Page Makes Cover of 2004 VeloNews Calendar

2002 team rider Jonathan Page is featured in the cover shot of the VeloNews calendar. The photo was taken by Jonathan McElvery at the 2002 Fitchburg Stage Race where Page won the Points Competition. The close-up photo shows a high speed battle between Page and Eric Wolberg (Saturn) as they sprinted towards the line, with Wolberg starting to squeeze Page towards the barriers. Not deterred, Page won the sprint.

Hult and Peck Take 1-3 at HVVC Cyclocross, Oct 26th

With Hamblen down at the UCI races in Delaware, ROb Hult and Chris Peck took the opportunity to dominate this race in Southington, Connecticut. Hult got the holeshot and never looked back, going on to ride away from the second group containing Peck, Noah Taylor, and Matt Kraus (Independent Fabrication). Peck could not overcome a late race attack by Taylor and finished third, two minutes behind Hult.

Stiler-Cote Selected to Ride Tour of Okinawa

Oliver Stiler-Cote has the honor of riding with the US National team at the 2003 Tour de Okinawa in Japan. The UCI 1.5 rated road race is on November 9th and is Japan’s longest at 200km. Stiler-Cote will join US national road champion Mark McCormack and four other riders. Complete coverage of the event and a focus on Team USA’s progress will be available at www.usacycling.org

UCI Bans Team’s Cross Bikes

Apparently recognizing that Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks riders had on unfair advantage on their competitors who did not have disc brake cross bikes, the UCI has decided to ban disc brakes for UCI sanctioned elite level cyclocross races. Click to read the industry’s reaction and see the team’s bike.The team will scramble to get non-disc bikes ready for the Nov 1 deadline.

Hamblen 6th at UCI Granogue Estate Cyclocross, Delaware, Oct 25th

The beautiful Granogue Estate in northern Deleware opened the gates of their exclusive properties for a bunch of bikers. The Elite race started with Todd Wells (Mongoose), Ryan Trebon (CCA-Kona), Andy Jaques-Mayne, Jackson Stewart (both Clif Bar) and Jessie Anthony(Hot Tubes) getting a gap on the rest of the field on the first lap. Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks star Jon Hamblen chased hard with Bart Bowen (Kona) and Jeremy Powers (NCC-BikeReg) for the first half of the race. The three caught and passed Jessie then had their sights set on Andy but only Hamblen and Powers made it across to the Clif Bar rider. For the last two laps Powers accelerated out of every corner and kept Jacques-Mayne and Hamblen at bay to take fourth on the day while Jacques-Mayne was fifth and Hamblen sixth. Jon narrowly missed picking up UCI points. Jon also forgot to retrieve his jacket, arm warmers, and knee warmers from the start line...luckily the race promoter showed up in PA the following day and only charged $5 for the return of the clothes.

UCI Prophecy Creek Cross, Blue Bell, PA, Oct 26th

This was a very fast course with lots of smooth grass and pavement, as well as two rock gardens submerged below running water which added a little excitement to the racing. The race started exactly as the day before, only Jeremy Powers made the front group and three other riders joined Bowen and Hamblen in their chase - Adam Myerson(NCC-BikeReg-CycleSmart), Charlie Storm (Fuji), and Mike Cody (NCC-BikeReg.com). The submerged rock garden took its toll on many of the guys in the top ten with Powers, Myerson, and Anthony all flatting and quitting. With three laps to go, it was Trebon and Wells in front, followed by Jacques-Mayne and Jackson Stewart, followed by Jon and Bart who had separated themselves from their group.

Hamblen and Bowen were rapidly closing in on Jackson when Jon flatted his rear tire just past the pits in the first rock garden. Jon lost Bowen and was caught by the Fuji rider, but got a spare bike the next lap and started claw his way back up to the Fuji guy. However, on the last lap Jon flatted his front and had much difficulty driving the bike. He fell several times and was passed by five riders in the last half mile of the race. The race promoter was kind enough to offer Jon beer after the finish in order to settle his anger at the rocks. Ryan "Too Tall" Trebon won the day and our guy ended up in a disappointing 12th.

