Race Report for Chicago Cross Cup #2 Hopkins Park, DeKalb

Twas a great day for cross, and all through the park, not a single person was quite, not even a mouse. The day started out a bit on the chilly side, but turned out to be an amazing day for a good time in the dirt.

Brandon Murphy leading off in the Men – Cat 1/2/3/4 – Masters – 30-99 landing in 43. Great job to Brandon, achieving his personal goals and having a good time doing it.

For the Women – Cat 1/2/3 our she speed demon, Becky Welbes, was on the sidelines recovering from kicking some major lady booty at USGP. A bit sad to not to be doing what she loves, she was a still there to be a great support to the rest of the team and was very enthusiastic in her heckling. Thanks Becky!

Men – Cat 3 went off next, which included our Paul Mumford in his last race as a 3. Ol’ Mumford took the hole shot and never looked back. Aaron Voreis and Chase Negley shared the podium with Mumford and stared with silly grins and Mumford did his thing. Spinning and dancing while chanting “Take pictures, take pictures!”

Following Cat 3 Men was the Cat 4 Women. Katie Tomarelli was up front with a call up and in the mix Alex Blom was ready for her very first cross race. An amazing race for all the women, with Katie Tomarelli taking turns leading the pack. Katie Tomarelli finishes off on the podium in 2nd place and Alex Blom coming in at 11! Holy shit our women are fast!

Men – Cat 1/2/3 saw Mumford going at it again. Racing for an hour. Suffer baby, suffer. After already racing once for 45 min decided to go at it again for a bit longer. Finishing the race in 11th place overall, he was 2nd for the Cat 3′s. Not too shabby.

Men – Cat 4 saw a few of us Kinky Llama Racing folks starting off. Anthony Mikrut, Brandon Murphy, Tyler Cox, Pablo Ternes, and John Felke. It was a good time to be had by all. Llama’s first race of the season and Tyler’s first CX race on an actual cross bike. A little tangle up ended up with an imprint of a drop bar on the chest of Anthony Mikrut, but no one was hurt, and much fun was had. Results are as follows Anthony Mikrut – 36, Brandon Murphy – 49, Tyler Cox – 63, Pablo Ternes – 68, and John Felke – 86.

Men – Cat 4b followed right after, and a few of us came to party one more time. Brandon in his 3rd race for the day. Wasn’t able to finish due to losing a tire on a jump, yes a jump. How can you not hit a jump if it is in the course.

4b’s was done with much fun. Cowbells being smacked, flyovers being flown, and hecklers heckling.

In the 4b race we saw another visit from one of our favorite people on two wheels, Erik D. Mann. More enthusiasm comes from Erik than the whole Dolphins cheerleader squad. Completing two laps and another personal goal. We look forward to Erik at all cross races. The 4b race results are as follows: Anthony Mikrut – 7th, Pablo Ternes – 63, Erik Mann – DNF (we don’t care), Brandon Murphy – DNF (from getting some).

Last, but not least. Our star heckler and favorite Gore Bike Wear rep (sorry Simon), Brenden Gecik headed out for the OUILSSSCXC 2011. Hay bails and picnic tables proved interesting obstacles during the race. And Brenden pulled through all the heckles back with a big ass smile. If I could find the results for that race, I would post them. When I do, I will change it.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their continued support and truly solid products that allow us to perform as well as we do. Village Cycle Center, Trek Bicycle Corp, SRAM, Sidi, Giro, Gore Bike Wear, Tifosi, and Saris Cycling Group.

I would also like to send out a very special thank you to Liz Sapp. She was on the grill and taking pictures of the team. What a fabulous person to have supporting the team. Big smile and a giant heart. We love her.

The original post can be found on our teams site www.kinkyllamaracing.com.