McConneloug, Wells give thanks in victory at Bay State Cross
 While most
people were still working off their Thanksgiving dinner, Mary McConneloug (Seven
Cycles) and Todd Wells (GT/Hyundai) used their new-found energy to take home
victories in the elite races at the Gearworks Bay State Cyclocross in Round 6 of
the Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series, held in Sterling,
MA.
McConneloug, the overall series leader, who earlier in the day
confirmed that she will be competing in the upcoming national championships, did
not disappoint the assembled crowd, dominating the race from start to finish.
She started strong with Anna Milkowski (Rona) and Celeste Drumm (HUP United)
joining her at the front of the field early in the first lap. But by the end of
the first lap she had a huge advantage that she would never relinquish.
Milkowski dueled throughout the race with Maureen Bruno-Roy
(Cyclocrossworld.com), and with 2 laps to go Milkowski attacked Bruno on the
pavement, seizing 2nd place. Bruno rounded out the podium in 3rd spot, with
Drumm settling for 4th and Pauline Frascone (Mystic Velo) rounding out the top
5.
The men’s race started at a blistering pace, with a group of 10 that
included the Wells brothers Todd and Troy (Kona/Easton/CCA). The brothers drove
the race like a bullet train for the first 3 laps, eventually splitting the
group with only series leader Mark McCormack (Colavita/Clif Bar), Adam Craig
(Maxxis/Giant), and Tyler Johnson (CYBC-Richard Sachs) were able to keep pace.
Adam Craig was unable to stay with the front group for long as a flat rear tire
and derailleur problems cost him a lap and would take him out of contention.
Later, when Troy Wells ran out of gas, he split the group in half and left the
Todd Wells and McCormack to fight it out for 1st. Todd eventually rode away from
McCormack on the steep run-ups and earned a hard-fought solo victory, with
McCormack riding home for 2nd. Meanwhile Tyler Johnson was sitting on Troy
Wells’ wheel, hoping for an chance to seize the final podium spot; but what he
got instead was a thunderous attack from Wells at 1 to go, which Johnson was
unable to respond to. Troy Wells finished 3rd on the day, and first of the
under-23 finishers. Johnson settled for 4th and a good ride on the day. The 2nd
group featured the best battle of the day: the race for series lead in the
under-23 standings between Jesse Anthony (Cyclocrossworld.com) and series leader
Matt White (NCC/BikeReg.com). Anthony just snuck past White for 8th place, but
White held onto the leader’s jersey. The back part of the original front group
fought tooth-and-nail, with Michael Broderick (Seven Cycles) responding to an
attack from Ben Turner (TIAA/CREF/Clif Bar) and sprinting his way to 5th
spot.
Other winners on the day included Greg Ferguson (Fort/GPOA) in the
Masters, Toby Marzot (Corner Cycles) in the Juniors, Logan Hodson (Alan) in the
B Men, Luke Keough (Corner Cycles) in the Cub Juniors, David Rath
(GMBC/Catamount) in the Masters 55+, Talbott Ingram in the Beginner Men, Marei
Titus Hall in the Beginner Women, and Daniel Abbe in the Beginner
Masters.
The overall series leaders going into next weekend series finale
in S. Kingston, RI are Mark McCormack in the Elite Men, Matt White in the U23
Men, Mary McConneloug in the Elite Women, Mike Magur (Verge/Test Pilot) in the B
Men, Jonny Bold (Corner Cycles) in the Masters 35+, Chris Long (Independent
Fabrications) in the Masters 45+, Toby Marzot in the Juniors, Luke Keough in the
Cub Juniors, and Bruce McGowan (Providence Cycles) in the Masters 55+. The race
next Saturday is worth double points, and could have a dramatic impact on the
final standings for the Verge NECCS.
The Gearworks Bay-State Cyclo-Cross
Race is presented by Gear Works Cycles in Leominster, Mass., and is sponsored by
Spin Arts Stevens Cycles.
The Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross
Series is sponsored by Verge Sport, makers of quality custom cycling apparel;
Cycle-Smart, providers of custom coaching solutions for all riders and cycling
disciplines; International Bicycle Center, New England's cyclo-cross source, in
Boston, Newton, and on the web at internationalbike.com; BikeReg.com, offering
all of your online event registration needs; IntensePicts.com, professional
event photography; The Ride Magazine, the magazine of New England cycling
culture; and Pioneer Event Productions, offering technical solutions for cycling
events, from course design and construction to results and timing.
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