Rockville Cyclocross Race Report

By Joel Moats

Local cycling entreprenuer / young speedster Zach Adams, promoted another in a string of finely executed cycling events this past weekend with the Rockburn Cyclocross / PACX Series Final race held @ the Marysville Lion’s Club park along the Susquehanna river.

The Mountainside crew were on hand with the canopy complete with fire ring, brats and beverages. Mountainside racers on hand were Mike Laub, Kera, Craig, Brent and myself. Mike Funk swung thru to say “Hi” while he was out on a road ride with a couple of friends…couldn’t talk him into doing a lap on the road tires.

The race course was one of the more technically challenging that I remembered this year out of the 20 CX venues I suffered on. There were many off-camber turns and straights that were made much trickier by the cold, snow and let’s not forget----mud.


As the race progressed, I found myself not only dealing with the normal high energy suffering of cross, but also with trying to negotiate the course with no feeling in the fingers and toes…...a touch under dressed. There were also a couple of long straight sections for the powerhouses to get a gap. The feature of the course was the “Sunshine Granola” run / ride up, for those who want to show there manliness or womanliness as the case may be. Special surprises were verbally dangled to lure people into attempting to ride it.

My race in the Master’s event started with me on the front row alongside Kelly Cline / Wissahickon and Marc Vettori / C3…good company. I managed a good start with decent legs and tried to remain calm as we started the first of many sketchy sections. After the first few laps, I watched in vane as the gap to 3rd grew out of obtainable reach. Then ensued a battle with Don Kessel / Holmes and others for the next positions. Deteriorating conditions, crashes and bobbles, attacks and fading legs molded the rest of the race into the following order:

1- Marc Vettori
2 -Kelly Cline
3 -Joseph Piccillo
4 -Don Kessel
5 -Joe Lillibridge
6 -Sean Mealey
7 -Joel Moats
8 -N. Johan Anestad
9 -Mike Laub
10- Norman Brach
11 -Kevin Breckenmaker
12 -Douglass Gray
13 -Blake Bricker
14 -Aaron Holfelt
15 -Mark Wanco
16 -Dave Baumgardner
17 -Gary Snyder

Thanks for reading------Joel Moats