October 27, 2005 - 5 Wins!

Jon Hamblen and Chris Peck have been tearing up the local cyclocross scene in North Carolina and New England respectively, and teamed up for 5 recent wins.

Peck Wins Thread City Cyclocross and Southington Cyclocross, October 22 and 23

Chris Peck stayed close to home in Connecticut to prepare for next weekend’s UCI races in Gloucester, MA. The result was two wins in two days as he battled each day with Dan Cody (NCC/Bikereg.com). Saturday’s front group also included Fiordifrutta’s Rob Hult, but each day Peck was able to escape with 2 laps to go and finish with a good sized gap over Cody.

Hamblen Wins NC Cyclocross Series Race 1 Salisbury, October 23

The first race of the North Carolina Series was a welcome relief for Fiordifrutta's Jon Hamblen, who retreated to Salisbury after a terrible one and a half lap showing at the previous days UCI event. A world away from the mud, rain, and cold temperatures of northern Delaware, the weather in North Carolina was warm and sunny with a light breeze, perfect as usual down South. The course was fast and tricky with a lot of hard turns and one sand section, which Jon mastered thanks to tips from his new coach, international cyclocross superstar Tim Johnson (Hamblen would not reveal what the tips were).

From the gun, Jon had a poor start due to another rider blowing his start and getting in his way. This left Jon halfway back in a thirty man field and six seconds back from race leader Brent Bookwalter. After making his way through to the front, Jon put in a hard acceleration to separate himself from the field and started to chase down Bookwalter. Jon and Brent spent the next forty five minutes separated by six to ten seconds, while Hamblen waited for the Kona rider to bobble. Each lap Jon would close in about one second. The chase lasted until three laps to go when Jon got very close and Brent faltered on the steep ride/run then had a shifting problem allowing Jon to get a gap which he held to the finish for the win.

Hamblen Takes BTD Sanford Cyclocross, October 15

The Back to Dirt team put on the first North Carolina cyclocross race of the season in Sanford. Held under sunny skies and 77 degree temp's, the flat and twisty course was situated next to the Governor’s Creek Mountain Bike Park and included a short trip through the woods on the trails. Most of the field was made up of BTD riders including local legend Charlie Storm.

On the sandy and compact but fast course Charlie and Fiordifrutta's Jon Hamblen quickly established a 12 second lead over chasers Charlie Pendry, Rob Moran, and John Degele (all from BTD). Hamblen and Storm rode a fast pace over the next three laps before Jon lost Charlie on the run-up and continued alone, having easily clipped into his Time pedals despite the sand. Jon rode the remaining laps and tried to keep his bike upright through the many sandy turns, his Michelin tires gripping well in the soft soil.

Jon rode in for the win and said in the post race interview " I just wanna thank my Fiordifrutta managers and team for their support, the Cannondale chassis was really workin' well today. We had to spend a few hours in the shop last night tweakin' the wedge but we got 'er all set in time for today’s race."

Hamblen Wins Roanoke Orthopaedic Rocky Mount Cyclocross, October 16

Once again, perfect weather for cyclocross racing in the Southeast, 70's and sunny. Hamblen faced a small field stacked with energetic junior riders and fellow former New Englander Dave Goodwin. Unfortunately, many of the previous days competitors had not shown up for the southern Virginia race, having spent a good portion of the morning fighting the effects of Charlie Storm's BTD post race party.

From the whistle, Jon jumped away and rode steady laps, making a bike change halfway into the race but not losing much time to the chasers. Switching bikes allowed Jon to take advantage of his super-fast Michelin Jet tires. From there on out it was just a battle to hold onto the bars and not crash while riding over hidden sink holes covered in long grass. Jon somehow made it through the race without falling (maybe because Adam Myerson was not there to heckle him, should he fall) and won his second race of the weekend.