Nationals day 5- the finale

Hard to really covey how good a day this was for the team. Usually , the scene in the pit watching an elite race is watching your riders go by and wondering how long they might last before being pulled. Seldom do riders from small independent teams finish on the lead lap at the nationals but today three of our four riders made the cut and then some.

Clementine Nixon rode to 11th place in the women's elite race- her best finish ever and well within the time limit to be on the lead lap.

Max and Andy had starting positions pretty far back in the field but rode strongly to keep on the lead lap. Max finished a career best 13th and Andy finished 27th. Dean Poshard had to start in the very back and at over 50 years old , the writing was on the wall that he would not make the cut but he did get credit for 40th and rode nearly half the race.

This concludes a week of truly great racing and some heroic rides by this small scrappy team. I am really happy I made the trip to witness all the events and also super happy to have this group of amazing athletes on the team. We will be back next year - maybe even stronger.
 

Nationals day 4- juniors

Today was all about juniors racing and the large fields bode well for the future of the sport in a way that the current elite fields do not. Not only are these juniors numerous, they are ripping fast-I was impressed at the speed and skill level of everyone I saw out there in the 13-14 and 15-16 age groups. First off was Kai Yee who had the distinction of the last callup in a huge field. He rode all the way up to 47th with a show of strength and finesse. 

Right after the 13-14 race there was a real downpour and the course changed dramatically. With the wetter conditions racers in the 15-16 group were pitting and having more mishaps out on the now slick course. In this field starting 58th was Reid McGlaughlin. He rode very strongly all the way up to 31st place. This was only a 30 minute race and Reid has been racing in A category races that are typically an hour so this short sprint of a race might not have played to his strong suite- still, he did really well.
 

A day to remember

After a pretty full day at the course the team along with Andrew Yee of CX Magazine went to a pizza place to refuel and celebrate two major achievements on day 3 at Joe Creason park. We ordered what looked to be way too much pizza but by the end of dinner it was all gone except for one last piece. It was a good thing that the house was about a 1/2 mile walk so that we didn't all feel to bloated to sleep. 

On most of these nationals trips we arrive with not much in the way of expectations, only wanting to participate and represent our unique flavor of the sport and of course all the people who got us here- big shout out to Billy Rickard of Sightline Construction, Voler, Easton sports, Bell, Pasta, etc. , Chris King , HRS , all the volunteers at Surf City CX , Jim Gentes , so many really great people. I'll compile a complete list when this weekend is done. 

There's still two more days of racing and six more of our team going out on the course. We have already racked up a very successful nationals but it isn't done yet.
 

Nationals day 3 part 2

As if the day could not get better.....it did !  The riding of Max Judelson and Kailin Waterman in the single speed category was inspirational.  Max went to the front and drilled it and separated a group that would eventually determine the podium. Max rode to third and a bronze medal, bested only by two of the biggest stars in American cyclocross- Kerry Warner and Lance Haidet. Kailin was on the very last row but probably past a third of the field and finished 47th. It was a great outing . Max's attacking was relentless and he beat all the riders that had beaten him on Wednesday. Tomorrow the juniors ride and we are expecting some rain- this will be some really epic conditions for

racing.

 

Nationals day 3 part 1

Team history was made early this morning- Clementine Nixon who just joined the team last August won the national title in the women's 35-39 age group. She rode a heroic race at the front, had a crash on the limestone stair approach but recovered quickly and chased down the two riders ahead of her.

After that Clem put in a punishing last lap and finished of with a long sprint to win by about 4-5 bike lengths with the only rider who could stay close. It was a great race with lots of tension and drama. The whole team is very proud of Clem and virtually walking on air right now. Later today Kailin and Max will be racing single speed- a group that has always suited both of them. It will be great to watch. 
 

Nationals dat 2

 

Thursday was Masters racing starting with Andy Wulfkhule. After being sick off and on for much of the winter but still rode to 13th place in the 40-44 age group.

Dean Poshard had a last row start in the 50-54 age group but passed some riders and finished on the lead lap, not an easy feat in a field of nearly 70.

Kailin Waterman had the very last callup in the men's 45-49 age group but rode a strong race to finish 26th. 

Tomorrow will be newcomer Clementine Nixon's nationals debut with this team- but not her first time at the nationals. Single speeds will be tomorrow as well with Kailin and Max- should be exciting.

Nationals day 1

Only one guy racing today from the team but he made it count. Max Judelson rode to 4th and a podium in a 45 min. race that saw him lead from the gun and get a group well clear of the rest of the field. 

Getting a podium at the nationals is a really big deal for the team but Max seems to do it every year. 

