Race Preview: Supercross Cup

The 2018 Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series presented by Clif Bar and Cycle-Smart continues this weekend with the Rockland County Supercross Cup. Rounds five and six of the Vittoria Series will take place November 17 and 18 at Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y.  Returning to the Series for a third year, Supercross Cup will feature two days of Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Class 2 (C2) racing as well as amatuer racing and children’s activities.

The Vittoria Series offers a total of four weekends of competitions on classic cyclocross courses in the Northeast, which include Gloucester, Mass., Northampton, Mass., Suffern, N.Y., and Warwick, R.I. It is the longest standing UCI cyclocross series in the United States.

At Supercross Cup, Elite C2 races will be held both days for professional women and men. Athletes will compete for points on the USA Cycling Pro Cyclocross Calendar (ProCX), as well as for the Vittoria Series overall competition. Currently, Ellen Noble (Trek Factory Racing) and Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) lead the elite women’s and men’s Vittoria Series competitions with 150 and 200 points respectively. Both athletes swept the opening races at the CRAFT Sportswear Gran Prix of Gloucester in October. White, who is third overall in the ProCX standings, remains undefeated at Vittoria Series races this season. Noble has finished on the podium in all 11 ProCX races this season and leads those standings for Elite Women.

With its “World Cup-style” venue at Rockland Community College boasting rolling hills and tricky off-cambers, Supercross tests even the most steel-nerved of racers. But what sets Supercross apart is truly its amenities, notes Race Director Myles Romanow. “We have a great relationship with the venue, a full college campus, that offers locker rooms, hot showers, and even indoor space for our kids activities if we face inclement weather.” The addition of new, forested single track sections will add new dimension and challenges to the course. A host of activities for young children not yet of racing age are planned, and Supercross offers free race registration for all juniors, ages 18 and under.

Race Preview

For the elite women, Rebecca Fahringer (Kona Maxxis Shimano) is hungry for a win. “I’m really looking forward to Supercross, where the weather is always unpredictable and Myles [Romanow] is always throwing new elements to all of his courses. I’ve been chasing a win all season long, and I’m planning on leaving it all out there, and it may be an all or nothing effort on at least one day. Kerry (Werner, a Kona teammate) is also racing, so I’m excited to see if we can sweep the top steps. And if not, hopefully I get to best him!!”

Returning to Supercross this year is Canadian Ruby West (Specialized - Tenspeed Hero). “I'm really looking forward to racing in N.Y. this weekend, I had a blast at this race last year and it was on my list of top picks for this year, so I'm so glad I'll get to race it. I'm coming off of two really successful weekends of racing in Canada, with Pan Am's and Nationals, where I just felt really at the top of my game, so I'm hoping to carry that momentum into this weekend. The start lists have some big names that we're used to seeing at the front of UCI races consistently, so I think that'll make for some good battles and exciting racing in N.Y.”

Also racing this weekend is Caroline Nolan (Voler/Clif/Rock Lobster), who finished on the podium last weekend at the Verge Northampton International Cyclocross, and Cassie Maximenko (Van Dessel Factory Team), who had two Top 10s at Northampton.

For the elite men, White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) will race in his home state, fresh off of his Pan-American Championship victory in Canada and back-to-back wins in Northampton. “I'm hoping to carry the momentum I have from Pan-Ams and Northampton into New York Supercross,” said White.  “It's a course I really like, and close to home. My teammate Spencer Petrov will take the start,, as well as devo teammates Sam Noel and Cooper Willsey. All of them are riding well now.” After a Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com podium sweep in Northampton, we can expect to see the team tactics and group racing continued at Supercross.

Looking to upset those team tactics will be Werner (Kona Maxxis Shimano). “I always look forward to racing Supercross,” said Werner who has seven ProCX wins to his name this season. “It is one of the races I have done since I started racing ‘cross about five to six years ago, back when it was back on Long Island. It’s a relatively short drive for my parents and me, which is nice when you get to the end of the season.”

