Small Group Discussion: Cyclocross and Conversations in Connecticut

Reporting from Moran, results from Rockburn, Jive Turkey, Cross Pollination, Bethlehem, and Boulder.

After a busy season PACKED with big time UCI racing almost every weekend here in “the Northeast,” it was a perfect (albeit windy) weekend to reconnect with friends at great local racing. We hope that you got out for some fun wherever you call home!

Donny Green leads the chase with Eneas Freyre on his wheel in the Moran CX Men’s 1/2/3 race. Photo by ©2025 Marc Bertucco

We couldn’t have been happier to arrive on the grounds of Moran Middle School in CT to see dozens of kids flying down a treacherously fast and steep off-camber descent (that would have had any proper principal running, hand outstretched and screaming, “STOAAAAAHHHP!” in slow motion). The kids were all proudly wearing shirts (jerseys?) with school mascots, on top of all kinds of bikes as wide-eyed and slightly terrified parents proudly watched their kids engage in a giant physics experiment that could go wrong in split second. Fortunately this was Sunday, not a school safety officer was in sight, and everyone was having a good time.

One of those having fun was New England race promoter, lead developer at bikereg.com and…CROSSRESULTS inventor, Collin Reuter. “Resultsboy” had just finished in 4th place in a competitive New England Cat 3/4 field dominated by a lot of stupid-fast teenagers and graciously agreed to chat with us about the new cyclocross hotbed, the fastest fields, and the state of the sport.

Moran CX Race Report!

Cat 1/2/3 Women

A selective and very fast field of 7 starters had come to Moran Middle School’s backyard to do some damage as they tackled all kinds of climbs. In one 7-ish minute lap racers had all the kinds of climbs. There was the paved 2-5% start stretch climb, then after a brief twisty tour of grassy flats, two moderately terrifyingly fast descents, followed by a mixed surface switchback climb, then a steep and rocky single-track climb through the woods. All the climbs. Over 1000 feet in 50 minutes of racing. Fun times.

In the opening lap, Tori Glascock (Cycle-Smart/ShiftGear) took the lead down the screaming off-camber and over the barriers with 15 year-old Junior Tori Svatek (Velocious Sport) glued to her wheel. Rachel Rubino (Haute Factory Racing) and Madeleine Knox (KruisCX) were just a few bike lengths behind and found themselves having to chase the two Toris up the switchbacks before they all dipped into the woods.

After her strong start, Glascock fell back while Svatek took the lead at the end of the first lap with Rubino charging hard just 2 seconds behind. Rubino’s second lap completed in just 6:03 was not only her fastest lap of the race, but one of the very fastest laps of the day amongst ALL race categories and put her in control of the race.

Svatek kept it close for much of this 7-lap race and in the end finished in 2nd place just 24 seconds behind Rubino. We last spoke with Rubino after her win at Cooper River CX, and more recently watched raced strongly in the PanAms/DCCX weekend.

Women 1/2/3 Results

1. Rachel Rubino (Haute Factory Racing)

2. Tori Svatek (Velocious Sport)

3. Tori Glascock (Cycle-Smart/ShiftGear)

Cat 1/2/3 Men

In a fun parallel to the women’s race, just as we last saw Rachel Rubino racing well in D.C. and winning at Cooper River before seeing her win here in Connecticut in dominating fashion, Patrick Collins (Assabet River Bicycles) who ALSO won at Cooper River CX, competed very strongly in Pan Am elites (11th place) took control of his Moran race in the early laps.

PMCX series leader Donny Green (1 PVD Cycing) led the chase early…

…but even with the added horsepower of 50-54 Pan Am champion Eneas Freyre (TTEndurance) and William Rhatigan (West Hill Cooperative) they were no match for Collins’ 5:16 opening lap.

Collins followed up his brisk opening lap with two consecutive sub 6-minute laps that kept him in the lead throughout the remainder of the race.

Collins in the lead that never seemed to be in danger. Photo by ©2025 Marc Bertucco

With the experienced UCI-level mountain biker Collins unquestionably in control of first place by around 25 seconds at the midpoint in the race, we turned our attention to the race for second. It looked like it was going to come down to Rhatigan, Freyre and Green. But there was ONE MORE GUY who wasn’t quite done yet.

In the video above we see Collins, (then a lapped rider), then Green still leading the chase. But who was this number 11? While Lucas Smallidge’s (Ridgefield Bicycle Company Racing) opening lap time put him down in 6th place, his subsequent strong laps—including a “fast as Collin’s” 3rd lap time—helped him close the gap to the chasing trio. Rhatigan made a move off the front of the chase group up the final climbing pitch of the woodsy single track, and Smallidge had connected to make the trio a quartet.

Rhatigan makes a move! ©2025 Marc Bertucco

One lap later Smallidge goes from “the dangler” to the “bunny hopping” leader, while Green appeared to have paid the price for his early efforts leading the chase and was now off the back of “his” group.

And with less than one lap to go, Green was gone, Smallidge was still on the front and Freyre showed his first signs of struggling.

Collins had crossed the finish line in first and now it was down to Smallidge and Rhatigan for second. Coming off of a fast and tricky descent, there was one more climb and sharp left hand turn to decide the final order of the podium.

