Country Mountain Bike
Juniors men 15-18
1. Carson Beckett (Benton, Ky./Wood-n-Wave) 1:25:33
2. Carter Anderson (Dunwoody, Ga./Cycle Youth) +3:01
3. Robert Pearce (Corte Madera, Calif.) +3:02
4. Adam Cohen (North Miami Beach, Fla./Cycle Youth) +4:22
5. Hayden Miller (Raleigh, N.C./Garneau Custom) +5:08
Juniors women 15-18
1. Anna Poulton (Lake Forest, Ill./Activator Cycle Club) 2:02:30
2. Fiona Dougherty (Waco, Texas/Jubilee Subaru) +1:39
3. Emily Falk (Louisville, Ky./Red Zone Cycling) +6:57
4. Megan Bradley (Lake Arrowhead, Calif.) +9:04
5. Sierra Trout (Durango, Colo./Durango Devo) +15:29
Senior men 19-29
1. Grayson Keppler (Allen, Texas/Cadence Cyclery) 1:28:35
2. Kurt Daniello (Woodbridge, Conn./Laurel Bicycle Club) +0:12
3. Benedikt Schiermeyer (Huntersville, N.C.) +2:48
4. Matthew Drury (Jim Thorpe, Pa.) +10:43
5. Joseph Bacinski (Shippensburg, Pa.) +14:46
Senior women 19-29
1. Nicole Miranda (Valley City, Ohio/Mirco Racing) 2:05:35
2. Jennifer Franko Dudek (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Kelpius Cycling) +28:32
3. Kristen Weir (Pottstown, Pa.) +50:39
4. Emily Unger (Lebanon, Pa.) -1 lap
Masters men 30-34
1. Joshua Cauffman (Kennett Square, Pa.) 1:36:58
2. Joshua Martin (Thornville, Ohio) +1:53
3. Mike Kuharski (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Team Bulldog) +2:23
4. Tony Mellott (Columbus, Ohio/Backroom Coffee Roasters-ECH) 5:01
5. Adam Erb (Millersville, Pa.) +6:45
Masters women 30-39
1. Miki Kedo (Liberty, N.C./Greensboro Velo Club-Cone Health-Cycles de Oro) 1:58:07
2. Laura Mills (Orlando, Fla.) +2:42
3. Kristine Contentoangell (Bloomfield, N.J.) +3:32
4. Andrea Fox(Leander, Texas/512-Racing p/b AJ’s Cyclery) +6:26
5. Courtney Kemmerer (Easton, Pa.) +9:55
Masters men 35-39
1. Sean Keefe (Quantico, Va.) 1:29:28
2. Fraser Kirkpatrick (Macungie, Pa.) +4:02
3. Roy Chaves (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) +4:39
4. Kyle Gery (Douglassville, Pa.) +5:17
5. Matthew Tinkey (Pittsburgh, Pa.) +5:18
Masters Men 40-44
1. Albert Picarello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Down Cycles) 1:37:17
2. Tony Doll (Dallastown, Pa./Keystone Velo Club) +1:54
3. Marco Demartin (Woodbridge, Va./Veloworks-Spokes Etc) +3:46
4. Scott Roberts (Wilmington, Del.) +4:57
5. Blair Stearns (Ringwood, N.J.) +9:17
Masters women 40-49
1. Katie Casey (Bethel, Maine/Gould Academy) 2:01:00
2. Susan Helm-Murtagh (Chapel Hill, N.C./Tri-Cyclists BRC) +23:46
Masters Men 45-49
1. John Bobb (Boiling Springs, Pa.) 1:42:37
2. Jim Dowd (Tiverton, R.I.) +2:26
3. Bill Hinkelman (Trout Run, Pa./Susquehanna Valley Velo Club) +4:39
4. Matt Perry (West Chester, Pa.) +5:16
5. Jeffrey Toth (Boyertown, Pa./Spinteck Cycling Team) +7:15
