Arizona State Cyclocross Championships - Crossroads Park

With the AZCross Series wrapped up, there was only 1 race left on the season - AZ State Championships.  The course was nearly the same as the previous day, but in the reverse direction.  Some felt this was easier while others found it more challenging than the previous day.  The barricades were moved to a steep run-up on the back side of the course, which was very difficult.  The temperatures dropped again overnight, leaving cold and frost conditions.

The same crew lined up again for day 2 - Liam, Barrett, Giovanni, Luke, Bella, Avery, and Emma.  The boys were again off first.  Liam took the lead on lap one, but a crash in a corner found him quickly back in 2nd.  He didn't have enough in him to regain the lead, finishing the race in 2nd.  Luke again snagged 5th, completing his season very strong!  Barrett and Giovanni finished 7th and 8th respectively.

The girls were off fast.  Bella, Avery and Emma were locked in a battle for 2nd, 3rd and 4th.  Emma and Bella distanced themselves from Avery with Bella overtaking Emma for 2nd.  Emma finished 3rd and Avery 4th.





Even though we walked away without a state title this year, it was a successful CX season on so many levels.  Our team grew by 3 riders from last year.  We watched Luke, who was new to CX at the start of the season, improve each week and consistently factor in the top 5.  We welcomed Bella and Giovanni, who recently relocated from the midwest, to the crew.  Most importantly was the friendships and bonds that developed between these awesome little racers!  The memories made will last a lifetime.  We are looking forward to the start of the MBAA season and more races and good times together as a time.

See you all in January!

AZCross #10 - Series Finale at Crossroad Park

This cyclocross season was blessed with warm, dry weather all season.  There were a couple of storms that we narrowly missed.  But the series finale saw a significant change to all that!  A storm blew through the day before dropping some rain, but significantly dropping the temperatures.  The wind was also a factor as the kids lined up for the series finale.

For the boys, we had Luke, Barrett, Giovanni and Liam taking the line.  Bella, Emma, and Avery lined up for the girls.  The course was arguably the most difficult of the season.  The park was flooded just a few days before, which took away a large portion of the planned route.  The last minute changes added a very difficult and technical section with steep drops and climbs, deep ruts, and loose sand.  It was sure to provide a huge challenge to the juniors categories.

The boys were off first.  Liam was locked in with Randy for the first lap, but just didn't have enough in the tank to stay with him.  Randy came in 1st with a commanding lead, followed by Ty and Liam for 2nd and 3rd.  Luke and Barrett were again locked in a battle.  Barrett crashed over the barricades, allowing Luke to get a sizable lead.  Luke snagged 5th on the day with Barrett coming in 7th.  Giovanni rounded out the boys field in 8th place.























Next up were the girls.  There were 2 newcomers to the series visiting from Europe.  They took commanding leads right off the start line and never looked back.  Bella had a great race and was able to come in first for the DD girls and 4th overall.  Emma and Avery came in 5th and 6th respectively.

The conditions proved tough for the team, but everyone fought hard to finish the race and complete the series.

The AZ Cross series podiums & awards were handed out shortly after the race.  For boys 9-14, Liam took the series crown for the 2nd consecutive year.  Emma snagged with series winner's jersey as well for the 2nd straight year.  Avery took 3rd overall in the series.
































Everyone did a great job this year and are all looking forward to the return of AZ Cross next fall!

AZ Cross #9 - Tucson Himmel Park Day 2

The crew was up bright and early for day 2.  The course was reversed for the second day of racing.  It provided new challenges, but a decidedly faster course.  Our same 7 riders toed the line in a much bigger field of riders than day 1.

 The boys were up first again.  Liam was out to another early lead, which he held all the way to the finish line.  Behind him a battle between Luke and Barrett was brewing once again.  The Luke was able to edge out Barrett on day 2 to claim 5th with Barrett taking 6th.  Giovanni had his best race yet this season, holding on to bring home 8th.  It has been so fun watching these boys improve and their confidence soar race after race!

