Race Report: Santa Cross Weekend
 
12/22/11 - Griffith Park hosted the two day cross-centric-bicycle festival the Southern California Prestige Series, (SCPS). Santa Cross provided a two-day weekend of fantastic racing, advocacy, family (pets included), fun, and friends.
 
The course was a challenging and featured the longest climb of the Series. The climb was a one-minute plus pulse pounding grind from the road of the start finish to the top of the park where racers made a long sweeping left back down through the winding grass/dirt sections of the park. Along this path racers twisted back up punchy climbs that included multiple small six-inch barriers, risky twisting woodchip sections, and the man made Spy Optic, SPY Pit.

Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/Focus) looks smooth at Santa Cross.
Photo © Kenneth Hill / Light & Shadows Photography

Day 1, Saturday brought early morning rains, but dried out for perfect cross racing. The grass had some slick sections that challenged riders but the Hero Dirt was so gripping riders were carving turns. The competitors’ battles were exciting all day, especially the Fixed Gear Championship of SoCal, with the expected winner tattoo on the line. This was a special race brought by Orange 20 and Team Cadence who came out in force to help set up a fun course full of obstacles.
 
Fixed Gear Championships:
Brian Comer (Acqua AL2/SDBC) could have raced the super master’s event, but instead brought out his fixed machine to brave the hilly Griffith Park course, showing the crowds and competitors that we are never too old to have fun. While Comer was off the start first, Austin Horse (Redbull/Oakley) and Hernan Montenegro (Mash) crushed the first climb ahead of the field to descend into the park.
 
By the second lap, Horse had shown who was going to win as he rode himself away from the competition. Montenegro was in second and controlled the course without brakes and third was Peter Brandenburg.
 
Elite Women:
Christine Probert-Turner (The Team SoCalCross) crushed the race from the start showing her form as she continues to get stronger this season. The chase was the Cynergy Bicycles women Julia LaFranchise and Jenna Jammer Kowalski. The two worked hard and separated themselves away from the field with Turner. By the end of lap two, it was obvious Turner was going to ride away with the win.
 
LaFranchise and Jammer went back and forth, but towards the end some mistakes allowed LaFranchise to ride in for 2nd. Jammer was a solid 3rd, Nicole Brandt (LA Velocity) 4th and Kate Wilson (Connie Cycling) 5th.
 
Elite Men:
The men shot up the hill. Ted Willard (SDG/Felt p.b. iRT) took the hole shot and led into the descent. Three turns in and Willard crashed in the slick grass. His teammate Jason Siegle took the lead for the remainder of the descent and into the small barrier section. Siegle bobbled hopping the barriers and riders instantly shot ahead. Gary Douville SDG/Felt p.b. iRT)  and Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/Focus) came around Siegle to take the lead. Douville was quick to snap around the corner and controlled lap one.
 
Siegle worked his way back to the front group with Gareth Feldstein (Ritte Racing) and others in the chase. The pace was hard and riders were falling apart quickly with the crushing climb. On the third lap, Douville went down on the slick grass descent and Prenzlow was away solo with a small gap back to the chase. He was riding strong and the chase was changing riders as they were getting closer to the leader.
 
Then with three to go, Ben Bostrom (Sho-Air) started to close the gap leaving the chase group and continuing to gain on Prenzlow. Douville and teammate Anton Petrov were close to Bostrom and rode themselves away from others, also looking for the leader.
 
With two laps to go, Bostrom was on Prenzlow’s wheel and still riding hard. Douville and Petrov were back about 15 seconds then the leaders attacked the climbs again to open more ground. After the Spy Pit, Prenzlow led into the mulchy woodchip section.  Bostrom came around with his two wheel handling skills sneaking by to lead into the final lap.
 
During the last lap, Prenzlow and Bostrom punished each other up the climb and through the lap and it was Bostrom who rode to his first win of the season. Douville was 3rd, with Petrov 4th, and the winners brother Eric Bostrom (Sho-Air) who continued to move up in the group all day for 5th.
 
Day 2, Sunday, brought more overnight showers and then the skies took a break to present nothing but sun. It was another perfectly cool SoCal winter race with more epic course conditions. The Fixed Gear Championships were done which left the team gift relay race, K9 costume extravaganza, along with more fantastic Santa Cross racing, thanks to the help of Universal Cycles.
 
Elite Women:
The women flew up the start and were eyeing each other for position as the previous days winner was not in the field. Leading down the descent was birthday girl Hannah Rae Finchamp (The Team SoCalCross) with Amanda Schaper (Ritte Racing) and the rest of the chase in tow.
 
Finchamp looked strong was excited about her lead and was not slowing down. Schaper worked hard and was dancing up the hills away from the women. As Schaper and Nicole Brandt (The Team SoCalCross) could not close the gap, Finchamp continued to open then faded back. Dorothy Wong (The Team SoCalCross) moved her way up in the group to eventually take control of the chase.
 
Finchamp rolled in for her best birthday ever and first elite win. Her teammates Wong and Brandt were 2nd and 3rd, with Schaper just behind in 4th with Mandy Melcher taking the final podium spot.
 
Elite Men:
The men finally hit the course for the last race of the weekend. The fresh legs of the Gritter’s brothers, Brandon and Kyle (Rock N’ Road), took a commanding lead around the top of the course and into lap one. Quickly, the brothers and Jason Siegle gapped themselves off the chase leading into lap two.
 
John Bailey (Bailey Bikes) and Brent Prenzlow (Celo Pacific/Focus) controlled the chase. On lap two, the brothers led through the descent and a small mistake by Brandon Gritters allowed Siegle to sneak up to second wheel. By the time the riders hit the small barriers, Siegle pulled the move used on him the day before and he attacked hopping past Kyle Gritters to take the lead. Coming through the start finish and into the climb of lap three he held a eight-second gap on the brothers.
 
The whole field was chasing hard and it was just a matter of time until things reformed and settled in for different tactics later in the race. However, Siegle was holding his gap and in some sections of the course continuing to gain room. Halfway through it was the same, the brothers charging hard after Siegle and Bailey leading the chase of Prenzlow and now Anton Petrov (SDG/Felt p.b. iRT) as others had faded back from the pace.
 
With one to go Siegle was still off the front with a gap that was between 15-20 seconds most of the lap as he happily took his second win of the season and an early gift from Santa. Brandon Gritters was 2nd, with his work horse Kyle Gritters 3rd. Prenzlow and Petrov eventually came around Bailey to take 4th and 5th and finished another strong day of racing.