Team Planet Bike

Page 11th at Tervuren

2010-01-03T05:44:00.000-08:00

Capping off 2 weeks of strong racing Jonathan Page finished 11th in Tervuren, Belgium. Jonathan took the lead at the start of the race and led riders for much of the first lap. He dropped back to a chase group as the race went on and was the top American finisher. Congrats to JP on some great racing the past two weeks!

Cyclingnews
CX Magazine

Page 6th at Sint Niklaas

2010-01-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

photo: ispaphoto.com

Jonathan Page was back in Belgium racing in Sint Niklaas and showed his excellent form by being in the lead group the entire race. An unfortunate flat on the last lap caused him to fall out of the group but he managed to still finish a strong 6th.

Cyclingnews
CX Magazine

Page Podiums in Luxembourg

2010-01-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

Racing at the Grand Prix Hotel Threeland in Luxembourg on New Years Day netted Jonathan Page a 3rd place finish. Sprinting for 2nd only 14 seconds behind the winner, Jonathan took the final podium spot on the day. Great racing Jonathan!

Cyclingnews
CX Magazine

Diegem Superprestige

2009-12-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

photo: Bart Hazen

The Superprestige in Diegem, Belgium was a muddy mess with a mix of fresh rain and melting snow. Jonathan Page finished 15th in the race under the lights.

CX Magazine, Cyclingnews

Compton 2nd at Zolder World Cup, Page 14th

2009-12-26T22:44:00.000-08:00

photo: Bart Hazen

Another weekend of World Cup racing in Zolder, Belgium brought much different course conditions that last weekends near white out in Kalmthout. A fast course with some mud and a lot of pavement faced riders rather than thick snow. Only 10 points separated World Cup leader Katie Compton from second placed Daphny Van den Brand. After a frustrating start and a missed pedal Compton was forced to work her way through the field.

photo: Bart Hazen

Vos led from the gun and as the race went on Compton was able to pick off riders and move solidly into 2nd place. By race end Compton was only 25 seconds behind Vos and had a 45 second gap on 3rd place finisher Van den Brand. Katie's strong finish bolstered her lead in the World Cup points competition where she is now 15 points ahead of Van den Brand and 40 points ahead of Vos.

photo: Bart Hazen

The final 2 rounds of World Cup racing will take place January 17 in France and January 24 in Holland. Katie now returns to the US for a few weeks to recover, train, and prepare for those races and the penultimate race of the season - Worlds in Tabor on January 31.

Womens reports
CX Magazine, Cyclingnews

Jonathan Page also raced in Zolder and had a solid showing to finish 14th - once again the top American finisher.

photo: Bart Hazen

Page has been and will be racing many of the Christmas week cyclocross events in Belgium. His next race will be the Superprestige in Diegem on Sunday.

Mens reports
CX Magazine, Cyclingnews

Page 8th at Middelkerke

2009-12-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

photo: ispaphoto.com

With cyclocross racing hitting its heyday in Belgium Jonathan Page took a strong 8th place in Middelkerke, Belgium. Christmas week races in Belgium occur nearly every day in this next week as riders prepare and look forward to Worlds at the end of January. With several Americans coming to Europe to take part in the racing Page was the top US finisher in the cold, muddy conditions.

Race Reports
Cyclingnews, CX Magazine

Compton 3rd, Page 17th at Kalmthout WC

2009-12-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

photo: Bart Hazen

Belgium was hit with a large snowstorm the days preceding the World Cup race in Kalmthout. The snow started falling again on Sunday and conditions were tough for competitors. Leading the overall World Cup competition and fresh off a victory at US Nationals Katie Compton had to overcome a bad start and was never able to chase down the duo of Van den Brand and Vos. photo:www.ispaphoto.com

Katie's third place finish allowed her to keep the white leaders jersey. Only 10 points now separate her from Van den Brand and all eyes will be on this weekend's next World Cup race in Zolder.

photo: Bart Hazen

Womens reports - Cyclingnews, CX Magazine

In the men's race Jonathan Page was having a strong ride and was in the top 10 for much of the race. As the laps ticked by he dropped back slightly to finish 17th - the top US finisher.

Mens reports - Cyclingnews, CX Magazine

Video

Womens race (after the U23 summary)

Mens race (part 1 of 6)

Successful CX Nationals for Team Planet Bike

2009-12-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

**UPDATE** See below entries for Day 1, 2, 3, and 4 detailed race coverage
Milwaukee Journal article on the team

photo: Mark Legg

The 2009 US Cyclocross Nationals were held December 10-13 in Bend, OR. Planet Bike had 16 riders participate in age group and Elite events throughout the four days of racing. An excellent showing by all racers resulted in 4 National Championship jerseys, 2 silver medals, and one bronze medal.

photo: Dave McElwaine
Katie Compton wins the Womens Elite race by over a minute

Diane, Sarah, and Ian test out their gold medals

USA Cycling results, Cyclingnews coverage, CX Magazine coverage, Podium in Sight coverage, Cyclingdirt

CX Nationals Day 4

2009-12-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

The fourth day of Nationals culminated with the Elite level races. The two most honored events of Cyclocross in the United States and Planet Bike had riders poised to potentially win both the mens and womens categories. A solid team of Planet Bike riders in both races and the excitement was in the air. Huge crowds formed to spectate the races to see who would slip on the coveted stars and stripes jerseys at the end of the day.

photo by Ben Ross

First up was the Elite Womens race and Planet Bike rider and 5 time defending national champion Katie Compton was the odds on favorite.

photo by Lyne Lamoureux

The three other Planet Bike women were seeded in the second row and junior rider Kaitie Antonneau was another rider to watch after an incredible season of UCI racing.

photo by Lyne Lamoureux

Over 100 women on the start line marked the largest field ever seen in a US womens cyclocross race. The armada of Planet Bike women visible at the start of the race was striking.

photo by Dave McElwaine

From the gun Compton took the lead into the first corner and never looked back. A ten second gap quickly grew as Dombroski, Miller, and Dunlap battled behind her.

photo by Mark Legg

The race proceeded to get spread out as riders soon found themselves riding in small groups or alone. Ice still lingered beneath the mud and grass and the slippery course challenged riders to stay upright.

Compton rode a smooth race save for one slip before the stairs. Her power and technical skills were no match for riders in this field.

photo by Dave McElwaine

Behind the top 7 riders a chase group of 5 emerged including Kaitie A who was having an impressive race.

photo by Lyne Lamoureux

Just behind this group were several riders including Linda who was having a strong race in about 15th place.

photo by Dave McElwaine

Kristin was struggling a bit further back with the technical conditions and was riding around 20th place.

photo by Jeff Edwards

Compton continued her domination off the front of the race and the result so many predicted and expected soon became reality.

photo by Lyne Lamoureux

Katie crossed the line over a minute ahead of second place finisher Meredith Miller.

photo by Dave McElwaine

A herd soon formed around Katie to congratulate the now 6 time national champ and get her thoughts on the race and her goals for the remainder of the season. After finishing 3rd last year at Worlds, Compton will travel to the Czech Republic at the end of January in hopes of slipping on a World Champion rainbow jersey.

photo by Amy Dykema

The rest of the Planet Bike women soon crossed the line with Kaitie A. finishing in an incredible 12th place, Linda in 14th, and Kristin in 22nd.

photo by Amy Dykema

Congratulations to Katie on her incredible show of strength and a record tying 6 straight National Championships.

photo by Amy Dykema

Womens race reports
CX Magazine, Podium in Sight, Cyclingnews, Velonews, Cyclingdirt

Next up was the Elite Mens race and with Planet Bike rider Jonathan Page fresh off an 8th place at the World Cup in Igorre, Spain many were curious to see how JP would fare against other US riders.

photo by Dave McElwaine

Also racing for Team Planet Bike were LaLonde brothers Mark and James. Mark was hoping to improve on his 11th place finish at Nationals last year and James, winner of the 2009 non championship single speed race, was eager to prove himself in his first Elite Nationals race.