 

2023 Nationals team roster

 Maybe you might have been wondering if the team is still in effect since the reporting has been absent so far this season. Well, the team has been indeed racing with some impressive results which will be reported later. Tomorrow some of us will be flying or driving to Louisville, Ky. for the 2023 CX nationals. This year will see more racers than we had last year but still a fairly small group. Newcomer Clementine Nixon will be racing in our kit at the nationals as she has been since the beginning of the season. Here's the roster:

Junior men 13-14      Kai Yee

Junior men 15-16     Reid Mclaughlin

Maters men 50-54    Dean Poshard

Masters men 40-44  Andrew Wulfkhule

Masters men 45-49  Kailin Waterman

Masters men 35-39  Max Judelson

Masters women 35-39  Clementine Nixon

Single speed men   Max Judelson , Kailin Waterman

Elite men        Max Judelson, Andrew Wulfkhule, Dean Poshard

Elite women    Clementine Nixon 

Non-championship relay team - Andrew Yee , Kai Yee.....rest TBD.

There are some real possibilities with this group and I will be reporting from the field. The Louisville mud is legendary and I'm sure it will not be anything less than horrific this weekend. We will have a full pit crew to help keep all our team riding in the slop. Racing will start this Wednesday .......stay tuned.

Nationals , Hartford CT.

In 2017 the nationals were in Hartford in icy, snowy conditions that made just getting to and from the course an ordeal. I was certain that we would not come back no matter what. When Max and Andy told me that they were intent on coming this year my hand was forced-I would be returning along with a few others who were ready to brave whatever Hartford could dish out. Little did I know how this trip would wind up being so successful for the team. Everyone who raced went forward , even the few of us who had to start on the last row. It was a really great outing with some great rides from the members of this small contingent. 

Wednesday the course was wet and very muddy in places making for quite a bit of running. Max Judelson had a front row start in the 35-39 race and led from the gun for the first lap making a separation of five riders who would not be caught by anyone from the rest of the field. He wound up on the podium in 4th,

Later that day I raced when the temperature was 57 degrees , warmer than Santa Cruz that day. I had a last row start in 28th and managed to slog my way up to 21st and finish on the lead lap , but just barely. There was a lot of running and footing on an off-camber section was poor , leading to a lot of slipping and falling.

Andy Wulfkuhle is from PA. and used to the winter conditions and did a stellar ride in the men's 40-44 group, nearly winning the jersey. He finished 2nd and got the team another podium.  Matthew Werner had a last row start in the 52 field  junior men's 13-14  race and rode up to 29th and also made the lead lap. His father Eric rode in the Tuesday non-championship race and finished 21st from the back row of 36 riders. Gabriella Dominguez raced in the highly competitive women's 15-16 race and finished 33rd from the back row of the field of 37.

Max was going big at this nationals and was on the front row with the single speed field. Many top elite racers decided to ride in the single speed race and this would make getting on the podium a long shot but Max rode a strong race and wound up 4th for the third podium of the week.  The Werners, Gabby Dominguez and I rode in the mixed relay. There were some very strong teams and out team with two young juniors and a couple of older master's riders wound up doing pretty respectably finishing 27th out of 34 teams.

The last day was epic, not just because of the racing but at about 11:00 AM the snow began to fall. Temperatures had steadily been dropping throughout the week and now we were treated to some real winter cyclocross weather. Max and Andy would both race in the men's elite race at 2:30 when the snow was coming really down . I would be working in the pit with two people that Andy had recruited. 

As the race started it was certain that on the UCI off camber section going down off of the one hill on the course there would be carnage. Max managed to get through it with not too much delay but Andy got caught up in several pileups and this would make his race a lot harder. As the race progressed , both Max and Andy moved forward but Max was up in the top - 20 with Andy having to rally from the back of the field. Andy would eventually finish 28th. Max rode perhaps his best elite nationals ever with a really strong ride up to 15th after a third row start-he made the lead lap in a race where only 15 of the 40+ riders were not pulled before the finish. 

Here's a view of the pit and one of Andy's helpers showing how the course went from dry to snow covered in a matter of a few hours. It might not have been as cold a nationals as 2017 but it was every bit as competitive and dramatic. Frozen ruts in the morning caused many crashes. The muddy days in the middle of the week made the pit crews very busy.Speaking of pit crews, I would like to thank my Sister Elizabeth who had never even seen a CX race - she worked tirelessly catching and washing bikes in my race and Max's 35-39 race. She never missed a handoff and worked like a pro. I would also like to thank Max as well who worked in my race. Andy's friends who helped in the single speed and elite races were great.

For dinner on the last night we had to use up what leftover bacon and eggs we had left so this meant tagliatelle carbonara, maybe the best one I have ever made. The only thing left to do was to load up the vans for the trip home. 

Maybe in 2017 I got a bad taste from coming to Hartford for the nationals. Not this time- the team did really well, even if we didn't bring very many people to the event. I can't say enough good things about all the people who made the trip possible and the folks that made the journey and took part in one way or another. Next year it will be Louisville, KY. -another place with serious mud and the possibility for dramatic racing.