“Heading into the weekend, I am keeping my expectations open,” continued Werner. “I am not treating the week leading up to the race as a typical race weekend. I took the whole week off after Pan Ams, in hopes of cramming in a mid-season rest block. For the upcoming week, I'll be training on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, in hopes of using those works and the race as part of a block of training. For sure I will be going for the win, but typically I do much less the week before a race to keep my legs fresh. With nationals coming up, in mid-December, there isn’t much time to train so using Supercross and then the Thanksgiving off-weekend as part of a block I am hoping to hit nationals ready to rock.”

Additional elite men to watch include White’s Cannondale teammates Willsey and Noel, and Max Judelson (Voler/Clif/HRS/Rock Lobster).

Following Supercross Cup this weekend, the Vittoria Series will conclude with its finale event at NBX Gran Prix of Cyclocross, Dec. 1 and 2 in Warwick, R.I. With UCI Class 1 and Class 2 events on the schedule, the Vittoria Series will kick things up a notch for the finale in Rhode Island.

Watch the races unfold in person or by following tweets at @VittoriaSeries. Follow on Facebook and YouTube for race weekend highlights video highlights provided by DirtWire.TV.

Courtenay McFadden Claims First UCI Win of 2018, Curtis White Repeats in Northampton

The 2018 Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series presented by Clif Bar and Cycle-Smart continued with race number four on Sunday with the Verge Northampton International Cyclocross p/Cycle-Smart (NohoCX). Now in its 28th year, NohoCX is the oldest cyclocross race in North America sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Elite racers also competed for UCI Class 2 points in USA Cycling’s Pro Cyclocross Calendar (ProCX). The second day of racing at Look Park would once again challenge the racers with windy and cool conditions on the 2.1-mile fast and flowing course.

Courtenay McFadden (Pivot-Maxxis p/b Stans-DNA Cycling) rode solo to victory in the elite women’s field and Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) dominated the elite men’s field for a second day in a row.

NohoCX is the second of four race weekends. The Vittoria Series follows competition on classic cyclocross courses in the Northeast, which include Gloucester, Mass., Northampton, Mass., Suffern, N.Y., and Warwick, R.I. It is the longest standing UCI cyclocross series in the United States. Athletes will compete for points on the USA Cycling Pro Cyclocross Calendar (ProCX), as well as for the Vittoria Series overall competition. Ellen Noble (Trek Factory Racing) keeps the lead in the Vittoria Series for the elite women, despite not racing on Sunday and White extends his lead after winning all four Series races this season which started with back-to-back wins at the CRAFT Sportswear Gran Prix of Gloucester in October.

In the elite women’s race, a group of four would separate themselves early from the 42-racer field. Joining McFadden in the lead group were  Rebecca Fahringer (Kona Maxxis Shimano), Caroline Nolan (Voler/Easton/HRS/Rock Lobster), and Crystal Anthony (Liv Cycling) who took the holeshot.

McFadden would escape the group after a crash behind her in the woods on the upper deck of the course in the second lap. McFadden notes when she left the group, “It was kind of unintentional, I wanted to sit in a little bit more today so I was trying to do that for the first couple of laps. I think it was myself, Caroline [Nolan] and maybe Becca [Rebecca Fahringer] and that we're kind of yo-yoing back and forth but I realized I was a little bit quicker through the woods. So I went around Caroline after that first section, before the first downhill, and she ended up sliding out on some gravel and so I just pinned it from there. I was like 'well I got to go because that's the opportunity to hit it' and so I did.”

McFadden would finish with a 29-second lead after riding much of the race alone. She finished the five-lap event in 44 minutes, 55 seconds.

“I tried to play the wind,” said McFadden. “I would, on the tailwind, try to catch my breath and then hammer through the headwind. I knew that I was pretty proficient in the woods so I tried to stay smooth through there and put all the energy down here [lower section] and catch my breath a little bit more through the woods.”

Northampton is McFadden’s fifth UCI event of the season and her first UCI win following two hip surgeries. “It feels good to be racing, strong, definitely a lot better than pre-surgery, still some post-op pain but you don't notice them when you're racing.”