From the start Jeremy Powers pushed the pace opening up a gap. Page was chasing hard in second position.

photo by Lyne Lamoureux

Meanwhile Mark who had been riding in the top 15 faced some bad luck and flatted on the first lap and needed to ride nearly half a lap before getting to the pit.

photo by Amy Dykema

James was riding well in the top 40 riders.

photo by Amy Dykema

Page had some problems with the tire pressure on his bike and went to the pit on the second lap. He traded bikes again later that lap and dropped back into fourth place as Johnson and Trebon both passed by him.

photo by Dave McElwaine

Mark couldn't seem to catch a break and got flat tires on three more occasions.

photo by Amy Dykema

James continued to ride a strong race and had moved up a bit further.

photo by Amy Dykema

Powers suffered a crash and Johnson took over the race behind a chasing Trebon. Jonathan was left racing for 3rd with Todd Wells and was able to get a gap on him before the finish stretch. Page had a good showing and took his second straight 3rd place at Nationals.

photo by Amy Dykema

Mark, despite his bad luck, was able to finish 26th and James not far behind in 34th.

A smiling Jonathan post race. His season is far from over as he continues World Cup racing this weekend and looks to Worlds on January 31st in Tabor.

photo by Amy Dykema

Mens race reports
CX Magazine, Podium in Sight, Cyclingnews, Velonews, Cyclingdirt

All in all an incredible four days of racing in Bend, OR by the Planet Bike team. Huge thanks to all of the sponsors for the support throughout the long season - Planet Bike, Edge, Ridley, Lazer, TRP.

CX Nationals Day 3

2009-12-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

The third day of Cyclocross Nationals began early in the morning with Bob Downs racing his masters mens event at 8:30. The entire Planet Bike team came out to rally on their leader.

Bob had a great start and was sitting in the top 5 after the first lap.

photo: Mark Legg

He moved up to 3rd by the third lap and was looking strong. The technical, slippery course was causing trouble for many riders, however, and Bob went down hard on the back section of the course.

photo: Mark Legg

Another couple of bobbles after that and he had soon fallen out of the top 10. A valiant effort, nonetheless, and Bob's form was demonstrated by his strong showing in the early laps.

CX Magazine report, Cyclingnews

Following Bob's race the entire team gathered for a team photo. With 16 riders participating at Nationals this year it was truly special to have everyone together. Spanning all age categories Team Planet Bike is a force to be reckoned with!

After the team photo Katie Compton had something special to present to Bob for Planet Bike's support of her this season.
As the leader of the UCI World Cup competition Katie wears a special white leader's jersey and presented Bob with this. She is the first American (man or woman) to ever lead this prestigious competition and has been wearing the jersey in World Cup races since she won the first race in the series on October 4.

Another few team pictures were taken including a womens team shot

and one of all the juniors on the team

The afternoon races consisted of some masters mens events for the 30-40 year old guys. The crowds were huge and raucous.

So were the fields of riders. Chris, Curtis, Jerry, and Geoff lined up with nearly 170 of their closest friends to contest the 35-39 age category.
Planet Bike East Coast Team members Curtis finished 12th, Jerry 83rd, and Geoff 88th. Chris was also duking it out in the race and he made it more laps than he had predicted and looked strong out on the course. Nice racing guys!

Masters reports - CX Magazine, Cyclingnews

And thus concluded the day of sanctioned racing. A special Clydesdale race occured later that evening under the lights. With a weigh in determining start order and costumes encouraged the race drew lots of spectators. Planet Bike also donated some new Blaze 2W lights to riders and the course was lit up well.
And it was terribly slippery as temps dropped below freezing and off camber grass sections become icy. Crashes were prevalent.

Here is Planet Bike East Coast team member Geoff Williams. Nice lights Geoff (notice the ones turned backwards as an attempt to blind his competition?)

CX Nationals Day 2

2009-12-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

The second day of Nationals had Planet Bike riders participating in nearly every event. The morning began with the junior women and had Kaitie in the Womens 17-18 category and Sarah in the Womens 15-16. The two groups were on the course at the same time - the younger riders starting 20 seconds behind the older category. The cold conditions caused the snow covered course to be slippery in several spots and attempting to stay upright was on the minds of the riders.

Kaitie led the first half lap of her race before a crash forced her to chase after defending national champion Coryn Rivera. photo: Dave McElwaine

Another bobble by Kaitie increased the gap but she soon got in a rhythm and pulled ahead of the competition to sit comfortably in second. She rode smoothly the rest of the race and was closing down the gap to Rivera but there wasn't enough time in the 30 minute race.

photo: Lyne Lamoureux

Congrats to Kaitie on a strong race and a great 2nd place finish. The Team Planet Bike cheering section was out in full force including Katie Compton.

photo: Mark Legg

Sarah was racing at the same time as Kaitie and rode an incredible race as she was off the front the entire time. There was no competition as Sarah made the tough course conditions look easy and actually rode past all the 17-18 girls except for the top 3.

photo: Dave McElwaine

Congratulations to Sarah on an impressive ride and her second straight US National title.

photo: Lyne Lamoureux

Junior Women reports
CX Magazine
Cyclingnews

The junior men were next to take the course and Ian raced the 13-14 age category. Starting in the fourth row Ian was patient in moving up and by the end of the first lap was in the top 5. Near the end of the second lap he had moved into second place and a tactical attack at the start of the last lap put him in the lead.

photo: Lyne Lamoureux

Riding smoothly on the final lap Ian increased his lead and came across the line for the win.

photo: Lyne Lamoureux

Congratulations to Ian on his first national championship and a well ridden race.

Next up was Jordan Cullen in the 15-16 junior mens race. After a few slips on the course Jordan was picking off the competition and moved up to finish a strong 8th place.

Junior Men reports
CX Magazine
Cyclingnews

Following the junior races came the singlespeed race and three riders from the East Coast grassroots team represented for Planet Bike.

Curtis Boivin was 8th

photo: Dave McElwaine

Jerry Chabot 33rd

Geoff Williams 68th

SingleSpeed reports
CX Magazine
Cyclingnews

Nice racing guys!

After a brief break for the noon hour the Planet Bike riders again stormed the course for the afternoon races. First up was the 40+ Masters women with Toni racing in the 40-44 and Diane in the 55-59 category.

In her first time competing at Nationals Toni had a solid race and finished 23rd.

Diane was out to try to win a third straight National title and her determination was evident. Taking the lead early she never looked back and steadily increased her gap.

By the end Diane crossed the line nearly 2 minutes ahead of her nearest competition.

Congrats to Diane on an impressive ride and her 3rd straight National Championship!!

The next races were two more Masters womens events with Kristin in the 30-34 and Linda in the 35-39 category. With Linda's group starting immediately behind Kristin's the course was packed with riders. Warming temperatures and plentiful sun had changed the course and the mud was starting to appear along with some still icy stretches.

