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Volume 80, Issue 15 Web Edition SERVING BREVARD COLLEGE SINCE 1935
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January 14, 2015
BC repeats cyclocross nationals win
By Joshua Cole
Managing Editor
BC cycling has another cyclocross national title.
The BC cycling team left for Austin on Tues
day, Jan. 6, the day before school reeonvened to
defend their national title from last year’s national
championship in Boulder, CO.
Some 18 hours later the team arrived in Austin, a
city very similar to Asheville in its culture, includ
ing food, arts and music. The collegiate nationals
race was held on Saturday, Jan. 11, four days after
the team arrived, which allowed everyone to re
cuperate from the long, back wrenching drive and
get in some course reconnaissance—learning the
course, tricky turns, barriers on the course, such
as the multiple sets of jagged limestone steps.
Cyclocross, like mountain biking, is a sport
heavily reliant on weather conditions. Racers at
the highest levels have an array of different tires
with varying tread patterns for dry, normal, wet
and sloppy mud conditions. In the days before
the race the course was dry, fast and technical,
meaning the course was very challenging in some
sections especially where it was off-camber.
Being in Texas, the soil was sandy so it allowed
water to drain well from the course. The forecast
for Saturday was calling for snow or at least rain
with a possibility of sleet. Throughout the week
Austin remained in the 30’s with a chilling wind.
Some racers felt apprehensive about the impend
ing chance of snow or rain, as it would turn the
race upside down with respect to which racers
excelled and which ones fell, quite literally.
Friday, Jan. 10, was the collegiate team relay
where four riders, two women and two men, were
picked by each school to race one lap against each
other. It was one of the most interesting aspects of
collegiate racing at nationals as it is heavily team
focused even for members of the team not racing.
Teammates not racing helped to support their
teammates racing by working in the pits, where
racers are allowed to stop for new bikes if they
have a flat tire or trouble with parts, or by making
sure that racers had everything they needed, cloth
ing, water, energy gels, etc. Small things can add
up if only to help reduce stress for racers to help
them succeed. As the racers came back through
the start line new racers of that school would ac
celerate into action to take up the chase for first.
BC had an exceptionally strong relay team made
up of Walker Shaw, Sarah Hill, Zach Valdez and
Allison Arensman respectively. As each rider
BC Cyclists at omnium awards.
finished their one lap they gathered with the rest
of the team to watch the next rider in much an
ticipation until finally Arensman was the last rider
on course followed closely by a strong female
rider from King College, a school also known
for their strong cycling program. Hearts pulsed
with increased haste until seeing Arensman crest
the top of the hill with an eight to 10 second gap
on the competition. Elated with joy, teammates
embraced one another at the finish. The relay
proved that BC came to nationals ready to win
and ready to win in commanding style.
The next day, Saturday, the rains came and the
course changed into a complete mud bath with
even simple sections of the course becoming
treacherous to ride. Sections that were previously
possible to ride were now off-the-bike running
sections, nearly a quarter to a third of the course
became a bike-shouldering race to slip the least.
The finishing straight was a long 600-800 meter
paved stretch and was one of the only sections
where riders could go full gas.
The DI and DII women were combined into
the same race, with the DI women starting two
minutes ahead of the DII schools. Arensman had
a strong start coming into the first comer around
fifth place with teammate. Hill not far behind. “By
the time we hit the first off-camber section I was in
second, I was able to move around into first place.
I put in a couple solid attacks; I had a three second
gap once we hit the [finishing straight] I put in
another attack and got about five more seconds
and then I just kept the gas down from there and
tried to keep the bike upright and ride smooth
See 'Cyclocross' on page 5