Roanoke’s First International Cyclocross Race Makes Big Impression


The international and professional cyclocross communities descended on Roanoke with 980 riders for Virginia’s Blue Ridge GO Cross presented by Deschutes Brewery. Riders on Labor Day weekend represented 28 states and four countries for two days of cyclocross racing.

This was the first year that GO Cross was designated as a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) race. The Roanoke event was also the season opener of the entire ProCX calendar and attracted twice as many riders as the previous year.

Positive feedback from professional cyclists came pouring in via YouTube videos and social media hailing the race as a “fast and fun course” and “extremely well organized.” Many riders also commented on how welcoming and helpful Roanoke and Virginia’s Blue Ridge was to them and their teams.

ProCX ELITE RACE DAY 1 RECAP

Kerry Werner (Team Kona), who finished second in the 2017 ProCX standings, won the men’s C2 race on Saturday, Sept. 1. The 2017 Women’s ProCX champion Caroline Mani (Van Dessel Factory Team) resumed where she left off last fall with a victory in the Category 2 contest.

  • Men’s Podium Day 1 (first through third place): Kerry Werner from Birdsboro, PA; Jack Kisseberth from Westhampton, MA; Tobin Ortenblad from Santa Cruz, CA
  • Women’s Podium Day 1 (first through third place): Caroline Mani from Besacon, France; Sunny Gilbert from Ellisville, MO; Crystal Anthony from Newbury Park, CA

“You had to stay on your toes quite a bit out there. Stuff changed throughout the race. We started in a drizzle, and then it stopped. Everything was changing, so had to take different lines every lap,” Werner said about the course and conditions. “Man, the last three laps, maybe four, it was about positioning. We were all riding pretty similarly, so it was hard to differentiate. We were all riding really well technically too. You could attack into a downhill, then bring it back. In the middle (of the race), we had that chase group getting close to us. We didn’t want to add any guys to the mix, so I went, Jack went, Tobin went, Tristan went. We kind of took our turn and solidified it (the break).”

UCI ELITE RACES DAY 2 RECAP

Kerry Werner (Team Kona) took consecutive victories in the men’s C2 race, also winning the main event on Sunday, Sept. 2. Crystal Anthony (Team LIV Cycling), who finished second Saturday, claimed her first victory of the season in the women’s C2 race.

  • Men’s Podium Day 2 (first through third place): Kerry Werner from Birdsboro, PA; Tobin Ortenblad from Santa Cruz, CA; Troy Wells from Durango, CO
  • Women’s Podium Day 2 (first through third place): Crystal Anthony from Newbury Park, CA; Caroline Mani from Besacon, France; Sunny Gilbert from Ellisville, MO

“I like fast courses. I was just trying to ride my own race, and within myself. I never really attacked until the very last lap when Caroline was catching me,” Anthony said. “On a day when it is really hot, the difference between attacking and not attacking is very small. I wasn’t really trying to go off on my own.”

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