'Cross Examination: Bishop, Haywood win Tacchino 'cross

Trek-VW teammates Jeremiah Bishop and Sue Haywood won the Tacchino Cyclocross on Sunday at Ida Lee Park in Leesburg, Virginia.

Lining up beside Haywood were some of the East Coast's fastest women, including three-time Verge MAC champion Betsy Shogren (Fort Factory Team), defending BikeReg.com MABRAcross champion Lisa Vible, Team Kenda Tire's Jennifer Maxwell, Vanderkitten's Mandy Lozano and Libbey Sheldon of Tokyo Joe's.

Roaring out of the prologue loop, Shogren and Maxwell had the advantage as they powered up the finishing-hill straight to begin the first of their laps. By the time they entered the backside of the course, which is out of sight from the main spectator area, Shogren had a decisive lead and Haywood, in her first cyclocross race in two years, was charging. And then things got weird.

"We were climbing the short, hard hill in the back, and I asked Sue what she thought the sound was that was coming from my bike," said Shogren. Moments later, her left crankarm came off, with her foot still attached. Shortly afterward, the rest of her crankset fell off.

"It was pretty funny," said Shogren.

As Shogren began running to the pit, a quarter lap away, Haywood powered away to a commanding lead with Maxwell, Lozano and Jessica Hill (Trail's End Cycling) chasing.

Haywood extended her lead for a dominating win, while Maxwell attacked the chase group to finish second. But behind, Shogren - a half lap down - was working her way through traffic on her pit bike, an overgeared single-speed. She methodically passed rider after rider to take third, just seconds behind Maxwell.

With Bishop and Jonny Sundt (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Medifast) on the starting line for the elite men's race, no one had any doubts about how difficult the race was going to be.

But MABRAcross regular Greg Wittwer (FORT Factory Team) wasn't intimidated. He attacked from the start, forcing Bishop to respond, while a sizable portion of the field - including Sundt - was lying in a pile after a chain-reaction crash.

Up front, Wittwer matched every one of Bishop's many accelerations as Sundt ripped through the field, trying to make up for lost time. Bishop finally seized the lead and began extending his margin, and while Wittwer appeared to be closing in the final laps, the Trek-VW rider held on to take his first ‘cross win of the year.

Sundt, who eventually caught Steve Cummings (Indiana Regional Medical Center) for third place in his first ‘cross race of the year, said that he was surviving on his road fitness. "I don't have that top-end yet," he said. "It's hard to get that, because it hurts." - Ken Getchell

Tacchino Cyclocross
Leesburg, VA. Nov. 4
Men
1. Jeremiah Bishop, Trek-VW
2. Greg Wittwer, Fort Factory Team
3. Jonny Sundt, KBS-Medifast
4. Stephen Cummings, Indiana Regional Medical Center
5. Jeffrey Buckles, Alan

Women
1. Sue Haywood, Trek-VW
2. Jennifer Maxwell, Team Kenda Tire
3. Betsy Shogren, Fort Factory Team
4. Mandy Lozano, Vanderkitten
5. Libbey Sheldon, Tokyo Joe's