Team Adds Two New Sponsors: Crank Brothers and Kool-Stop

Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks has added a couple of sponsors which lead the industry in innovation and performance. The team will race exclusively on the Crank Brothers Candy SL pedal for cyclocross. With it’s four sided entry, fantastic mud clearing ability, and stable platform, the Candy SL is quickly becoming the pedal of choice for off-road riding. Kool-Stop offers a complete line of all weather brake pads and will be responsible for stopping the team, on the few occasions that we decide to use the brakes. Click on their links to the left to see the full product line.

Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks Signs New Rider

The team is happy to announce the addition of Rob Hult, who will join the team for the cyclocross season which is just getting under way. Hult’s cycling career originally took off back in 1997 as one of New England’s top mountain bike stars, when the won the NORBA national at Mt Snow in the semi-pro ranks and won New England’s premier race series as well. Since then he has moved on to road and cyclocross racing, becoming one of New England’s top riders.

Hult started his first week on the team with a fine 7th place at the East coast’s first UCI ranked cyclocross race of the season in New Gloucester, Maine on October 18th. Against the nation’s best cyclocrossers, Hult battled it out in a group going for 5th, the final spot for UCI points. Although Mike Broderick (Seven Cycles) took 5th, Hult rode strongly and was able to hold off fellow Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks riders Curt Davis and Josh Anthony who finished 14th and 15th respectively. Holt was psyched with his finish and stated, “I know our team will have an extremely strong showing at this year’s cross races, especially once Jon Hamblen and Johs Huseby get up to full speed.” Huseby is still recovering from a broken thumb, while Hamblen is hoping next week’s courses won’t be quite as muddy.


Peck-Davis 1-2 at Fox Hill Cyclocross, Oct 19th

On a 40 degree rainy Sunday in Connecticut, Chris Peck and Curt Davis took on New England’s most mountainous cyclocross course. Each lap featured 300 feet of elevation gain, and Peck and Davis went on to take the top 2 spots after Peck’s second lap attack sprung them away for the rest of the race.

Saturday saw a great new race course in Massachusetts at the Hopkinton State Park, promoted by the folks of the Boston Road Club. The course used a steep grass covered dam for ride/run-ups which was difficult enough to break up the field early in the race. From the start, Fiordifrutta/ Wheelworks riders Josh Anthony and Jon Hamblen hit the front. Josh led quickly through the first several turns putting his brother and rival Jesse Anthony (Hot Tubes) into difficulty and setting up Hamblen for a pull on the front over the paved section and up the two dam steep hills. Josh and Hamblen easily stayed in the front group for the first two laps, and created a small gap over the chasers led by Matt Svatek (Sportsbook) and Justin Spinelli (Navigators).

The third time over the pavement Jon and Jesse had a small gap over the chasers due to Hamblen's speed and Jesse's skills at holding high speeds though the grassy turns. Over the next couple of laps Hamblen put the hammer down on the long straights while Jesse took the lead in the twisty areas. Hamblen and Jesse rode up the first dam section every lap and ran the second dam section at full tilt, gaining them a few seconds each lap. The duo quickly built up a solid lead over chasers Jonathan Bruno (ECV), and Tyler Johnson (Richard Sachs), who were closely followed by a group containing Hult, Svatek, and Josh. Jesse and Jon worked very well together, so long as Hamblen didn't lead through the tricky turns and almost crash them both.

With about four laps to go Jon started to put more pressure on the pedals, accelerating out of the turns, and riding very quickly on the straights and dam hill, to create a gap on Jesse. Hamblen put in a big effort over the three remaining laps to open the gap and secure the win. Josh Anthony finished 10th and showed that he has the skills for cross and will soon be contending for race wins, as soon as his fitness comes around.

Peck 2nd at Central Park Cyclocross Race, Schenectady, NY, Oct 5th

Sunday's race was on a fast dry course where the front group took advantage of some low barriers and was able to ride the entire course without dismounting. After a fast start, the front group came down to Chris Peck vs. two Northampton Cycling Club teammates, Matt White and Alec Donahue. The NCC riders took turns attacking Peck with White making time on the bunny hopping sections of the course. But the final lap came down to a dual between Donahue and Peck, with White just thirty seconds back. Donahue tried to dive to the inside of Peck in one of the final corners, but the gap was not big enough and both riders crashed to the ground. As they slowly got up and straightened their handlebars, White was able to get by for the win, followed by Peck and then Donahue.

