Bike Authority Cyclocross Series
Race #5

Avon Lake, OH
12/31/00

Report and Results from Mike Woods

The fifth race of the Bike Authority CX series took place on December 31, 2000 at the Avon Lake Service Garage. Sponsoring club President Rudy Sroka noted that this was the first race under his club’s new name, Lake Effect Racing. The conditions certainly mirrored the new moniker: recent storms deposited snow in depths of 8-16 inches over the course. Worse yet, the racers were not able to pack the powdery snow down into a track, as the wind redeposited snow in the tracks before the next rider would come through.

The B group and the smaller C group left the line together at roughly 10:00 for 45 minutes of racing. A dogfight was set up from the start between the points series leaders, Scott Hoffman (Lake Effect) and Andre Goldstein (Ellacott Shaker), though Hoffman said that as the first two through the course, they ran through wind-driven drifts nearly hip deep. In what has nearly become a BACX tradition, these two leaders trade the lead for nearly the whole race, then set a blistering pace during the final lap for the other to answer. Goldstein had first place staked out for himself until the hairpin leading to the finish straight, where he lost traction and fell. The pause was all Hoffman needed, as he was behind a short distance: before Goldstein was back on his bike in pursuit, Hoffman had used the comparatively clear straightaway to bolt away and take the win.

Behind the two, a war of attrition was waged by the rest of the competitors. Stephen Heibel seesawed with Lake Effect teammate Travis Woff for third place, with Heibel taking charge on the last lap and Woff coming in shortly after. Goldstein’s teammate on Ellacott, Ed Hoffmeier rounded out the top five, all of whom received merchandise prizes.

The A race was interesting in that good luck was important as skill and endurance in finishing well. Lake Effect’s Erin Ford was able to get a gap early in the race to lead, only to lose it completely to a mechanical; he rode a friend’s bike for the whole race after his deraillieur froze. Series leader Brian Kenny (Gary Fisher Mid Atlantic) had mechanical problems of his own on the first lap, but kept steady pressure on the group to take and finally keep the lead for the win. Though Kenny was not in danger after the third lap, PDQ rider Brian Stern made a spirited pull through the pack in order to witness Kenny’s win from 12 seconds back. Stern himself had to make a bike change because of a flat on his mountain bike, and also had trouble keeping the replacement ‘cross bike going. After his early troubles, Ford settled in and defended third place from teammate Sroka, who finished fourth, a minute back. A model of consistency, Jim Doyle (Dale’s) maintained a steady pace throughout the race and nailed down fifth place for his trouble. The A riders received cash as their winnings.

Lake Effect Racing would like to thank Mayor Vince Urban and his staff at Avon Lake City Hall for allowing the team to make use of the facility.

Next up: the BACX #6 Race at Reese Park in Bay Village. Look for the race flier at Truesport.com!