Kristin had some difficulty with the slippery conditions and finished 15th.

photo: Dave McElwaine

Linda rode a strong race and had to pass by many women in the 30-34 category. She had a great showing and finished 2nd.

photo: Dave McElwaine

Masters Women reports
CX Magazine
Cyclingnews

Full day report - Podium In Sight report

Some podium shots from the successful day - all courtesy of Amy Dykema

Diane and her 3rd consecutive Nationals win

Linda on the 2nd step

Kaitie and Linda both like silver

A great showing by all Planet Bike riders on the day. A team dinner later in the evening allowed for some cleaned up photos of the champions on the day and a womens team shot.

CX Nationals Day 1

2009-12-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

US Cyclocross Nationals kicked off on Thursday, December 10, with Category B races in the morning. Planet Bike rider Sarah used the Womens B event as a tune up for her junior race on Day 2. The 8:30AM race was frigidly cold with temps in the single digits and a snow covered, icy course greeted riders. Sarah had an impressive race and finished 8th.

Planet Bike employee and racer Chris Follmer also tried his hand at the B race and finished 78th.

B race reports

CX Magazine report
Cyclingnews report

Following the morning races came the Masters Men event which had Gordy and Glen both racing in the 55-59 age category. The sun and rising temps only made the course more slippery and the guys faced difficult conditions. The below photo shows both Planet Bike riders with Greg in red and Gordy in black.

photo: Lyne Lamoureux

Both Gordy and Glen raced hard and were victim to a few crashes on the slippery course.

photo: Lyne Lamoureux

Solid finishes by both riders with Greg finishing 16th and Gordy in 23rd. Nice work guys!

CX Magazine report
Cyclingnews report
Podium in Sight report

Page 8th at World Cup in Spain

2009-12-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

World Cup #5 took place on Sunday in Igorre Spain and Jonathan Page had a strong showing in his final European race before returning to the US to compete at Nationals. A muddy course greeted riders and Page rode an excellent race finishing 8th only a minute behind winner Zdenek Stybar.

Cyclingnews report

Cyclocross Magazine report

Jonathan will now travel to Bend to compete in the US National Championships on Sunday December 13.

Podium in Sight interview

Kaitie A. in CX Magazine, Compton atop UCI rankings

2009-12-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

Planet Bike's 17 year old sensation Kaitie Antonneau was recently featured in an interview in Cyclocross Magazine. Kaitie has been racing a full UCI schedule this season and been racking up points across the country.

Read the interview here

UCI rankings were also updated this week and the Planet Bike women dominate the top 50. Katie Compton remains solidly in 1st place, with Kristin in 39th, Linda 40th, and Kaitie 43rd. Way to go ladies!

On the men's side Jonathan Page sits in 22nd with Mark in 75th, Tristan 87th, and James 175th.

Full UCI rankings

Koksidje World Cup

2009-12-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

photo: Bart Hazen

Planet Bike riders Katie Compton and Jonathan Page were in Belgium to race World Cup #4 in Koksidge. The course featured several sand dunes that often force riders to dismount and run. A series of unfortunate crashes early on caused Compton to have to fight her way back into the race. Demonstrating her strength she rode herself onto the podium in 3rd place behind Vos and Van den Brand.

Womens report

After the completion of 4 World Cup events, Compton continues to wear the World Cup leaders jersey. photo: Bart Hazen

Katie now heads back to the United States to compete at Nationals in Bend where she will seek her 6th straight US title.

Cyclingnews article

In the mens race Jonathan was also faced with some bad luck and two flat tires left him chasing. Despite posting the second fastest lap time of the day Page couldn't make up the time lost due to the mechanical and finished 27th.
Mens report

photo: Bart Hazen

Cyclingnews article

Planet Bike Podiums at Jingle Cross

2009-11-30T19:30:00.000-08:00

Team Planet Bike was out in force for the three day Jingle Cross UCI events in Iowa. Nearly 15 riders participated in the various races with podium finishes for many.

Races were held Friday night under the lights and the record rainfall for the month of November created a sloppy, muddy course. Mixed with sections of pea gravel the conditions caused broken derailleurs for many riders. Bike changes were crucial and luckily the Elites all were able to do this thanks to all the great support in the pit. Besides the mud, riders also had to battle up and down Mt. Krumpet each lap with a steep leg busting run up and off camber switchbacks on the descent.

In the womens race after leading the first lap Kaitlin hung on for second behind a strong Meredith Miller. Kristin rounded out the podium for 3rd with Linda not far behind in 4th.

In the mens race Mark finished just off the podium for 4th with the win going to Todd Wells.

Other top results included 14 year old Jordan Cullen finishing 3rd in the Mens 2/3 race.

Friday night - report , full results

photo: jared roy

Saturday brought unusually mild temperatures and lots of sun. The mud was still present but got tackier as the day wore on. A different route up and down Mt. Krumpet today with riders ascending an incredibly steep and muddy run up.

In the womens race Meredith Miller once again proved unstoppable with Linda riding strong to finish 2nd. Kristin was 4th, Kaitie 6th, and Patti 15th.

photo: jared roy

In the mens race Todd Wells rode to a second win with a group of 4 including Planet Bike riders Tristan and Mark. Tristan rode to an impressive 2nd place finish with Mark in 4th after a crash late in the race forced him to chase. James had a strong race and was 11th.

Saturday - report

Sunday was another dry day but this time the temps dropped and the wind picked up. The mud was thick and tacky and not as much of an issue as the previous two days. Yet another trip up and down the feared Mt. Krumpet with some steep switchbacks down that caused some spectacular crashes throughout the day. Iowa felt a bit like Portland in the morning when a group of bikini clad single speeders took the course.
In the womens race Kristin led out the first half a lap before being passed by Meredith. A crash on the descent allowed Kaitie to catch and pass Kristin and the two finished on the podium in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. A hard charging Linda finished in 4th and Patti was 14th.

photo: nikkicyp

In the mens race Marko and Tristan again both rode strong races and finished 3rd and 4th, respectively. James was 16th.

photo: nikkicyp

Sunday - report

Velonews weekend report

There were plenty of mentions of Planet Bike riders throughout the weekend. Other riders participating included:

Jordan - winner of the both Saturday and Sunday's Mens 15-17 races.
Sarah - winner of the Womens Junior 15-17 race both days.

Greg

Gordy

Diane

Thanks to all of the Planet Bike family for making the trip down to Iowa. Everyone had a great time at the races. Here is part of the crew at a team dinner on Saturday night.

Huge thanks to the entire support crew for the weekend - with extra thanks to Chris, Jim, Dave G., Daniel, and Dave S.!

Wentworth wins in North Carolina

2009-11-23T19:44:00.001-08:00

Planet Bike riders James, Kaitie, Kristin, and Linda made the drive down to beautiful North Carolina for a weekend of UCI racing in Hendersonville, NC. The course was well laid out and included some sections in the woods, a few off cambers, and a short steep grassy "wall" before the finish. Saturday brought sunny skies and 60 degree temps.

In the womens race Kristin attacked on the first lap and was soon joined by Dede Winfield. The two rode together the remainder of the race with Kristin attacking her on the last lap before the "wall" to take the win. Her first UCI win, Kristin was joined on the podium by Linda who finished a strong 3rd with Kaitie just behind for 4th. Great racing by the Planet Bike women!

Cyclingnews report

photo thanks to Shane Orr

In the mens race James battled through stomach issues to take 12th place.

Mens report

photo thanks to Shane Orr

Sunday the conditions drastically changed with steady rain and temps in the low 40s. The course was slick and sloppy and the cold rain picked up as the Elite races drew near. The mud was thin enough that bike changes were not necessary. In the womens race Linda attacked on the first lap and had nearly a 10 second gap before a crash and dropped chain lost her nearly a minute. Winfield took advantage and held off Kaitie who finished 2nd with Kristin rounding out the podium in 3rd. Linda battled back from last place following her mechanical to finish a strong 4th.