Many cross notables showed up for New England's first event of the season. Matt Svatek, Rob Hult, Mark McCormack and brother Shawn were in attendance, as well as a few riders from the Mid Atlantic region including Kris Auer. From the gun, former Wheelworks rider Matt Svatek led the field down the paved start section to the dirt. He set a blistering pace and separated a group of about seven off the front. In the first technical sections an Alan's Pennsylvania rider went away and Shawn McCormack took over as leader of the group with Bill Skinner and some others in tow including Rob Hult and Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks rider Jon Hamblen. Going into the second set of barriers Svatek, Hamblen, and Hult made a blistering attack and Team Time Trialed up to and past the front runner.

For the next several laps, the three riders took turns on the front, riding a moderate pace and saving energy for the inevitable bridge across by Mark McCormack of the Saturn Team. When Mark did make his move to come across on the third lap, Hamblen noticed Mark seemed to be struggling and put the pressure on. The gap grew on this lap as Mark suffered along behind the three leaders and Hamblen shouted encouragement to Mark each time the course doubled back on itself.

During the fourth lap Svatek fell hard on the first set of barriers, as he appeared to be trying to hop the barrier with one foot out of the pedal. However this technique did not seem to work for Svatek and he landed heavily, his 200 pound body making a large divot in the course. Soon after that crash, Svatek's rear tire went flat and he had to run half the course to get to the pit and change the wheel. Then McCormack flatted, and after passing the running Svatek, he had to ride his flat for several hundred yards to the pit and get a spare wheel.

Meanwhile on the front, Jon and Rob took pulls and increased their lead over McCormack's group of four riders who were trying desperately trying to catch the accident prone Svatek. On the final lap the gap to McCormack was over 50 seconds and Hamblen decided to leave Rob behind and finish alone. Jon attacked on the gradual hill with half a lap to go and held the lead to the line for his second cross win of the year and first ever cyclocross win in New England.

Peck Wins Vermont 50 Mile Mountain Bike Race, September 28

Chris Peck and Curt Davis made a surprise appearance on prototype Cannondale full-suspension bikes at one of the nation's longest mountain bike events. Held on a mix of singletrack, ATV trails, and dirt roads around the Ascutney Mountain Ski Resort, the event started at 6:15 am to ensure that people would be able to finish by early afternoon. Peck and Davis both made it into the front group of six riders that stayed together for the first two and half hours of the event. Unfortunately Davis flatted on one of the long downhills, and Peck found himself with a thirty second gap over the front group. Peck went on to ride by himself for the next two hours, winning the event in four hours and forty-five minutes with the fastest time of the 700 entrants.

Hamblen 5th at Competitive Edge Cyclocross, Northfield, MA, September 28

The rain came down all day long and created a mud-bog event for Sunday's race. By the time the Pro men lined up, the grass sections of the course were nearly un-rideable, with several featuring foot deep mud. Many riders, who hadn't raced the day before in the nice 80-degree dry weather, kicked themselves for saving their energy for this race. Adam Myerson (Cyclesmart) started at a very quick pace and separated himself from the field in the first 200 meters. Adam was followed closely by Justin Spinelli (Navigators) and Ben Turner (7Up/Maxxis). Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks rider Jon Hamblen struggled behind them, passing some riders and taking the turns nice and slow. Hamblen showed signs of being tired from his win the day before in Pittsfield as well as a having a lack of bike handling skills in the thick mud.

Once Hamblen made it up to fourth place in the race, it looked as though the finish was set and the first four spots were locked up. However, it didn't end up that way. Each lap through the mud, Myerson was seen cutting the course and riding outside the tape to take advantage of the firm grass which had not been torn up by the earlier races. This gave him a distinct advantage over Spinelli who could not keep up, as he rode the deep mud sections which slowed all the non-cheating riders to a Curt Davis-like speed. The officials noticed Adam's flagrant disregard of the rules and dropped him to second place in the final results.

Hamblen lost a spot in the last lap as well, though his was not due to cutting the course. Jon blew up with two laps to go and lost several minutes on the leaders and chasers, consequently a rider from Providence Bicycle caught and passed him to take fourth. Hamblen only just held onto fifth as several riders got to within three seconds of him by the time he limped across the finish line. Jon vowed to never race in the rain again.