October 14, 2006; Conshohocken, PA, USA: The BikeReg.com MABRAcross Series went camping at the YMCA on Saturday, October 14. Round 4 of the series took place at the YMCA�s �Camp Thompson� in central Pennsylvania�s Michaux State Forest about 30 miles north of the Maryland border. Literally and figuratively, the Volkswagen Iron Cross Lite was a whirlwind of action as gusts of wind and multiple whirlwinds repeatedly caused havoc throughout the day. The tone of the action was set by the cool, dry weather that made the course fast. Despite the complete lack of pavement, and a dizzying section called the �death spiral�, the races had the look of criteriums, with sizable groups of riders contesting the front of most races.
The Masters set the tone with a five-rider lead pack that stayed together throughout the race. Kirk Reisinger, Kris Auer, John Lux, Mak Kutney and Richard Mihills exhibited patient endurance as the race seemed certain to come down to a sprint, but on the last lap, Mihills attacked on the last hill about 500 meters from the finish to win his fourth consecutive BikeReg.com MABRAcross series race.
In the Women�s race, Velo Bella/Kona�s Deidre �Grasshopper� Winfield kept her series unbeaten streak alive with another dominant performance. By the standards she has set this year, it was a relatively close race � her margin of victory over second place Mandy Lozano (Cheerwine) was �only� 1:31.
By comparison, the Elite Men dropped their gloves for a knock-down, drag-out battle that lasted the entire hour. Big packs and big attacks were the order of the day. An early eight rider lead pack swapped the lead back and forth, before splitting into two groups. Up front, Sean Galegher (Hunt Valley Bicycles/Marathon Roofing) made a huge attack less than halfway into the race and gained thirty meters almost instantly, only to drop his chain. Throughout the race, Galegher and Trek VW�s Kyle Hammaker were the most aggressive, while Tim Cassan was never far off the lead and Greg Marini (Coffee Plus) and Weston Schempf (Fort Frames) bridged the gap. But despite a course that was universally accepted as not conducive to solo breakaways, Sean Galegher attacked again and held on for the last quarter of the race. When asked afterward why he made the attempt, Galegher said, �I prefer to ride that way, I have cleaner lines.� Then he smiled, �I figure if I�m going to be in front, I want to be way in front instead of dragging everyone around.�
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