Cyclingnews report

photo thanks to Shane Orr

photo thanks to Shane Orr
photo thanks to Jeff Zimmerman

photo thanks to Peter Hymas

In the men's race James had a better day and rode well in the mud to take a solid 6th place finish and get some coveted UCI points.

Mens Report

photo thanks to Shane Orr

Huge thanks go out to Daniel and Dave for all of their help this weekend with getting bikes ready and working the pits. It's always great to have some support out at the races! Also thank you to Kat for hosting us throughout the weekend. It was so much fun to stay at the house in the mountains and we all appreciated her hospitality! North Carolina is absolutely beautiful and they have a fun cyclocross scene. We were really glad to be able to make it down for the races!

Thanks to all of our great sponsors - Planet Bike, Edge, Ridley, Lazer, and TRP!

Compton wins Superprestige, Page 21st

2009-11-17T06:15:00.000-08:00

photo: ispaphoto.com

Compton resumed her winning ways on Sunday in Beligium for the Superprestive in Gavere. Muddy conditions greeted the riders and Compton gapped her competition on the second lap and rode solo the remainder of the race. Vos finished nearly a minute behind, with Van den Brand in third. Congrats to Katie on another impressive ride!

Velonews report, Cyclocross Magazine, Cyclingnews

photo: ispaphoto.com

Jonathan Page was also racing at the event and after suffering a crash was forced to chase back and finished 21st.

photo: Dan Seaton

Reports: Cyclingnews, Cyclocross Magazine

New Jersey USGP

2009-11-16T06:51:00.000-08:00

Four Planet Bike riders headed to New Jersey for the third weekend of USGP racing. Plenty of rain on Friday created wet ground that was soon churned into grass filled peanut butter like mud. This caused a few sections of the course to be unrideable. Bike changes were key as the drivetrain and tires were quickly bogged down with the grassy mud.

Elite Women - full results
Linda - 12th
Kaitie - 14th
Kristin - 19th

Elite Men - full results
Mark - 19th

Day 1 reports - Podium in Sight, CX Magazine Men/Women, Cyclingnews Men/Women

Day 2 brought sunny skies and warmer temperatures and thick, soft, tacky mud. Solid finishes again by all the Planet Bike riders with Kaitie racing especially well and grabbing the final UCI point in a talented field of riders.

Elite Women - full results
Kaitie - 10th
Linda - 13th
Kristin - 14th

Elite Men - full results
Mark - 23rd

Day 2 reports - Podium in Sight, CX Magazine, Cyclingnews Men/Women

Thanks to Lyne Lamoureux for photos!

Wisconsin Weekend

2009-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Elite riders Tristan and James raced back to back days in Wisconsin this past weekend. Tristan took two wins with James in 2nd both days. The WI superfans were in full effect on the run up at Kletsch Park and gave James some especially spirited heckling.

Some other Planet Bike riders in action.
Sarah
Diane
Gordy

Full results - Saturday, Sunday

All photos thanks to djonnymac

Compton wins World Cup in Nommay

2009-11-08T19:27:00.000-08:00

Continuing her winning streak and undefeated season Katie Compton won the World Cup race in Nommay, France by nearly 40 seconds over second placed rider Marianne Vos. Congratulations to Katie on an impressive race!
Cyclocross Magazine report, Cyclingnews report, Velonews report,
Cyclingnews article, Daily Peloton interview

photos by Bart Hazen

Planet Bike MidWest Nov 7/8 Recap

2009-11-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

Team Planet Bike riders were competing across the world this weekend. In addition to Katie's historic win at the World Cup in France (Jonathan was also racing in Nommay but is fighting an illness - hope you feel better soon JP!) a large group of riders were racing locally in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.

Mark LaLonde won the Midwest Regional Singlespeed CX Championship in MN on Saturday

photo thanks to Frye

Tristan represented at the Iceman Mountain Bike Race in Traverse City, MI and finished an impressive 6th place amongst fierce competition

photo thanks to Dave Smith

James won the Wisconsin race at Estabrook on Sunday

photo thanks to Renee

Kristin won both Saturday and Sunday Wisconsin womens events and raced with the 30+ men on Sunday too

photo thanks to Renee

Kaitie was 2nd and 3rd in the Wisconsin womens races

photo thanks to djonnymac

Linda won the womens race in Minnesota on Sunday and finished 6th racing with the Cat3 men on Saturday (a belated congrats on her win in that race last weekend!)

photo thanks to Steve Kotvis

Junior phenom Jordan Cullen won the Cat 3 Mens events in MN both days

photo thanks to Steve Kotvis

Other top performances by Masters and Juniors riders included

Sarah winning the Junior girls 15/16 race both days in Wisconsin

photo thanks to djonnymac

Emma Swartz winning the Junior girls 10-14 both days in Wisconsin

Bob Downs winning the 40+ race on Sunday in WI

photo thanks to djonnymac

Diane Ostenso winning the Womens 3 race on Sunday in WI

photo thanks to Renee

Congrats to all Planet Bike racers!

Compton Doubles up in Boulder, WI Halloween Racing

2009-11-02T05:31:00.000-08:00

photo thanks to Dave McElwaine

After a few weekends off of racing to focus on training Katie Compton continued her winning streak in muddy Boulder. The area received nearly 20 inches of snow earlier in the week and promoters were forced to move Sunday's race to a drier venue. Compton rode away from the competition each day to take decisive wins. Katie will head to Europe for the next month and will be wearing her World Cup leaders jersey this weekend in Nommay, France.

Video from Saturday's race:

Cycling Videos on CyclingDirt

Saturday reports - Podium in Sight, Cyclingnews

Sunday reports - Podium in Sight, Cyclingnews

Meanwhile most of the Elite team were racing locally in Wisconsin at the Washington Park Halloween race. In the Mens race Tristan took the win

and the mysteriously moustached James was 2nd

In the womens race a devilish Kristin won (check out the coffin hop!)

Lady Bug Kaitie had a solid second place until 2 laps to go when a mechanical forced her to run nearly half a lap to get her pit bike. Kaitie still held on to a solid 4th

Other Planet Bikers out for the races included:

Gordy

Diane (nice hopping skills!)

Patti (who suffered a nasty crash - hope you're feeling better soon!)

and Sarah

Ian

PB employee Heath

PB employee Chris

All Wisconsin photos thanks to our wonderful queen of cross Renee!

USGP Louisville weekend

2009-10-28T05:42:00.000-07:00

Second weekend of USGP racing in Louisville had several Planet Bike riders making the trip to Kentucky. In attendance were Elites Mark LaLonde, Kaitie Antonneau, and Kristin Wentworth; Juniors Jordan Cullen, Sarah Huang, and Emma Swartz; and Masters Bob Downs and Greg Pautsch. Great racing by all! Tough competition faced the riders in all of the categories.

Most photos used in this post are thanks to the talented Lyne Lamoureux. Check out her website Podium in Sight for great coverage of cyclocross racing.

The course was flat and better suited to power riders with it's long straight stretches. Two days of rain leading up to the race made for a few muddy sections and soft ruts formed on several parts of the course. The rain stayed away for the weekend though and sun and seasonable temperatures greeted the riders both days.

On Saturday Emma was 1st in the Girls 10-14 and Sarah (who is 14!) was 3rd in the Womens 3/4. Jordan (not pictured - sorry!) easily won the Boys 15-16.

In the Mens 50+ Greg continued his USGP streak with another win. Bob, who had been out of the country for business all week, rode a strong race in the Mens 45+ and finished 9th.

