November 03, 2015 (Maple Ridge, BC) – Sunday saw hundreds of hard core cyclo-cross racers converge in Maple Ridge for the 9th Annual Pumpkin Cross event presented by Local Ride Racing, round number three of the BC Premier CX Series. Torrential rain didn’t dampen the spirits of riders, who showed up en masse in colourful Halloween costumes for the festive gathering that included riders of all ages and levels. The course, set up on the grounds of the North Alouette River Greenway Park, was a soggy slog consisting mostly of grass, but it also took riders on a jaunt through some tricky turns in the Spooky Forest and a chunk of the Pitt Meadows Dyke network.
Reigning Pumpkin Cross elite women’s champion Sandra Walter (Liv Cycling Canada), dressed as a pirate, took the hole shot and led through the entire race, despite an early attempt to bridge by eventual third place finisher Maggie “Foxy Fox” Coles-Lyster (Local Ride Racing/Colnago). Morgan Cabot (Glotman Simpson Cycling), garbed as plundering pirate, came on strong at the end to reach and overtake Coles-Lyster in a neck-and-neck sprint for silver.
On the elite men’s side, it was CX veteran Kevin Calhoun (Rocky Mountain) who reigned supreme in a sea of mud. The podium saw some fresh faces as Davey Mitchell, Nathan Killam (Cycosis Racing), and Ben Chaddock grabbed second through third, respectively. Newly crowned Master 40-49 men’s Canadian Champion Bob “The Builder” Welbourn (Glotman Simpson Cycling) rounded out the top five.
Walter led a free women’s cyclo-cross skills clinic on the course the previous day to give first-time female racers an introduction to the discipline. “It was such a great group of women that came out on a rainy Saturday to learn about ‘cross,” said Walter. “We had lots of fun out there and when I watched the huge Beginner and Intermediate Women’s fields today, they were all smiling and having a good time. That’s what ‘cross is all about.” Walter is holding a clinic on Saturday, November 7 in Abbotsford in conjunction with ValleyCross, BC Premier CX Series race #4. Find out more at www.valleycross.ca.
Pumpkin Cross was supported by Liv Cycling Canada, Kicking Horse Coffee, WD-40 products, Cycles Lambert, the District of Maple Ridge, Cycling BC, and the Maple Ridge Equi-Sport Centre.
Results
Elite Women
1. Sandra Walter (Liv Cycling Canada) 43:46
2. Morgan Cabot (Glotman Simpson Cycling) 2:09
3. Maggie Coles-Lyster (Local Ride Racing) 2:11
4. Natasha Cowie (Steed Cycles) 3:09
5. Jean Ann Berkenpas (Team Giant Vancouver) 4:08
Elite Men
1. Kevin Calhoun (Rocky Mountain) 59:37
2. Davey Mitchell 0:33
3. Nathan Killam (Cycosis Racing) 0:39
4. Ben Chaddock 0:45
5. Bob Welbourn (Glotman Simpson Cycling) 2:22
Elite Women, Elite Men, Master 40+ Men here.
Beginner Women, Beginner Men, U15 Women, U15 Men, U13 Women, U13 Men, U11 Women here.
Intermediate Women, Intermediate Men, Master Women, Single Speed, U19 Women, U19 Men, U17 Women, U17 Men here.