1996 National Cyclocross Championships
Champions unseated in day of rain and mud
By Jennifer DuBois
Outside Online
Both the men's and women's defending national cyclocross champions ended this year's title race on the podium, but neither quite made it to the top step.
Last year's champion Jan Wiejak (Haro) couldn't hold off the strong Saturn brothers Frank and Mark McCormack, who proved that cyclocross success isn't just for mountain bikers. Unlike most of their competitors, the two spent the summer riding on the pavement instead of in the mud. Fresh from the Tour of China, they blew away their rivals from the fat-tire side of the
sport.
Hundreds of rain gear-clad spectators showed up for what surely must be one of the most miserable kinds of days for a bike race--and what Seattleites call a perfect day for cyclocross.
Rain came down in a steady sheet, jets landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport blasted so close to the ground that their windows could be counted, the temperature hovered around 45 degrees, and mud clogged the course. A technical section near the start including double barricades and a steep run-up had water coursing down the path like a small river.
New national champion Frank McCormack--who grabbed a 30-second lead within the first two laps and never looked back--said his strategy simply was to ride in front. "(SeaTac) is a strong man's course, and the strongest man won today," he said.
Younger brother Mark, 26, said he had no plans to try to beat his brother--who has been topping him by three minutes back home in Massachusetts--and that the two raced as a team.
"I came here skeptical and I just hoped to salvage a top-10 finish," the younger sibling said, noting that his trip to China just last month meant his cyclocross training was limited to "three days of running two weeks ago.
"But I got an excellent start ... and I knew (from racing at the SeaTac course in 1994) to bring my mountain bike."
Local cross hero Dale Knapp, who just last weekend won the Washington state championship on this same course, struggled to stay in the top 10 and had to settle for a sixth-place finish.
Wiejak, who held a close lead for the first few laps, ended up in third place, but the shivering New Englander didn't stick around for the awards ceremony.
The women's race was just as gritty, with 1994 champion Shari Kain (Ritchey) taking back the title she lost to Jan Bolland (Volvic/PowerBar) in last year's snowstorm at Leicester, Massachusetts.
Bolland led for the first two laps but couldn't attack after she was caught by Kain. Bolland stayed strong until the end, though, finishing 1:19 back in second place, followed by Alison Dunlap, Laurie Brandt, and Cheryl Moores.
Kain said it felt "incredible" to win back the stars-and-stripes jersey she lost in a bitter battle last year in the snow. But she knew that beating Bolland--who finished pro mountain biking's National Championship Series in fifth place this year--would be tough.
"I knew it would be a competitive race, and it made it exciting" she said. "After Jan winning last year I knew she'd be giving it all she had.
"I felt that this year there was a lot more pressure on myself to perform well. I really wanted to come in with a strategy ... I wanted to stay in striking distance (of Bolland)."
Kain pulled ahead of Bolland on the flat cinder track at the end of the second lap and managed to stay ahead for the reminding three.
Senior women's results:
Place | Name | Age | Time
1. Shari Kain (Ritchey), 32, 50:45
2. Jan Bolland (Volvic/PowerBar), 30, 52:04
3. Alison Dunlap (Team GT), 27, 52:19
4. Laurie Brandt (Ross/Jeep), 34, 52:30
5. Cheryl Moores (Clif Bar), 32, 52:36
6. Beth Lyndon-Griffith (Ellsworth/Kemper Funds), 33, 53:52
7. Miranda Briggs (QualMed), 34, 55:02
8. Nancy J. Reynolds (RVT/Blue Pig Industries), 35, 55:54
9. Kendra Wenzel (Odwalla), 29, 56:11
10. Ann Grande (Alki Cycles), 28, 56:19
Senior men's results:
Place | Name | Age | Time
1. Frank McCormack (Saturn), 27, 62:00
2. Mark McCormack (Saturn), 26, 62:16
3. Jan Wiejak (Haro), 33, 62:25
4. Kevin Merrigan (Otis Guy Weatherford), 30, 62:27
5. Daryl Price (Trek/VW), 27, 62:28
6. Dale Knapp (Ellsworth/Kemper Funds), 32, 62:51
7. Marc Gullickson (GT Bicycles), 28, 63:03:00
8. Don Myrah (Trek/VW), 30, 63:44:00
9. Bart Bowen (Saturn), 29, 63:52:00
10. Bryan Miller (Moots Cycles), unknown, 64:09:00
Espoir men's results:
Place | Name | Age
1. Jonathon Page (GS Mengoni/Hottubes), 21
2. Johnathon Sundt (Control Tech/Redline), 22
3. Damon Kluck (Bontrager), 19
4. Justin Robinson (Bontrager), 21
5. Donald Reeb (Ray's Boathouse), 22
6. Johannes Hueby ( Middlebury College), 21
7. Tim Johnson (CCD/Voodoo), 19
8. David Wyandt (K&W Sales/Salsa Cycles), 20
9. Steve Ray (Oakhurst Cycling), 22
10. Danny Pate (Rainbow Racing), 17
Junior men's results:
Place | Name | Age | Time
1. Ryan Miller (G.S. Mengoni), 16, 45:39
2. Freddie Stouffer (Trek/VW), 18, 45:41
3. Joshua Thorton (NECSA), 17, 45:54
4. Bryan Hayer (G.S. Mengoni), 17, 46:29
5. Narayan Mahon (Saturn of Bellevue), 16, 47:05
6. Tim Erickson (Gregg's/Control Tech), 18, 47:47
7. Danny Pate (Rainbow Racing), 17, 48:02
8. Brian Fagan (G.S. Mengoni), 18, 49:00
9. Trevor Garner (Performance/Sequent), 18, 49:17
10. K.C. Kepper (Bicycle Link), 17, 49:29
Master women's results (35+):
Place | Name | Age | Time
1. Anne Lannan (RUT Boulder), 35, 56:11
2. Kathy Sarvary (Northeast Bicycle Club), 39, 57:18
3. Katie Blincoe (Redline/Gregg's), 35, 58:19
4. Patti Kaufmann (West Seattle Physical Therapy), 38, 58:44
5. Camille Moitozo-Lam (Wheelsmith), 36, 61:05
Master men's results (35-44):
Place | Name | Time
1. Tim Rutledge, 46:30
2. John Funk, 46:58
3. Paul Curley, 47:19
4. Larry Hibbard, 47:47
5. Bob Bleterman, 48:17
6. Roger Caldwell, 48:56
7. Mark Bradley, 49:09
8. Mark Weaver, 49:40
9. Larry Shannon, 49:45
10. Anton McGready, 49:52
Master men's results (45+):
Place | Name | Time
1. Dan Norton, 48:53
2. Tom Regan, 51:51
3. Pete Hales, 52:14
4. John Elgart, 54:32
5. Darrel Vreugdenhil, 54:58
6. Woody Cox, 55:05
7. Tim Tarte, 56:08
8. Robert Kurosawa, 56:32
9. Lee Waldman, 57:26
10. Lowell Jones, 57:59
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