In the Elite Womens race Kristin lost a sprint with Alison Sydor to take a solid 7th.

Kaitie picked off riders throughout the race and grabbed the last UCI point with a strong 10th.

In the Elite Mens race Mark battled on for 13th.

Saturday race reports - Podium in Sight, CX Magazine, Velonews

The Juniors again put on a strong show on Sunday with Jordan repeating his win.

Sarah moved up to win the womens 3/4 race.

And Emma racing strong to take 2nd.

In the Masters 55+ race Greg made it 4 USGP race wins in a row!

In the Elite Womens race Kristin was 8th

Kaitie took 10th after attacking a rider in the last quarter lap of the race.

In the Elite Mens race Mark improved on Saturday's performance and finished a strong 10th

Sunday race reports - Podium in Sight, CX Magazine, Velonews,

A great weekend of racing by all Planet Bike riders. Thanks to the support crew David Kohli and Jim Cullen!

Compton atop UCI rankings, Page in Europe

2009-10-25T11:13:00.000-07:00

Katie Compton leads the UCI world rankings for Womens Elite Cyclocross racers. This is the first time an American (male or female) has ever led this prestigious competition. UCI rankings can be found here. Congrats to Katie on this huge accomplishment!

Jonathan Page has been racing the past few weeks in Europe and posting some solid results. Full reports can be found on his website

Results include:

10/17 Ardooie - 13th
10/18 Pizen World Cup - 13th
10/21 Nacht von Woerden - 7th
10/25 Koppenberg - 18th

Toronto UCI Races

2009-10-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

Another great weekend of UCI racing for Team Planet Bike. James, Kaitie, Kristin, Linda, and Tristan headed up to Canada to participate in the C1 and C2 events in Toronto, Ontario. The races were well organized and unique courses greeted the riders each day. Sunny and cool weather kept conditions relatively clean and fast both days.

Saturday's course was situated on a ski hill and included a lot of elevation change each lap. In the womens race Natasha Elliot and Pepper Harlton shot off the front on the first lap with all three Planet Bike riders sitting in the top 10. Linda and Kristin both moved into the top 5 on the second lap as Elliot took the lead. photo thanks to Dave McElwaine photo thanks to Peter Kraiker

They both passed Harlton with just over a lap to go and went on to finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively. After battling some stomach issues Kaitie had a strong last lap and was able to pass 4 riders and finish an incredible 4th place. photo thanks to Peter Kraiker

photo thanks to Peter Kraiker

Womens Race Reports - Cyclingnews, Velonews, Cyclocross Magazine

Linda's postrace interview from Cyclingdirt

In the Mens event Tristan had a strong race and finished on the podium in 5th place. photo thanks to Dave McElwaine

A last row starting spot had James fighting through the field and he moved up to get both cash and UCI points by finishing 13th.

Men - Cyclingnews, Velonews, Cyclocross Magazine

Sunday's course was on the opposite side of the park and included more technical twists, turns, and ditches in addition to several short steep climbs. 17 year old Kaitie was the talk of the race riding into 2nd place with 2 laps to go. Looking incredibly strong and fluid on the course she was making up time on Elliot who went on to win by only 15 seconds. photo thanks to Dave McElwaine

Linda finished 4th with Kristin in 6th. Another strong showing for the Planet Bike women who were able to gather lots of UCI points this weekend.

Womens reports - Cyclingnews, Velonews, Cyclocross Magazine

Kaitie's postrace interview from Cyclingdirt

The Planet Bike men again had strong races as they moved up within the field and settled into the same finishing positions as Saturday. Tristan on the podium in 5th and James was 13th.

photo thanks to Peter Kraiker

Men - Cyclingnews, Velonews, Cyclocross Magazine

Thanks to everyone associated with putting on these great races! Also thanks to the great photographers at the event Jon Safka, Peter Kraiker, and Dave McElwaine. We had a blast meeting some really nice folks in Toronto and they have a cool cross scene there. Big thanks to Dave from Minneapolis who served as our mechanic and helped us out throughout the weekend. As always thanks to all of our great sponsors for helping make things happen so we can travel and race at events like these! Thanks to Planet Bike, Edge, Lazer, Ridley, TRP!

Triple Win for Compton in Ohio, Lalonde on Podium

2009-10-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Several Planet Bike riders headed to the Cincinnati area this past weekend for a rare opportunity to race three consecutive days of UCI events. Nearly 48 hours of rain leading up to the races caused the course for Friday to be slick and muddy. Staying upright through the numerous off camber sections proved difficult. Katie Compton was conservative on the first lap but put the jets on the remainder of the race and easily took the win.

Linda Sone took advantage of her strong technical skills and was in the hunt for third. Unable to outsprint Winfield, Linda took an impressive 4th place.

Kaitie Antonneau was riding in a solid 6th place before a snapped derailleur hanger forced her to abandon the race.
Kristin struggled in the sloppy mud but finished 11th.

Mark Lalonde rode a very strong race and finished in 4th.

Day 1 Reports - Cyclocross Magazine, Podium In Sight

Day 2
Elite Women
1st - Katie Compton

6th - Kaitie Antonneau

7th - Linda Sone

8th - Kristin Wentworth

Elite Men

3rd - Mark Lalonde

Day 2 Reports - Cyclocross Magazine, Podium in Sight

Day 3
Elite Women
1st - Katie Compton

6th - Kristin Wentworth

7th - Katie Antonneau

8th - Linda Sone

Elite men

Mark Lalonde - 7th

Day 3 Reports - Cyclocross Magazine, Podium in Sight

All the photos here are thanks to the wonderfully talented Lyne Lamoureux. Her photography and race reports are some of the best out there. Check out her website Podium in Sight. Huge thanks to her for being out there!

Compton wins in Italy, Page takes Gloucester #1

2009-10-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

Katie Compton won the first World Cup race in Treviso, Italy on Sunday by nearly 30 seconds over her closest competitor. Taking control on the first lap, Katie demonstrated her dominance the entire race. The win puts Compton in the World Cup leaders jersey. The next race will be November 11 in Nommay, France.

World Cup reports
CX Magazine
Cyclingnews

Meanwhile back in the US Jonathan Page was racing in Gloucester, MA. Day 1 treated the riders to wet, muddy conditions and Page capitalized on his technical skills to win the race by nearly 2 minutes on Saturday. Day 2 was a drier course and a group of 4 riders emerged with Page the odd man out against three Cyclocrossworld.com riders - Jamey Driscoll, Tim Johnson, and Jeremy Powers. An unfortunate crash between Page and Johnson caused Page to have to chase after Johnson for the remaining 2 laps and he was unable to make up the time. He finished a strong 2nd place.

Gloucester Day 1 reports
CX Magazine
Cyclingnews

Gloucester Day 2 reports
Cyclingnews

USGP Planet Bike Cup

2009-09-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

photos thanks to Lyne Lamoureux

Great weekend of racing in Madison, Wisconsin - the hometown of Planet Bike. Highlights included back to back wins by Katie Compton in the Elite Womens race and two 3rd place finishes for Jonathan Page in the Elite Mens race. Here's a rundown of results. More reports and photos to come.

