CHILDREN OF THE CORN CROSS

RACE REPORT for Cross on the Rock #4

By Wendy Simms

Finally. Some REAL cross weather!

Four for four Cross on the Rock races have been sunny and dry we were due for some m.u.d. And that is exactly what was served up for the Double Cross weekend at Sluggett Farm in Victoria.

Mud. Mud. Mud. . .

It had absolutely poured all week long. The kind of rain that even keeps people away from the mall.

Not great conditions for race organizers and volunteer turnout but course designer Jason Eagles must have bribed his crew with pure gold because there were a dozen people helping out Friday night in the rain.

In less than two hours they had a 2.5km loop that wove through a boggy farmer’s field, a corn field with knee deep mud, an up and over, some bermed out woods, a super slick muddy farm road, creek crossing and a beer tent with a giant Malachai suspended from the roof scary enough to give you nightmares.

If you don’t know who Malachai is, rent Children of the Corn this weekend. I double dog dare you.

Beginner Race

Just about the time most people would be deciding whether or not to pack up their bikes and head to the race, the clouds parted and the sun came out.

But…..the damage had been done.

There was no drying out the mud that day.

A small beginners field headed out, everyone watching to see how long a lap might take.

A painful 12 minutes later the questions were answered.

The tough conditions spread everyone out quickly with Jeff Doyle (Aviawest) taking the early lead on Brent Chan (PIH) and Kris Rice (Six  Up). They would hold their positions throughout the race.

The womens race was much the same with Clare Squires, Monica Birch and Sandi Heal (PIH) spreading out on lap one and holding their places to the end. Not much was seen of young Brodie Hay (Healthy Habits) until he surfaced 30 minutes later looking like he had been chewed up and spit out by the corn field demons.

22min prime: Monica Birch

Intermediate

The sun must have lulled the locals into thinking that it would be a nice day of (dry) cross racing because 27 intermediate racers showed up to play. Little did they know the horrors that awaited.

The race proved to be the most competitive of the day as a group of four riders battled it out for the entire race.

Although Jordan Maynard from Vancouver was new to the sport, he excelled on foot through the corn maze, Geoff Pendrel (Wheelers), with his superior bike handling skills, closed gaps in the slick mud, while Roland Rabien (Triple shot) and Guy Gensey (Russ Hayes) used their cx racing experience to their advantage.

At one point, it looked like Rabien might take his first Cross on the Rock win, but he could not shed Maynard who outran him in the cornfield and stole the victory. Pendrel finished an impressive third after Gensey fell back on the last lap. All four racers fell to the ground at the end of the race, grimacing, covered in mud and barely able to speak.

22min prime: Jordan Duncan
Last not lapped Andy Brinton

Master Men and Open Women

As the Master men and the open women were called to line, the conditions took a major downturn,

The skies opened up and poured pure wet fury onto the poor racers. Malachai’s revenge for running through his corn field is my guess.

Brad Colins (Sugoi) took the early lead in his not-so-white-anymore kit but tried to ride the corn field and lost his early lead when Dave Holden (Pro City Racing) bridged up with legend Alison Sydor (Rocky Mountain) who started 30 seconds after the master men.

The two were soon shed by Sydor. Holden held on for the win, Collins retained his second place standing and Barry Rempel (OBB) displayed an impressive performance to take the last podium position.

All other master racers would be “double chicked” as recent transplant Mical Dyck (Trek Toronto/Terrascape) came in behind Rempel to claim second in the open women category.

Glenowyn Carlson (Team Alliance) proved to be tough in the harsh conditions and took third place in the star studded open women’s field.

22min prime: Dave holden
Last not lapped: Kurt Knock & Jen Erlendson

Expert

By the time the expert men were called to the line the wrath of Malachai had subsided and the sun was out again. However, the course had steadily degraded throughout the day.

The course would claim a couple of riders due to mechanicals (broken bar & flat) and a couple of riders abandoned out of pure disgust.

Norm Thibault (Frontrunners) got the hole shot but when crowd favorite Craig Richey (Blue Competition) did an impressive nose dive up and over his bars, Tyler Trace (Trek-Red Truck) and Kevin Noiles (Bicicletta) took the opportunity to drop the masses.

Trace would hold his lead to the end. Richey eventually dislodged himself from the mudpit to chase back up to second but he could not close to within less than a minute of Trace. Noiles rounded out the podium for third.

22min prime Michael Jordan
last not lapped Troy Woodburn