PORT ANGELES — Extreme Sports Park hosted the first-ever “Cyclocross” event on the Olympic Peninsula late last month, hosting racers from Washington and Oregon as a “test event” for bigger races coming up this fall.
The event, held on March 27, was the first of three of these races being planned at ESP west of Port Angeles. The other two events are part of the regular cyclocross racing season in the fall. There are races scheduled one Oct. 3 and Nov. 27-28 at ESP.
Cyclocross, sometimes simply known as “CX” is a unique cycling event in which riders not only have to ride their bikes over and across obstacles and steep hills. Sometimes they literally have to pick up their bikes and carry them on their shoulders over certain obstacles and hills.
The Olympic Peninsula races involve a partnership of Peninsula Adventure Sports, which puts on a number of well-known adventure events on the Peninsula such as the GOAT Run and the Big Hurt, ESP, the Washington State Bicycle Association and Cyclocross Crusade based in Portland, Ore. The course at ESP was 1.75 miles long.
“The Washington State Bike Racing Association and USA Cycling were both extremely happy with how the PNW Extreme CX challenge went,” said Gina Kavesh, president of the Washington State Bicycle Association. “This test event supports our belief that the promoters from Peninsula Adventure Sports and Extreme Sport Park present an amazing opportunity for Port Angeles for regional, national and world caliber cyclocross racing.”
Winners of the March 27 event were:
Category 1/2/3 — Intermediate/advanced
Men: Filipe Nystrom, Portland, Ore., first; Jake Olander, Bend, Ore., second; Adrian Bosch, Medford, Ore., third.
Women: Kathryn Thompson, Kenmore, first; Bry Osmonson, Seattle, second; Meghan Kershner, Port Townsend, third.
Category 4 /5 – Novice/beginner
Men: Ben Marshal, Tacoma, first; Josh Sollitto, Bainbridge, second; Brandon Lemke, Seattle, third.
Masters 30+
Men: Keith Robinson, Seatac, first; Scott Scholz, Portland, Ore., second; John Reynders, Seattle, third.
Masters 50+
Men: Lance Heppler, Vancouver, first; Andrew Lynch, Sammamish, second; Todd Anderson, Sequim, third.
Juniors
Boys 10-15: Curran Jacobus, Bend, Ore.; Peter Zelenka, Port Angeles, second; Isaac Hales, PA, third.
Girls 10-15: Julie Hales, PA, first; Emily Hales, PA, second; Clara Berry, PA, third.