Saturday

Elite Women - reports - cx magazine, cyclingnews, velonews
Katie Compton - 1st
Kristin Wentworth - 10th
Linda Sone - 12th
Kaitie Antonneau - 13th

Elite Men - reports - cx magazine, cyclingnews, velonews
Jonathan Page - 3rd - **Most Aggressive Rider**
Mark LaLonde - 11th
Tristan Schouten - 14th
James LaLonde - 22nd

Masters 55+ Men
Greg Pautsch - 1st
Gordy Paulson - 3rd

Women 3/4
Sarah Huang - 4th

Masters Women
Diane Ostenso - 2nd
Patti Kaufmann - 3rd

Boys 15-16
Jordan Cullen - 1st

Girls 10-14
Emma Swartz - 2nd

Sunday

Elite Women - reports - cx magazine, cyclingnews, velonews
Katie Compton - 1st
Kristin Wentworth - 9th
Linda Sone - 11th
Kaitie Antonneau - 14th
Patti Kaufmann - 25th

Elite Men - reports - cx magazine, cyclingnews, velonews
Jonathan Page - 3rd
Tristan Schouten - 8th - **Most Aggressive Rider**
Mark LaLonde - 11th
James LaLonde - 20th

Masters 45+ Men
Bob Downs - 6th

Masters 55+ Men
Greg Pautsch - 1st
Gordy Paulson - 5th

Women 3/4
Sarah Huang - 2nd

Masters Women
Diane Ostenso - 1st

Boys 15-16
Jordan Cullen - 1st

Girls 10-14
Emma Swartz - 1st

Saturday photos

Elite Women

Katie takes the win
Kristin

Linda

Kaitie

photo thanks to Matt Cook
photo - Ben Ross

Elite Men

Jonathan is named "Most Aggressive Rider"

Mark

photo thanks to BPAG

Tristan

James

photo thanks to Matt Cook

Mens Podium

Cross Vegas

2009-09-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Cyclocross Season was kicked off with style in Las Vegas during the Interbike trade show on Wednesday September 23. Planet Bike was out in force with international superstars Katie Compton and Jonathan Page both participating in the event. Other Planet Bike riders present in the Elite races included Kristin Wentworth, Mark Lalonde, and James Lalonde. The racing was held under the lights on a soccer field and thousands of spectators lined the course to watch athletes from around the world battle to be the king and queen of Las Vegas cyclocross.

Katie took control of the womens race on the first lap and never looked back. Only Katerina Nash was able to stick to Katie's wheel and following a mishap on the second lap Katie rode the following 30 minutes of the race solo to take the victory by a minute.

Kristin settled into a group with Amy Dombroski, Laura Van Gilder, and Alison Sydor for the majority of the race and finished 13th.

Reports - Cyclingnews, Cx magazine, Velonews

The mens field was filled with riders from across the world and over 100 racers on the line. After an impressive first lap a group of about 20 riders, including Jonathan, appeared to have a bit of a gap on the rest of the field.
An attack on lap 2 by Chris Jones proved to be the winning move with Jamey Driscoll bridging up to him shortly after. A chase group of about 7 formed but a lack of organization and a solid effort by the two leaders prevented a regrouping. Jonathan tried a few attacks from the group but the gap proved too far to bridge and he settled into a group of 4 chasers. In the final 400 meters of the race Page displayed his sprinting power to take the final podium spot and finish 3rd in the race.

Mark and James battled throughout the race. The hot, dry conditions proved troublesome to both riders and they finished 27th and 50th, respectively.

Reports - Cyclingnews, Cx magazine, Velonews

All photos thanks to Lyne Lamoureux

Team Planet Bike 2009

2009-09-04T05:44:00.000-07:00

photo by Jamie Young

Planet Bike, a leading manufacturer of innovative, high quality, and practical bicycle accessories, is honored to announce its 2009-2010 Cyclocross Team roster. In its third year of sponsoring a Cross team, Planet Bike is thrilled to have Jonathan Page back for a second year and to welcome Katie Compton to the team. Two of the nation’s top cyclocross stars Page and Compton will both race predominantly in Europe after kicking off their season with Cross Vegas on September 23 during Bike Industry trade show Interbike.

"It is an absolute dream come true for us to have two of the best cyclocrossers in US history in Compton and Page riding for our small company. Besides being outstanding riders, both Katie and JP are quality people who are very representative of the Planet Bike philosophy of hard work and doing things the right way," stated Planet Bike's founder Bob Downs.

Additionally the team will field a talented Midwest based Elite, Juniors, and Masters team. The Elite team is proud to bring back Mark LaLonde, Jesse LaLonde, Tristan Schouten, and Kristin Wentworth. Both Mark and Kristin raced UCI events throughout the country last year scoring numerous top 10 results. After some unfortunate injuries early on last year Jesse and Tristan are healthy and ready to resume their history of strong racing. New additions this year include James Lalonde and Minnesotan Linda Sone. The Elite team will focus on gathering points at UCI events throughout the season.

Wisconsin has a talented cyclocross presence among all ages and Planet Bike is proud to sponsor some of the nation's top young riders. Juniors include 2008 US Cyclocross Champion Sarah Huang (age 13-14), 2008 bronze medalist Kaitie Antonneau (age 17-18), and 2008 bronze medalist Jordan Cullen (age 13-14). The masters team will be headlined by two time US Cross Champ Diane Ostenso (age 55-59).

The first round of the US Grand Prix Cyclocross series will be in the hometown of Planet Bike – Madison, WI – on September 26th and 27th. The entire team will participate in the prestigious event that is set to bring the top North American cyclocross stars to Wisconsin.

Midwestern Elite team members will be sponsored by Ridley Bicycles and will be riding the new 2010 Ridley X-Night and X-Fire. Team Planet Bike is proud to again be riding Edge wheels and Challenge Tires. In addition to these sponsors, Team Planet Bike will also represent TRP brakes, Lazer helmets, CinQo Power meters, and Vermarc clothing. A team presentation will occur on Friday September 11 at 6pm at Chronometro bike shop in Madison, WI.

Planet Bike, founded in 1996, has always believed in the great potential of the bicycle to help improve the world and the lives of the people in it. The company has embraced an alternative corporate purpose which seeks to help get more people on bicycles by making communities friendlier places for the self-propelled. Planet Bike accomplishes this by donating 25% of company profits to causes that promote and facilitate bicycle usage. By the end of 2009, Planet Bike will have donated $1 million to organizations that are dedicated to making America a friendlier place for cyclists.

Big News

2009-08-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Planet Bike, a leading manufacturer of innovative, high quality, and practical bicycle accessories, is excited to announce that Katie Compton is the newest addition to Planet Bike’s 2009/10 cyclocross team.

Compton is a five time U.S. National Cyclocross Champion, and last season captured the Bronze medal at the Hoogerheide World Cyclocross Championship with an aggressive ride to secure her second Cyclocross World Championship medal. “I’m really excited to be representing Plant Bike this season,” said Compton. “Planet Bike is a great company and I am looking forward to teaming up with elite riders like Jonathan Page.”

“It is an absolute dream come true for us to have two of the best cyclocrossers in U.S. history in Compton and Page riding for our small company. Besides being outstanding riders, both Katie and JP are quality people who are very representative of the Planet Bike philosophy of hard work and doing things the right way,” stated Planet Bike’s founder Bob Downs.

Compton will race primarily in Europe competing in all of the rounds of the World Cup. On January 31, 2010, will be chasing after the rainbow stripes at the World Championships in the Czech Republic. “I really feel it’s within my reach. After two close calls I’m hoping for rain or snow and going all out for the win,” says Compton who excels when the heavens open up turning courses into epic cyclocross contests.

Compton starts the season in her new team colors and new equipment sponsors at the upcoming Cross Vegas where Compton will look to defend her title. “It’s going to be an epic race in Vegas. I’m very motivated to start the season off with a good result representing Planet Bike.” Compton will then fly to Madison to ride in the Planet Bike sponsored USGP event on September 26-27.

