Kids these days. Brody McDonald (Celo Pacific) lets it fly.
The word “classic” has numerous meanings. It can be used as either a noun or an adjective. As it pertains to the annual Turkey Trot ‘Cross, let’s go with the latter, specifically: “Of lasting interest or significance.”
The Turkey Trot ‘Cross has been running continuously for nine years, making it the oldest CX event in Southern California. Verdugo Park in Glendale has been ground zero for this Thanksgiving holiday weekend race since 2004, making Turkey Trot a tradition among many of the sport’s enthusiasts. Lasting interest, check. Significance, check.
But this year’s Turkey Trot ‘Cross was much more than just racing. There was a real festival atmosphere here under the falling leaves and idyllic autumn conditions. The community was involved with Walk Bike Glendale and took a stroll to Casa Verdugo. A donation drive benefited SoCalCross advocacy partners. Families had fun with a Kids Scavenger Hunt walk in the park, as well as a Kids Bike Rodeo. Of course there was the always-entertaining Young Riders Kiddie Cross. And one of the highlights of the day was the Doggie Cross Race, in which leashed dogs and their owners charged around a shortened CX course and won prizes for being both fast and wearing the best costumes. This event benefited German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County.
Many thanks to hosts Montrose Cycling Club/Montrose Bike Shop, Pasadena Athletic Association and The TEAM SoCalCross for their help in making this a truly cool Turkey Trot.
There was some racing going on too. Half of the course at Round 11 of the 2012-13 SoCalCross Prestige Series featured deep grass with sweeping turns and long straights that favored power riders. The other half included some playground sand as well as a stretch in, over and around a small creek and its wooded banks. A little bit of mud here was a novel treat and sometimes aggravation for desert-dwelling SoCal natives.
Carolin Schiff (SDG/Felt/IRT/SPY) was able to deal with it all in typical dominating precision in the elite Women’s A race. Mostly precise, anyway. She took a rare, hard fall on lap two that gashed her right elbow, but the popular 26-year-old German was able to remain comfortably up front in what would be her last event on American soil this year. Visa restrictions have her returning home. But with nine wins in nine points-paying Prestige Series events so far — and a rider’s best nine events counting in the final point standings — she has already effectively locked up the season championship with six points races to go in the SoCalCross series.
Joining Schiff on the podium at Turkey Trot were Hannah Rae Finchamp (Cynergy Cycles), Amanda Schaper (Ritte CX Team), Maddy Melcher (The TEAM SoCalCross) and Holly Breck (SC Velo).
Schiff said her crash, caused by a concrete curb that washed out her front wheel while exiting the sand, put some doubt in the outcome. “It’s a bad one; deep. It was very bloody and at first I thought it’s broken. It really hurt during the race, but everything is OK.
“Now I have to leave. That’s so bad; it’s so nice here and I met so many nice people. I’m really sad because it was a lot of fun. But I will come back for sure. Thank you to Dorothy [Wong, the co-promoter of the series along with husband Jeff Herring]. She did a great job. This series is so cool,” Schiff concluded.
The first half hour of the elite Men’s A race was rather processional, until then-leader Elliott Reinecke (Velo Hangar) lost his front end on a fast, rooty, off-camber turn. Second wheel Jason Siegle (SDG/Felt/IRT) got caught up in the mayhem and suddenly the field showed some significant openings. Brandon Gritters (Rock n Road) drilled it and only two others were able to follow: longtime rival and current points leader Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific) and a surprising Under 23 rider, Tyler Schwartz (SDG/Felt/IRT).
These three worked together to build an insurmountable gap during the next two laps. With three laps to go Gritters made another hard effort that detonated this trio, and when Schwartz went down on the last lap, what had promised to be a compelling finish ended up being somewhat anticlimactic. Gritters celebrated alone, Prenzlow rolled across the timing strip some 23 seconds later, with Schwartz another seven seconds adrift. Siegle regrouped for fourth, Reinecke was just behind in fifth and John Bailey (Bailey Bikes) rounded out the podium in sixth.
According to Gritters, who was riding without the usual assistance of his vacationing brother/teammate Kyle, “I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel because I was sick earlier this week. I felt good once we started. I went kind of hard the first couple of laps to try and break up the group but we were all riding around together for three or four laps. When Reinecke dumped it I took advantage of the situation. Then it was just me and Brent and Tyler. I talked Tyler into working and he went to the front for a lap. When he came off I decided to hit it and see what would happen, and it broke us up. From there I just stayed on the gas, rode smooth and stayed on my bike. It worked out.”
“I needed a couple more sand pits,” runner-up Prenzlow said with a wry smile. “I had no problems, I’m just a little bit short on fitness to beat Brandon right now. I’ll keep working at it and see if I can get him one of these days again. I’ll try to finish the series strong. Anything can happen. I’ll keep trying.”
In the wake of his best elite finish yet, an impressive Schwartz stated, “I’m very excited with my performance. My start was horrible, but my bike handling was a little better today than it has been. I was just having fun while I could.”
Story and photos by Phil Beckman/PB Creative
Additional event coverage can be found at http://www.cxmagazine.com/ and http://socalcycling.com/