Men 1/2/3 Results

1. Patrick Collins (Assabet River Bicycles)

2. William Rhatigan (West Hill Cooperative)

3. Lucas Smallidge (Ridgefield Bicycle Company Racing)

Other Race Results from across the region…

Rockburn Cross, Elkridge, MD. In our interview above, Collin Reuter suggested that the Mid-Atlantic might be the new cyclocross hotbed. And with over 420 racers heading to Maryland this past weekend, we might agree. Cat 1/2/3 fields can be small, but with huge numbers in beginner, masters and junior fields, Mid-Atlantic racing leads the race registrations race by a significant amount. And in efforts to continue to highlight the fastest juniors racing this year, take a closer look at the “elite” resulots and you’ll see more than a few young riders are leading the way!

By virtue of his second place finish in the race, 19-year old Gray Steves (Treadstone/Bike Doctor Racing) took a commanding 45 point lead 5 races into the Bikereg Super Series. 15-year-old Mazen Lazar (Baltimore Youth Cycling) was the top junior finisher in the field in third place. Kathryn Hendley (Baltimore Bicycle Works Racing) moves up to 4th place in her series competition with her win at Rockburn.

Men 1/2/3 Results

1. Cory Peterson( Annapolis Bicycle Racing Team/Cyclo)

2. Gray Steves (Treadstone/Bike Doctor Racing)

3. Mazen Lazar (Baltimore Youth Cycling)

Women 1/2/3 Results

1. Kathryn Hendley (Baltimore Bicycle Works Racing)

Jive Turkey, Kennett Square, PA

After weeks of his brother and mother having all the fun hitting the region’s best cyclocross races, looks like former U.S. Olympian track superstar, Bobby Lea had to get in on the action this past weekend too. He finished over 3 minutes behind Andrew Wulfkuhle (Rock Lobster International) and Haru Watts (NJIT Cycling) but in front of some other very fast regional racers!

The women’s race included 55-59 Pan Am champion Collette Sexton (Vulkan) and 35-39 Pan Am bronze medalist Amanda Deleo (717 Cycling).

Men 1/2/3

1. Andrew Wulfkuhle (Rock Lobster International)

2. Haru Watts (NJIT Cycling)

3. Bobby Lea (unattached)

Women 1/2/3

1. Amanda Deleo (717 Cycling)

2. Colette Sexton (Vulkan)

3. Elizabeth Bonilla (Team Eps P/b Brielle Cyclery)

Cross Pollination, Ringwood, NJ The New Jersey State Championships and NICA fundraiser concluded on Sunday afternoon this past weekend. Reigning 55-59 Pan Am Champion Colette Sexton (Vulcan Cycling) adds to her championship jersey collection by taking the women’s 1/2/3 win. Haru Watts (NJIT Cycling) is your men’s 1/2/3 New Jersey State Champion. Congrats to all competitors!

Bethlehem Cup Cyclocross, Delmar, NY.

Men 1/2/3

1. Jacob McCarthy (WPI)

2. Ryan Odonnell (Competitive Edge Racing)

3. David Johnson (Capital Bicycle Racing Club)

Women 1/2/3

1. Ella Brown (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)

2. Paige Williams (Team ERRACE)

Boulder Cup, Boulder, CO. UCI racing continued at altitude as Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing) dominated the action at the front taking two commanding wins over two days. Lending evidence to the fact that altitude acclimatization is indeed a real thing, a quartet of collegiate teammates from Colorado Mesa University, followed Brunner with 2nd through 5th places on day 1. They are collegiate racers with some serious national and international race results to be sure, but we still didn’t expect U23 Pan Am Champion, Henry Coote (Trinity Racing)and Jules Van Kempen (Team Winston Salem-Flow) to finish in 8th and 9th places respectively. Coote bounced back on day 2 to race to third. (Van Kempen was a DNF.)

The elite women’s results were somewhat less surprising as we’ve seen strong performances from our top five finishers this season already. Caroline Mani (Velomafia p/b Bikeflights) continues to do a TERRIBLE job of convincing us that she should retire by winning another race on Saturday and placing third on Sunday. Makena Kellerman (Colorado Mesa University) traded her Steve Tilford Foundation Racing jersey that she wore to strong finishes in D.C. last weekend for her collegiate colors to win on Sunday.

Elite Men Day 1

1. Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing)

2. Ivan Sippy (Colorado Mesa University)

3. Jack Spranger (Colorado Mesa University)

4. Benjamin Bravman (Colorado Mesa University)

5. Garrett Beshore (Colorado Mesa University)

Elite Women Day 1

1. Caroline Mani (Velomafia p/b Bikeflights)

2. Makena Kellerman (Colorado Mesa University)

3. Cassidy Hickey (Colorado Mesa University)

4. Lauren Zoerner (Competitive Edge Racing)

5. Amelia Shea (Feedback Sports)

Elite Men Day 2

1. Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing)

2. Ivan Sippy (Colorado Mesa University)

3. Henry Coote (Trinity Racing)

4. Garrett Beshore (Colorado Mesa University)

5. Jack Spranger (Colorado Mesa University)

Elite Women Day 2

1. Makena Kellerman (Colorado Mesa University)

2. Cassidy Hickey (Colorado Mesa University)

3. Caroline Mani (Velomafia p/b Bikeflights)

4. Lauren Zoerner (Competitive Edge Racing)

5. Amelia Shea (Feedback Sports)