Planet Bike builds high quality bicycle accessories that make it easier for people to ride their bikes. Since its inception in 1996, Planet Bike has believed in the potential of the bicycle to improve the world and the lives of the people in it. Therefore, each year it has donated at least 25% of profits to causes that promote and facilitate the use of the bicycle. By the end of 2009, Planet Bike will have donated $1 million to the grassroots advocacy movement.

US Cyclocross Nationals

2008-12-17T16:59:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay!

Day 2
Junior Womens 17-18 - Anna Young - 2nd
Junior Men 13-14 - Jordan Cullen - 3rd
Junior Men 13-14 - Ian Haupt - 12th
Masters Women 50-54 - Patti Kauffman - 6th
Masters Women 55-59 - Diane Ostenso - 1st - GOLD MEDALIST!
Masters Women 30-34 - Kristin Wentworth - 5th

Day 3
Masters Men 50-54 - Bob Downs - 7th

Day 4
Elite Women - Kristin Wentworth - 15th
Elite Women - Anna Young - 22nd

Elite Men - Jonathan Page - 3rd
Elite Men - Mark Lalonde - 11th

Great job to all Planet Bike team members on a successful and fun nationals. One stars and stripes jersey and 4 additional podium finishes was a nice way to cap off the season. Racers and support members came together to help each other throughout the weekend and good times were had both on and off the bike. Thanks to mechanic David Kohli for all of his tireless work on keeping the bikes ready and organizing us and all of our stuff! Thanks to all of the sponsors including Planet Bike, Ridley, Edge, and Lazer for the support this season.

And now an attempt at a chronological photo blog of the weekends event (more photos to be added throughout the week!)

Departing from Planet Bike Headquarters

Mechanic David Kohli cleaning up bikes after the preride

Anna on the start line of the Junior Womens 17-18 race

Photo by Lanterne Rouge
Ian shouldering one muddy, grassy bike

photo thanks to Jamie Young
Jordan on the podium

Diane on the top step of the Womens 55-59 race!

photo thanks to Jamie Young
Bob cheering Kristin on

photo thanks to Jamie Young
Kristin 5th in the Womens 30-34 race

Bob sporting the Euro all white kit

Photo by Lanterne Rouge
Anna in the Elite race

photo by Andrea Wilson
Kristin riding the ruts in the Elite race

photo thanks to Amy D
Page leading the field

photo thanks to Amy D
Marko attacking Troy Wells on the last lap

Jonathan 3rd in the Elite Mens race

Jonathan 13th at Spain World Cup

2008-12-08T07:58:00.000-08:00

Jonathan raced this weekend in the mud at the World Cup in Igorre, Spain. Cycling news article and Cyclocross Magazine report. Check out his blog for his recap of the race. Sounds like Cori did a great job working the pit and getting JP a clean bike twice each lap! Jonathan and his family will fly back to the States on Tuesday. US Cyclocross Nationals will take place in Kansas City, Missouri from Thursday December 11 through Sunday December 14. Look for some daily updates from KC here!

Jonathan in Velo News

2008-12-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

An article this week in VeloNews about Jonathan and his upcoming races including a World Cup in Spain this weekend and Nationals next weekend.

Also an article about Jonathan in CX Magazine regarding the new change of bike sponsor that will be in place for JP only and not the entire Planet Bike team.

Jingle Cross Day 2

2008-12-02T05:04:00.001-08:00

Overnight snow completely changed the course conditions and it was a wet, cold, snowy, muddy day. Reverse direction meant a slippery and fast descent down Mt. Krumpit. A pretty frustrating day for most of the riders but still lots of fun in the tough conditions. We've had some pretty mild weather in Wisconsin most of the season so we were good and due for some snow and mud. With Nationals in Kansas City only two weeks away we might as well get some practice! There are some great pictures and video floating around on the web of the racing action. Thanks to Amy D for taking all of these great shots and letting us post them here! Always a fun race weekend and an excellent venue - thanks to all of the promoters, sponsors, officials, racers, and crazy superfans. The fans lining the hill were awesome. Thanks also to Planet Bike, Ridley, Lazer, and Edge for all of the support!

what we woke up to

the view from inside the warm van

Anna warming up

Anna and Kristin on the line

Kristin running down Mt. Krumpit after crashing at the top

Anna also running down

Kristin finally riding the hill

Anna also riding down

Kristin post race - muddy and cold

Marko trying to stay warm on the line

Mark at the start

Mark riding the hill in the snow

running the barriers with Tilford

another time down Mt. Krumpit

Mark Lalonde - UCI Elite Men - 5th place
Kristin Wentworth - UCI Elite Women - 11th place
Anna Young - UCI Elite Women - 14th place
Jordan Cullen - Junior Men - 4th place
Ian Haupt - Junior Men - 5th place
Gordy Paulson - Mens 55+ - 3rd place
Patti Kaufmann - Women 2/3 - 5th place
Diane Ostenso - Women 35+ - 4th place

Check out some videos of the ridiculous muddy hill

Diane making her way down Mt. Krumpit

Jingle Cross Day 1

2008-12-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

A big contingent of Planet Bike racers descended on Iowa City for Jingle Cross 2008 - a weekend of races including UCI events for the Elites. Overcast skies with temperatures in the low 40s provided considerably mild conditions for the racers. The course brought a bit of everything with a short muddy rideable but slippery hill, off camber sections, a long greasy hill run up (aka Mt. Krumpet), a fun whirly spiraling loop, a sand pit through the barn, a series of 180 turns in a different barn, and a few logs.
Thanks to Jim Cullen and Julie Foertsch for pictures!

mechanic David Kohli setting up shop

Bob warming up at Planet Bike central (check out the red leg warmers and shoes!) Jordan Cullen - 1st place in the juniors race

No pictures of Gordy, Diane and Patti but great finishes by all
Gordy Paulson - 1st place Mens 55+
Diane Ostenso - 2nd place Womens 35+ and 3rd place Womens 2/3
Patti Kaufmann - 3rd place Womens 35+

Anna Young finished 8th in the Womens Elite race

Kristin Wentworth finished 4th in the Womens Elite race

Bob finished 26th in the Mens Elite race

Mark finished 4th in the Mens Elite race

post race bike cleanup

Team dinner at the famous local pizza joint

Wisconsin State Championships

2008-11-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

The Wisconsin Cyclocross Series ended this past weekend with the State Championship race in Hales Corners. A cool, windy, overcast day with temps in the low 40s. Team Planet Bike out in full force with racers in several categories. Congrats to all riders on some fantastic finishes and a great season of Wisconsin racing!

picture by peloton pix

Ian Haupt - Silver Medalist - Junior 14 Boys

picture by peloton pix

Dave Simmermon - Silver Medalist - Cat 4 Men 50+

photo by djonnymac

Diane Ostenso - Gold Medalist - Cat 3 Women

picture by peloton pix

Kristin Wentworth crashing in the Mens 3 race - 14th place

picture by peloton pix

Bob Downs - Gold Medalist - Mens 40+

picture by peloton pix

Greg Pautsch - Silver Medalist - Mens 50+

photo by djonnymac

Gordy Paulson - Bronze Medalist - Mens 50+

picture by peloton pix

Kristin Wentworth - Gold Medalist - Womens 1/2

photo by djonnymac

Anna Young - Silver Medalist - Womens 1/2

photo by djonnymac

Patti Kauffman - Gold Medalist - Women 1/2 35+

photo by mountaingoat

Mark Lalonde - Gold Medalist - Mens 1/2

photo by djonnymac

Mark had such a big lead he had time to grab a handup

Full results here
Next up Jingle Cross in Iowa!

