Andrew Bennett - State CX Champion

Washington County Fairgrounds,
Hillsboro, OR

Congratulations to Andrew Bennett for winning the 2008 Junior Oregon State Cyclocross Championships! The talented 16 year old showed his strength leading the race through the bumpy grass fields, multiple slippery mud corners, high speed gravel lanes, barriers, and deep, sloggy mud. A nice way to end the season and another championship medal to add to the others. Way to go Andrew!

Luke DeMoe (Singlespeed) and Chris Brandt (Men A) also raced. Though the results didn't match up with previous performances earlier in the season, they both gave it a go, hoping for luck to turn. Luke survived a nasty wipeout in the start and, after getting his bike back in working order, focused on having fun as he entertained the crowds with his dramatic mud running techniques (look out for the brown splatter, folks!) and barrier bunny hopping skills. Chris started off decent but went backwards fast, feeling a culmination of fatigue after a long season with minimal rest. When the mud is deep, you have two choices. Run it or ride it. Whatever gets you through it all the quickest, with the least amount of energy.

Barton Park - Cross Crusade #6

Barton, OR - The rain is back! So is the MUD. Barton Park is known for its misery inflicting terrain and nasty conditions. This year was no different.

Luke DeMoe and Andrew Bennett both showed what they were made of, tearing it up in their respective racing fields. Andrew came away with yet ANOTHER WIN in the Junior category and Luke performed well in the Singlespeed event, having recently abandoned his Fixed Gear setup for one that was a little more practical in technical, muddy terrain. Luke finished in 12th place.

Justin Thayer and Chris Brandt raced in the final time slot of the day, shortly after the clouds opened up w/ a steady downpour, making things messy. Justin pushed himself hard through the elements to finish in 33rd place in the Masters 35+ A men.

If there is a course made for Chris, Barton Park is one of them. With five years in a row of bad mechanical luck at this venue, he was hungry to set things right. Despite taking the lead in the "A" race after lap one, Chris had a series of 5 (!) misfortunate crashes that first dropped him from the front, then to the second and third chase groups. The soupy mud is difficult to manage when you wear prescription glasses or contact lenses, as you cannot control when a blinding spot of mud will land in your eyeball. Once contact lenses become mucked up, the danger level rises at race speeds. Two high speed slams to the right hip, one full on flip onto his helmet, and an entanglement with a sapling tree did not make for an easy day. But with great legs yet again, it was tough to quit. Muddy and bloody, Chris was able to ride back up to finish in 11th A Men, which is useful in the overall series points ($) hunt.

Next weekend is quite the event at Portland International Raceway. Another flat course w/ mud in the forecast. With the Singlespeed World Championship race happening on the same day, there should be plenty for spectators to be thrilled about.