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....

AZ Cross #6 - Horse Lover's Park Day 1

It was another full weekend of CX racing in Phoenix.  We headed up to Horse Lover's Park in north Phoenix for back to back racing days.  The course was changed up quite a bit from last year, including tight, loose turns, several difficult barriers, and a cold and messy water feature.  It was shaping up to be a fun day!

First off were the junior boys 9-14.  Toeing the line for DD was Liam, Luke, Giovanni, and Barrett.  This was Barrett's first race this season after battling illness.  Everyone was very excited to get the day started.  The boys faced some tough new competition on Day 1 from Kardon, a former CX National Champion out of Colorado.


Liam was locked in a battle for 1st place for the first half of the race.  Kardon lead for the entire race and pulled away from Liam to snag the win, with Liam coming in 2nd.

Luke found himself in a tough battle as well for 6th place.  He fought hard and come across less than a second behind to get 7th.

Barrett rode a solid race, especially considering the rough few weeks he has had recovering from pneumonia.  He had a crash mid-race, but was able to soldier on to finish in 8th place.

Giovanni had a solid race, free from crashes.  He took 9th on the day in a large junior boys field.

Taking the line for the girls 9-18 was Avery, Bella and Emma.  Emma quickly found herself dueling Alyssa for the lead.  They traded back and for some, but Alyssa led for most of the race.  In the final turn, Emma was able to come on the inside line to out sprint Alyssa for the win by a tire width!

Bella had a solid race.  She looked strong from start to finish, taking the final podium spot in 3rd.

Avery also rode a clean race today, just missing out on a podium spot and finishing 4th.

It was an exciting day of racing on a tough and messy course!

Cranky Cross/AZCross #4 - Mooey Cross - Superstition Farms

The 4th CX race of the season took us out to the countryside and down on the farm.  The course proved to be challenging, with many steep and loose hills and lots of wind.  Toeing the line for the boys 9-14 was Liam & Luke.   For the girls, Emma and Avery raced in the 9-18 category.  Newcomer to CX Taylor came out to race boys 15-18.

Junior boys ready to go

Junior girls waiting for the start

Liam and Luke were off the line first.  Liam was locked in a battle with Randy for the entire race.  They traded leads back and forth until Liam made his move on the last lap to break away for the win.

Liam making the move to take the lead

Luke rode a solid race, powering through the steep, loose hills to come in 7th in the largest boys field yet this year.

Luke looking strong from start to finish

Emma and Avery were up next.  The girls were off to a fast start.  Emma was battling Alyssa for lead, and was able to overtake her early on in the race.  She was able to hold and build on that lead, coming in over 2 minutes ahead of 2nd place.

Emma working hard on the loose run-ups

Avery nearly missed this race after being sick all week.  She rode her heart out, crashing a few times, but never giving up.  She came in for a 3rd place finish!

Avery heading over the log barricade

Taylor was the last of the juniors to suit up for the day.  This was his first ever cyclocross race, and he was very excited to be a part of the fun!  Although riding unopposed, he put in an all out solid effort to complete the race and snag the top step.

Taylor handled the course like a champ for his
first ever CX race

Junior boys 9-14 podium

Junior girls 9-18 podium

Junior boys 15-18 podium

It was a fun day out at the farm!  Next up...Crossroads Park in Gilbert!