Behind McFadden, Fahringer and Nolan had to spend a few seconds to regroup following the bobble.

“Courtenay took advantage of it and we both took a second to regroup,” Fahringer explained. “I mini-attacked on Caroline but she was working hard to stick with me. At some point, I said we're not going to close it on Courtenay, it's just too fast of a course so I started going hard when I could, and try to play it conservative where I might lose it. I even ran a section that I had been riding because I was like 'this is where I'll slide out, lose second, I'm not going to get first'. It was a game of play it smooth after that.”

Fahringer would finish in second place, for her second podium of the weekend. Nolan, crossed the line 16 seconds later for third place.

Nolan, would lead the race early but would have to chase back on after sliding out in the woods section. “Courtenay got a little gap and I gave it everything I could to stay with Becca,” said Nolan. “So I'm happy to stay on the podium.”

An emotional podium for Nolan, where her hometown of Chico, Calif. currently is dealing with large wildfires. “I have big fires going on back in my hometown,” said Nolan, “so in this race I wanted to do as best I can since I'm not home to volunteer, to raise money and awareness for the wildfires back in California so I did that. I'm happy with it.”

In the elite men’s race, White would run away with the race for a second day in a row for his fourth  Series win, and his fourth ProCX victory.

“Very happy with the weekend,” said White. “Early on, Spencer Petrov, Sam Noel and I were racing as a team it felt like, we made the front selection again, trying to close up the front. I got a gap on the steep ride up and slowly was growing that throughout the rest of the race. I could see behind that my two teammates were racing together and trying to lock up the podium for a Cannondale sweep, so happy with that.”

While today’s race looked routine, White remains focused on upcoming goals and races. “Similar performance [to Saturday’s race] but today I was pretty motivated with Nationals in mind, time is closing in so making every effort count.”

White would finish the eight-lap event in one hour, three minutes, 38 seconds. He will continue on with the next Vittoria Series race next weekend at Supercross Cup. “Another race close to home. It's a New York UCI race, every chance I can I'll race in New York.”

Teammate Spencer Petrov led things off at the front with White but would end up together with Devo teammate Sam Noel up against Jack Kisseberth (Garneau Easton p/b Transitions), who finished third on Saturday.

“Sam [Noel] is doing amazing right now,” exclaimed Petrov who claimed second place. “He's having such great rides. And Jack, you know, it's three on one in that situation. The first few laps, it was cat and mouse, it was a hard race yesterday so no one really wanted to play all their cards early in the day, so it was a little bit of playing around, and a few new people were there. But the pace picked back up, Curtis is flying on amazing form right now. For me, in my mind, I know that Curtis has got the biggest legs right now, I got to play the good teammate role depending on how I feel. And then, after that Curtis got away. I can't and I don't have to do anything when he's out front. So there were a few laps of just playing with Jack, Sam gave it some good gas and then I gave it some good gas and that's how we dropped Jack. From three and a half, three to go, it was me and Sam out there. I'm still finding my form with the concussion I had earlier in the year.”

Noel, in his first year as an elite rider, took his second UCI podium of the season finishing in a sprint with teammate Petrov after riding together for the final laps. The pair crossed the finish line, one minute and nine seconds behind White.

“After yesterday, Spencer and I wanted to go one-two-three,” said Noel, “and it was super sweet how it worked out today. Jack is super strong but we were able to shake him and Spencer and I were taking turns pulling and had some good teamwork going.”

Going into the finale, it came down to a sprint between the two Cannondale riders to work out the podium positions. “Whoever led into that final corner was going to take it,” said Noel, “so it was just a full-on sprint to there. We ended up colliding but luckily it wasn't too serious.”

Racing will continue next week in Suffern, N.Y. Nov. 17 and 18 at Supercross Cup. Watch the races unfold in person or by following tweets at @VittoriaSeries. Follow on Facebook and YouTube for race weekend highlights video highlights provided by DirtWire.TV.