2018 was a great season for the GearHeads Cx racing team. This year’s team was small but hardy:
· Senior and Masters (ages 30+) Men: Carey Dedo, Steve Bursey, Dan Leblanc,
· Women: Kathleen Mottershead, Alicia Berthiaume and Stephanie Rees-Tregunno
· Kids: Henry Bursey
A few GearHeads alumni were also out in force over the season, including Mark Kulas, Christine Ficker, Stuart Theron and Peter Tregunno.
This season’s racing centred around the Eastern Ontario Cyclocross series (EOCX) – a 9 race series, this year hosted by The Cyclery. It runs on Sundays from mid-September to the end of November, in parks as far away as Cornwall and as close as Renfrew. This series has a really friendly atmosphere, and welcomes riders of all skill levels, including newbies. But, by no means is it easy! With several internationally competitive racers showing up on any given week, the racing is fast and fierce.
GearHeads had some great 2018 EOCX results, placing the team 9th overall, out of 56 teams. A few highlights:
· Carey did every race in the series, placing as high 3rd in Race 9 – Almonte (a snowy, slippery day!), and came 4th in the overall Maters A series
· Dan had a best individual placing of 10th (Race 2- North Gower) and placed 14th overall in the Masters A series
· Steve duked it out with the young guys and had a best individual result of 8th in Race 8 – Perth (also a tricky, snowy day)) and placed 11th overall in the Senior Men series
· Kathleen had a strong season opener (7th in Race 1 – Renfrew) and sadly missed the latter half of the season due to injury.
· Stephanie was on a post-baby comeback, and had her best result (15th) in Race 4 – Perth
· Alicia won 4 of the 5 races she completed, with a season-best overall women’s race win in Race 8 (snowy, snowy Perth), and placed 1st in the overall Masters B series
Outside of the EOCX, GearHeads was also represented at:
· the Maglia Rosa - Quebec Cup #2 (Camp-Fortune, Chelsea, QC). Henry, Steve and Alicia raced. It was surely the most technical race of the season, held on a ski hill and mountain bike trails! Results were 2nd for Henry in the kids race (!!), 3rd for Alicia in Masters 35-44 Women, and 26th for Steve Masters 35-44 Men.
· The 2018 Cx Nationals were held in nearby Peterborough in early November. It was a slippery snowy day and despite the cold, Steve and Alicia toed the line, (with support from Tammy & Damien!!) ending up 31st and 5th respectively in the Masters 35-44 category. The 2019 Cx Nationals will be in Peterborough again, and we hope to see even more GearHeads jerseys out there!
EOCX Pics:
· https://www.facebook.com/
· https://ianausten.smugmug.com/
· https://mcmannphotography.
CX Nationals pics: https://mcmannphotography.
Quebec Cup #2 pics: https://mcmannphotography.