The girls were up next.  Emma was determined to get the hole shot on day 2, which is what she did.  She never looked back and claimed another win.  Avery, Bella and Alyssa were bunched together fighting for the remaining podium spots.  They hung with each other until the very end where Alyssa edged out Avery by 2 seconds to claim 2nd.  Avery took 3rd and Bella came in just 19 seconds back for 4th.  The girls' fields have grown as the season has gone on, which has made these races a blast for both the racers and spectators.

Canadian pro racer and national CX champion Maghalie Rochette came out to race both days this weekend.  She took time out on day 2 to say hi to the Dynamix girls and pose for a picture with them.  They cheered their hearts out for her as she raced.  Thank you Maghalie!

It was a wonderful weekend of racing and bonding for our team.  Next weekend is the AZ Cross series finale and AZ State championships.  Stay tuned to see who takes top honors!

Junior girls podium:
1st - Emma
2nd - Alyssa
3rd - Avery

Junior boys podium:
1st - Liam
2nd - Axel
3rd - Ty

These kids love CX!

AZ Cross #8 - Tucson Himmel Park Day 1

It was another busy weekend of cyclocross racing in AZ.  The team traveled to Tucson for back-to-back races sponsored by University of Arizona Cycling.  The course was one of the most fun yet!  It combined steep hills, sand pits, long straights, and tons of grass.  There were also some technical sections with off-camber pitches and plenty of trees to make your way around.  After previewing the course, the kids were anxious to get the race underway.

Junior boys 9-14 on the start line

The Dynamix girls off the start

First up for DD were the boys 9-14.  Making the trek to Tucson were Giovanni, Luke, Barrett and Liam.  Right off the start, Liam jumped out to a lead and held it all the way to the finish line.  Behind him, Luke and Barrett were locked in a battle for 4th and 5th.  Barrett was able to hang on to finish 4th with Luke just 12 seconds back.  Coming in 7th was Giovanni, who is starting to get the hang of racing in the Southwest.  He keeps improving with each race.

Next up were the girls, with Bella, Avery and Emma.  Bella had one of her bests starts yet, getting the hold shot and holding on to first for lap 1.  Emma was able to overtake her and hold on to the lead for the win.  Avery also had a great start and was able to work herself up into a 2nd place finish just 10 seconds behind Emma.  Bella fought to hold onto a podium spot, but fell just short and snagged 4th place.

It was a great first day of racing in Tucson.  The kids were all excited for day 2!

Junior girls podium
1st- Emma
2nd - Avery
3rd - Alyssa

Junior boys podium
1st - Liam
2nd - Ty
3rd - Cyrus

AZ Cross #7 - Horse Lover's Park Day 2

We were back at Horse Lover's Park for Day 2 of CX racing.  The fields were a little smaller for the 2nd round, but still with some tough competition.  Back for day 2 of racing for junior boys 9-14 was Giovanni, Luke, and Liam.  For the girls we had Bella, Emma, and Avery.  After some epic battles the previous day, everyone was excited to get started.  It was much colder on Day 2, so everyone was thankful that the water feature had been removed.  The course direction was also reversed, making for a fast course.

The boys were off first.  The group stayed together for the first half of lap one.  Liam had a small lead, but crashed in a corner, dropping him back to 2nd.  He was quickly able to recover to overtake the lead.  He was able to build on that lead to take the win.

Luke has his best race yet on day 2.  He was locked into a battle for 4th place, but was able to break free and build a solid lead, coming in 4th place by almost a minute over 5th.

Giovanni had another clean race and is getting stronger each time.  He finished in 6th place overall to cap off his weekend.

The girls were off next.  For much of the first lap, the group stayed together.  As the race went on, Alyssa was able to distance herself to take 1st followed by Emma, with Bella close behind in 3rd.  Avery took 4th again for day 2, but looked much stronger and more confident.

It was another great weekend of cross racing in AZ!  Everyone is excited for a double racing weekend coming up in 2 weeks in Tucson.  Stayed tuned....