Superprestige #4

2008-11-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

Jonathan raced in the snow this past weekend at the Superprestige #4 in Belgium. Conditions looked harsh as the snow come down fast and furious. Jonathan was able to finish a strong 12th place. Here is a picture of him on the icy stair run up.

Cyclocross magazine has a video here of the race.

USGP New Jersey Weekend

2008-11-19T16:42:00.000-08:00

Planet Bike riders Anna, Kristin, and Mark made the trip out to Princeton, New Jersey for the second weekend of USGP racing. Both races classified UCI C1 which meant field sizes were huge and talented - 80 starters for the men, 50 for the women. Rain in the days leading up to the races created muddy conditions on the 3K course. Many sections of the thick mud were unrideable and racers were forced to dismount and run. Bike changes were critical and mechanic for the weekend, Chris Kreidl, did a great job in the pits and taking care of the bikes pre and post race.

Pictures from the trip and preride of the course

Pictures from Saturday's races - muddy, 68 degrees, windy
We decided to lower our tent after seeing Colavita's get trashed in the wind

Mark and Driscoll over the flyover
Mark gets a clean bike from Chris

Womens race - Anna was involved in a crash on the first lap and tweaked her knee. She was forced to abandon the race. After getting caught behind riders dismounting for an early mud section Kristin worked her way up to finish 14th. While enjoying the conditions she was not a fan of all the running.

Mens race - Mark rode a strong race start to finish. At one point in 7th place for nearly a lap he fell back slightly to settle into 9th place just behind Jamie Driscoll. An excellent finish amongst fierce competition Mark held onto a 9th place finish.

Post race bike cleanup

Sunday's races - similar conditions, thicker mud, 47 degrees, windy. Riders bruised and battered from Saturday's conditions.

Wells, Powers, Wells ride the mud
another group runs the mud

Womens race - Following a bad start Kristin moved her way up and was dangling off the back of the group racing for 10th place. Unable to stick with that group she fell back to 15th by the final lap and finished in that place. Anna had a strong race and was able to rebound from her crash the previous day. She finished 19th.

Mens race - After just over a lap and riding near the top 10 Mark suffered a flat tire and was forced to run even more of the course. After a quick bike change from Chris Mark worked his way back up to the top 15 and was able to finish a solid 14th place.

Page at Superprestige #3

2008-11-19T16:36:00.001-08:00

Jonathan raced in Belgium at the Superprestige #3 this past weekend. Unable to shake his string of bad luck JP was riding well until a flat tire and then a broken rear derailleur set him back. Jonathan still managed to finish a strong 16th place. Check out his blog for a recap.

Wisconsin racing - Whitewater

2008-11-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

photo by Renee Callaway

Tristan Schouten made a brief return to racing after having surgery on his collarbone in August. The lack of training hasn't set him back that far and he came away with the win in the Mens 1/2 race.

Full results can be found here

photo by djonnymac
Diane

photo by djonnymac
Patty

photo by djonnymac

Kristin and Anna at Toronto UCI races

2008-11-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

Photo: Peter Kraiker, © studiofstop.com
Anna Young and Kristin Wentworth traveled to Toronto for two UCI C1 events. Conditions were Belgium like - cool, windy, and muddy with occasional rain. Saturday's race saw riders navigate a wet, muddy course with several short steep greasy hills. Despite a spectacular crash in a muddy ditch Kristin finished third and Anna a strong sixth.
Photo: Peter Kraiker, © studiofstop.com
Photo: Jon Safka
Photo: Jon Safka
Sunday's course was completely different and traversed a ski hill with several switchback climbs and descents. Less wet but still muddy the course proved challenging to all riders. Kristin was able to improve from Saturday's race to finish second with Anna riding well and keeping her sixth place.
Photo: Peter Kraiker, © studiofstop.com
Photo: Jon Safka
Photo: Jon Safka
Photo: Jon Safka
There was an overall competition for the weekend's races as well and Kristin took second there with Anna in seventh. It was a great weekend for Planet Bike's Elite Womens team!

Thanks to Peter Kraiker and Jon Safka for photos!

Vlaamse Houtlandcross Eernegem and World Cup #3

2008-11-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

Jonathan raced a double header this weekend in Belgium. Saturday's race saw Page in the lead group for the majority of the race and finishing a very strong 5th place. Cyclingnews pic1, pic2

Sunday was the World Cup #3 event and Page rode several laps at the front of the race until an unfortunate flat tire forced him to lose time and positions and finish 29th.

Check out Jonathan's blog for the first person race report!

Wisconsin racing - Estabrook Park

2008-11-03T15:35:00.000-08:00

Bob - 5th - Men 1/2

All below photos thanks to djonnymac Kristin - 13th - Men 3 Kristin - 1st - Women 1/2

Patty - Women 1/2
Diane - Women 3
Gordy - 3rd - Mens 50+

Wisconsin racing - Kletzsch Park

2008-11-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

Diane - 1st - Womens 3 - photo Renee Callaway
Kristin - 1st - Women 1/2 - photo Peloton Pix
Mark - 1st - Men 1/2
Bob
Dan

Mark over the barriers

Page in Belgium and the Netherlands

2008-11-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Page raced on Nov. 1 in Belgium on the famed Koppenberg in true cyclocross conditions. The pictures on cyclingnews are pretty ridiculous. Here is one of a muddy Jonathan. Page went on to finish 17th.

The next day the conditions in the Netherlands permitted you to actually see the jerseys of the riders at the Superprestige. Page sported the new black kit and finished 15th to grab a point in the series. Here's another good shot of JP.

I'd post pictures here but don't exactly want to get in trouble with cyclingnews for copyright infringement.

Page at World Cup in Czech Republic

2008-10-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Cyclocross Magazine is a great resource for all things cyclocross and Christine Vardaros, an American racing overseas, is a regular contributor. She wrote up an article on last weekend's World Cup race in the Czech Republic. Planet Bike's Jonathan Page was there and despite a crash and broken chain he still managed a 29th place finish. Here are a few photos from Christine of JP at the race.

Mechanic Frankie

notice the missing chain?

USGP Louisville Day 2

2008-10-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

UCI Elite Men Results
Mark LaLonde - 10th
Jesse LaLonde - DNF - pulled out due to injured shoulder

UCI Elite Women Results
Anna Young - 11th
Kristin Wentworth - 15th

Thanks to Jamie Young for photos!

USGP Louisville Day 1

2008-10-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

UCI Elite Mens Race Results
Mark LaLonde - 12
Jesse LaLonde - 13

UCI Elite Womens Race Results
Kristin Wentworth - 11
Anna Young - 15

Thanks to Jamie Young for photos!

Gibbs Lake Cyclocross

2008-10-23T04:06:00.000-07:00

Local Wisconsin racing at Gibbs Lake near Janesville. Planet Bike Team posting solid results again.

Bob - 1st - Mens 50+

Kristin - 1st - Womens 1/2

Anna - 2nd - Womens 1/2

Gordy - 4th - Mens 50+

Diane - 4th - Womens 3

Not Pictured - Greg Pautsch - 5th - Mens 50+
David Simmerman - 2nd - Mens Cat 4 50+

Thanks to djonnymac for pictures!!

10/18 Badger Prairie Cross

2008-10-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

Kristin - 1st - Women 1/2

Anna - 2nd - Women 1/2

Bob - 2nd - Mens 50+

Patti - 6th - Women 1/2

Greg - 4th - Mens 50+

Not shown:
Diane - 6th - Women 3

Above photos thanks to djonnymac