Westwood Velo Cyclocross Opens New Jersey Cross Cup Series

By Buck Walters

Westwood Velo’s dynamic duo of Roger Aspholm and Troy Kimball have worked together to bring home victory in many a bike race. On Sunday, October 15, the pair teamed up to produce a new cyclocross event, Westwood Velo Cyclocross, the first event in the inaugural New Jersey Cross Cup Series. Under clear blue skies, with a backdrop brilliant fall foliage, Mahwah’s Campgaw Mountain ski area hosted more than 150 primarily local riders in a full slate of categorized and age grouped races.

Designed by Aspholm, the Campgaw course was a compact 1.75 km, in order to provide better visibility for spectators. Twisting and turning through most of it’s length, there were few power straights. But the riders loved it.

“It’s like 3.5 kilometers worth of turns crammed into half the space,” commented New Yorker Kevin Molloy, of CRCA/Axis. “It was really fun to ride.”

In the C race, John Miller pulled Andrew Logiudice of Skylands Cycling for three laps, before finally shaking the persistent 18 year old Logiudice, in his first race as a non-junior. Miller took the win, Loguidice was second and Matthew Snow of Target Training finished third. In the U19 events, no one could stay close to 16 year old Andy Gallagher of Liberty Cycle, a track racer, expert mountain biker, but first time crosser. Skylands’ Erik Kristiansen was a distant second, more than four minutes back in the 15-18 class, while teammate Cam Mancuso was third. In the M10-14, Matt Spinks of Skylands had no trouble staying ahead of the younger second place finisher, Trevor Kahl of Liberty Cycle. Max Mancuso of Skylands was third.

The nine rider women’s field saw Kathleen Billington of Connecticut Cycling out duel Maria Oliviera of host club Westwood Velo. New Yorker Cecilia Pleva, CRCA/Radical Media, rounded out the top three.

The Masters 45+ race saw a group of four quickly separate themselves from the field. Pennsylvaia’s Jeff Cordisco, Team Somerset’s Martin Jones, Skylands’ Kevin Kielty and Ed Burgess, of Newburgh, New York, riding for Hammer Gel battled for several laps, with Cordisco and Jones doing the Lion’s share of the work. The brutal pace took it’s toll on the veteren cross and mountain bike racers Burgess, who fell out of the group. With three laps to go, Cordisco attacked up the blacktop hill behind the ski lodge and soloed in for the win. Jones, Kielty and Burgess were well strung out behind Cordisco at race end, in second, third and fourth, respectively.

In the 55+, Bob Cary of Skylands Cycling got off to a slow start, and chased Cycle Funattic’s Russ Padgett for most of the race, before finally closing the gap with a little over a lap to go. When a tiring Padgett failed to negotiate a tight up-and-down section of the course, Cary took the lead for good. Karl Dittebrandt of Kissena was third.

The 35+ field boiled down to a two man show between Eric Schlauch of Team Somerset and defending 35+ NJ State Champion Kurt Dericks, of Victory Cycling Club. Dericks sat on for most of the last lap, figuring to gain an advantage in the sprint. But Schlauch accelerated out of the final turn, onto the 150 meter uphill blacktop finish, catching Dericks by surprise.

“I was right behind him,” said Dericks,”and then I’m like, where’d he go?” Schlauch’s burst gave him a bike length victory. Tim Haitz of Charlestown, Rhode Island took third place.

The Men’s B race saw a trio of riders take command of the front of the race from the first lap. Essex County Velo’s Sean Cavanaugh, of Ipswich, Massachusetts, was joined by Jerseyans Nick Bennette, Velo Europa Cycle and Roger Foco, Skylands Cycling. Cavanaugh slowly broke the chain in the last lap for the win, with Bennette second and Foco third.

The Men’s A event had a distinctly international flavor. Race co-organizer Roger Aspholm, a native of Finland, gamely held onto Italians Luca Damiani and Davide Frattini for the first lap. Damiani, on break from the World Cup Circuit, and Frattini dispatched Roger and sailed away for first and second, respectively. Aspholm was third., The three podium dwellers lapped the rest of the field.

` It was a beautiful day, a well organized race and an exciting compact course, providing a great start for the New Jersey Cross Cup Series.

“This is a much different crowd than we see at the regional races,” observed series coordinator Craig Callan. “That’s what we want—new riders, local riders.” Intended for developing cross racers and those who would avoid the travel burden of the big races, the New Jersey Cross Cup series consists of seven events, starting with Westwood’s race, and ending on December 2, 2006 with the Hall of Fame Cyclocross race, to be hosted in Augusta, New Jersey by Action Outfitters of Milford, Pennsylvania. The next event in the series is Cross@Craigmeur on October 29, another new event at a new venue.

Full results.