Race #1 for Pony Shop Cyclocross

Report from Luca Lenzi.  

Ohio Valley Cyclocross #1 Riverview Park Loveland, OH

Headed out to Cincinnati on Saturday after battling the elements in Chicago, which were brutal. Got a good night of sleep and was ready to race. Got to the course early enough that I was able to pre-ride the course alone. The course was really long, 1.5 miles, and it was so twisty that it was really difficult to get any momentum.

Registration took forever because they were running the electronic chip timing and nobody knew how to use the computer. After waiting in line for a good hour I finally got my first number of the cyclocross season. At about this time the wind started to pick up, and it decided never to slow down all day.

The races were running a little late early in the day, but by our race everything was on time. We headed up to the start line around 2:15pm and the wind really picked up, gusts up to 50mph were hitting us right in the face. All of the course tape had been displaced by the wind so it was difficult to just stay on course let alone race. The race started and I had the worst start ever and battled back heading for the first turn. I made up about 7 positions, but I than ended my own race. I hit a stick which got kicked up into my cassette locking out 5 gears. At this point Mike had pushed the pace so hard, that he had made a split with 7 other guys. I rode the next couple laps as well as I could missing half of my cassette, but it was just not meant to be and I pulled off and out of the race.

Mike continued to hammer at the front, fade a bit, fall of the main group, rejoin the main group, and be off the front of the main group constantly for the rest of the race. He ended dropping back to 4th after getting course tape stuck in his cassette and having few gears to choose from. A great first result for The PonyShop Cyclocross Team, which will continue the domination in upcoming races without a doubt.

Mike will be headed up to Michigan to race two days of UCI cyclocross, while I will be staying close to home and racing in Jackson Park for the first race of the Chi Cross Cup.