Double Crossed in Michigan

By Monica Tory
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Well, one could say that this race report is way overdue, but fall is so jam-packed with ‘cross craziness that it’s hard to justify sitting at the computer!

The annual Michigan double cross weekend is undeservedly understated! Really. It’s a great weekend of racing, yet the fields are nice and small & there’s unlimited space for spectating. Free camping at the race site (wasn’t advertised, so we stayed at a pricey hotel instead …. but NEXT year we’ll get it right!). On site showers. UCI event, but so few spectators that you have an amazing view of the pro fields. The sponsoring bike shop (Kinetic Systems) hosts an awesome Q&A session with the elite riders afterwards … which is not only an opportunity to pick up a ton of training and racing tips, but also a chance to ask all kinds of strange questions. How strange? How about this one from my friend Kim:

“So, Jonathan (Page) … Um, I was just wondering. You know how in major league baseball, if you catch a home run ball, it’s yours to keep? Well, after your saddle broke off the seatpost today, if I had run over there really fast, would it be the same thing? I’d get to keep your saddle? And, by the way, what type of saddle WAS that, anyway?”

The racing was great …. interesting courses both days, with lots of variation (switchbacks, off camber, ride through a barn, some single track, a run up, a ride up for the pros (in the big chain ring, no less) that was a run up for many of the rest of us, lots of cowbell.

Check out the full results on cyclingnews.com!

Bella results:

9/20: Monica Tory, 4 of 6, Women’s 3/4
9/21: Monica Tory, 6 of 10, women’s 3/4

Race photos courtesy, Andrea Tucker

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