Masters Men 50-54
1. Michael Falk (Louisville, Ky./Rogue Racing Project) 1:40:54
2. Sean Mooney (Mullica Hill, N.J./C.C. Evesham-Viking Yachts-Action Wheels) +4:11
3. Mike Robinson (Exeter, N.H./Bikeman) +4:46
4. Patrick Miranda (Valley City, Ohio/Mirco Racing) +7:06
5. John Crawford (Bethel Park, Pa./UPMC-Pro Bikes) +8:08
Category 3 Cross-Country Mountain Bike
Juniors men 15-18
1. Dylan Drake (Ocala, Fla.) 46:00
2. Nathan Hake (Mount Wolf, Pa./Mason Dixon Field) +1:41
3. Justin Mitchell (Appomattox, Va.) +1:42
4. Cory Thompson (Tryon, N.C.) +1:51
5. Trevor Haas (Long Valley, N.J.) +2:53
Juniors women 15-18
1. Hailey Fortin (Albuquerque, N.M./Get Out! New Mexico) 1:03:20
2. Leela Hornbach (Wilton, Maine/Gould Academy) +4:57
3. Courtney Krasley (Coplay, Pa./Chester County Cycling Foundation) +5:44
4. Bailey Colfax (Santa Fe, N.M.) +21:09
Senior men 19-29
1. Jason Mariani (Lambertville, N.J./Pure Energy Racing) 53:58
2. Matt Galantuomini (Cheyenne, Wyo./Spradley Barr Wind Chill Cycling) +2:05
3. Joe Pawelczyk (Philadelphia, Pa.) +12:47
4. Matthew Watson (Waco, Texas/Jubilee Subaru) +17:11
5. Matthew Crawford (Bethel Park, Pa./Pro Bikes Pittsburgh Race Team) +20:50
Senior women 19-29
1. April Nabholz (Felton, Pa./Mason Dixon Velo) 1:05:34
2. Amanda Swords (Langhorne, Pa./Swashbuckler Brewing Co Cycling) +16:08
3. Mary Dobroth (Gaithersburg, Md./Veloworks-Spokes Etc) +22:38
4. Chelsea Wilson (Waco, Texas/Jubilee Subaru) +50:17
Masters men 30-39
1. Johnny Hudson (Carpentersville, Ill.) 41:41
2. Jeffrey Smith (Conshohocken, Pa.) +10:34
3. Randy Egues (Coconut Grove, Fla.) +14:12
4. Derek Miller (Philadelphia, Pa.) +21:01
5. Ryan Bower (Vienna, Va.) +33:56
Masters women 30-39
1. Amy Alton (Baltimore, Md.) 1:02:54
2. Heidi Gurov (Cheyenne, Wyo./Spradley Barr Wind Chill Cycling) +11:21
3. Kim Marlin (Souderton, Pa.) +18:40
4. Dana Tinkey (Pittsburgh, Pa.) +32:39
Masters men 40-49
1. Joel Allmandinger (Macungie, Pa.) 49:01
2. Brian Grace (Port Orange, Fla.) +2:55
3. Peter Southam (Bethel, Maine) +3:04
4. Derek Keim (Kutztown, Pa./Fitness Central) ++5:31
5. Jaroslav Kurka (Jessup, Md.) +6:51
Masters women 40-49
1. Christa Ross (Murrysville, Pa./Allegheny Cycling Association) 1:02:21
2. Suzanne Kornutiak (Scott Township, Pa./Iron-Tree Data Networks Cycling) +6:56
3. Elizabeth Allen (Allentown, Pa.) 19:24
4. Stephanie Dorney (Walnutport, Pa.) +46:31
Masters men 50-54
1. Robert Gebel (Bridgewater, N.J./Somerset Wheelmen) 57:46
2. Jeff Westerheide (Dalas, Texas/Rockwall Cycling) +12:20
3. Gary Snyder (New Hope, Pa./Evolution Racing) +19:19
Ron Callahan is the chief cook and bottlewasher at Bike World News, doing everything from website design to bike reviews.