This past weekend Lance Haidet and Gage Hecht lined up at Valmont Bike Park in Boulder, Colorado, home to Donnelly headquarters, for the US Open of Cyclocross. This is the one big UCI-level race held in Colorado every season and it's no secret that when one is competing on their hometown turf they want to win. Lance and Gage where both looking for the top podium step.
Saturday saw Lance and Gage more or less dictate the pace of the race and use some tactical teamwork to give Lance the win, while Gage rolled in for second place. It could not have gone any better!
Sunday was a different story. A few mishaps and strong competition put Gage and Lance on the ropes, but they still finished strong with a second and third place respectively. We tip our caps to Donnelly-supported rider Eric Brunner for taking the win in his hometown, too!
Feelin' good. "Day one ended up going really well! I felt super strong and was mentally ready to race. Gage and I did our best to take control of the race early and knew we could whittle the group down to just a few other riders. At about the halfway point we just started launching attacks and forcing others to chase." - Lance Haidet
A clean start. "On Saturday both Lance and I were at the front of the race. After a few laps past, we took turns attacking the group. It's fun to be able to do that in a 'cross race." - Gage Hecht
Attack. "Each time we attacked the other would sit on the other riders as they chased. While the method is much more effective on the road, it ended up working for us in the end." - Gage Hecht
Push it. "On the last lap I gained separation from the group and later in the lap Lance did the same. I think we wore them down just enough to get away." - Gage Hecht
Digging deep. " With one lap to go, Gage was about 8 seconds ahead of Eric (Brunner) and me. On the main climb of the course I attacked over top and was able to bridge up to Gage over the course of the lap. Eric was chasing hard, so we had to keep the pace high all the way to the line. It was pretty awesome that Gage and I managed to pull off the 1-2. " - Lance Haidet
Solo mission. "Due to the way the course was laid out on Sunday, a team effort was pretty hard to make happen. I'm not not unhappy with third, but not completely satisfied either!" - Gage Hecht
Got oxygen? "Sunday did not go as well for me. Some major course changes definitely made things a lot more punchy, which was definitely not good for my sea level lungs!" - Lance Haidet
Where's the power? "On day two, I did not feel quite as strong and lacked the power I needed to stay with Eric (Brunner). He was certainly on his A-game." - Gage Hecht
Ouch. "On the second lap Eric really started pushing the pace. Gage and I did our best to go with him, but after a lap and half I blew up big time. It took me another few laps to see straight again. Luckily, I was able to keep it together well enough to finish third on the day." - Lance Haidet
Second will have to do. "Later on, Eric gapped us through a technical section. I chased and held the gap constant until 3 laps to go. We still ended up coming in second and third. Due to the way the course was laid out and the conditions a team effort was hard to make happen." - Gage Hecht
Winning always feels good. "Racing and hanging out in Boulder is always a good time, and I’m happy to come away from the weekend with my first UCI win of the season! - Lance Haidet
On to the next one. "It was a great weekend of racing for the team. I'm looking forward to having the next weekend at home and then its off to Cincinnati for one of the few UCI C1 events of the year!." - Gage Hecht
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Rider Tire Selection and Pressure
Lance Haidet (Sat.)
Front: LAS / 22 psi
Rear: LAS / 23 psi
Gage Hecht (Sat.)
Front: MXP / 23 psi
Rear: MXP / 24 psi
Lance Haidet (Sun.)
Front: MXP / 24 psi
Rear: MXP / 24 psi
Gage Hecht (Sun.)
START:
Front: MXP / 24 psi
Rear: MXP / 24 psi
PIT CHANGE TO:
Front: MXP / 22.5 psi
Rear: MXP / 23 psi
Donnelly Professional Cycling Team Sponsors
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Team Schedule (Tentative)
Rochester Cyclocross – Rochester, NY
Jingle Cross World Cup – Iowa City, IA
Trek CXC World Cup – Waterloo, WI
Fayettecross - Fayetteville Arkansas
US Open of Cyclocross – Boulder, CO
NEXT RACE:
Cincinnati UCI Cyclocross - Cincinnati. OH
Silver Goose - Midland, ON
Pan Am Games - Midland, ON
Ruts N Guts CX – Broken Arrow, OK
USA National Championships – Tacoma, WA
UCI World Championships – Dubendorf, CH