Huseby and Hult 1-2 at UNH Cyclocross Race, Nov 22nd

Johs Huseby and Rob Hult started off this weekend of New England cyclocross racing with a 1-2 finish in Durham, NH. With deep mud covering much of the course, Huseby and Hult rode together for the entire race, holding off ECV’s Jon Bruno by only 19 seconds. Jon Hamblen had a difficult day with mechanical difficulties taking him out of the race, but he vowed to be back for revenge on Sunday.

Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks Sweeps Top 4 at Team Douglas Cyclocross, Nov 23rd

In an incredible show of dominance, the team swept the top four spots at this 10th annual event which is held in conjunction with a large bike swap event in Palmer, Massachusetts. It was a feat that has not been accomplished in New England cyclocross since the days of Saturn taking the top spots with the McCormack brothers and Tim Johnson. Josh Anthony got the hole shot for Fiordifrutta, but the duo of Huseby and Hult soon took over the top two spots. Hamblen was just 5 seconds back with under 23 star Tyler Johnson (Richard Sachs), while Chris Peck trailed by another 5 seconds with Alec Donahue (NCC). By the third lap of nine, Hamblen had dropped Johnson to join the Fiordifrutta train at the front, while Peck chased solo, trailing by just 15 seconds. By the end of the race, Peck had joined the trio at the front, with Hult taking the win since Huseby had won the day before!

Cycle-Smart International UCI Cyclocross, Northampton, MA, Nov 16th

The county’s fastest cyclocross racers all showed up at this new venue for one of the fastest courses this season. Dry conditions and well manicured grass and trails kept speeds high and allowed many groups to stay together. Jon Hamblen got off to his usual fast start despite his last row starting position, and quickly made it into a group together with teammates Johs Huseby and Rob Hult. Hamblen was able to keep us high pace throughout the race to finish in 13th, while a slightly sick Hult faded to 24th by the end of the hour. Huseby ended up riding most of the race in a group with Chris Peck and they went on to finish 26th and 27th respectively. Check out some great pictures from the race taken by Mike Morris/www.intensepicts.com

Johs Huseby
Chris Peck
Jon Hamblen

Hamblen Wins Putney Cyclocross Race, November 9th

In its 13th year, the Putney Cyclocross race is a fixture on the New England cross circuit. The race is held at the West Hill bike shop in Putney, VT, where riders warm up after the race with a cup of cider while taking a look at the in the latest tire offerings in the showroom. This year's race was held on a cold day with clear skies, there was however some icy mud on the course which made the turns slippery for the riders. The race started very fast with Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks team member and Putney native (as well as former West Hill shop employee) Johs Huesby leading the field from the start and into the woods.

Johs had the field strung out quickly and then moved over to let teammate Jon Hamblen attack just before a tight and slippery turn around the back of the shop. Hamblen, taking a cue from teamate Johs who has won the race numerous times, has been training on the Putney course since the first week of September. He was fully prepared for everything the race had to offer, having ridden on it for over 15 hours this season. Jon had spent many days in the past two months practicing the course to learn the fastest line through every turn and how to get down the treacherous drop off in the woods without crashing.

All of that training paid off as he opened a gap on the chasers who struggled in the mud behind, searching for the quickest way to navigate the turns. Meanwhile, Fiordifrutta's Rob Hult sat in the group behind Hamblen, letting Matt Svatek(Sportsbook.com), Jeremy Powers(CycleSmart), and Ryan O'Conner(West Virginia) tire themselves by chasing Hamblen. Hult then attacked the group halfway into the race, easily riding away from them and maintained his gap throughout the race. Hamblen went on to win, with Hult 17 seconds back in second place, and Johs showed a glimpse of returning form with an 8th place finish and a sore thumb from his crash a few weeks ago. The team is looking forward to the CycleSmart UCI race in Northampton Mass this coming weekend.

Hult 2nd at Frank n' Horst Cyclocross, November 8th

The day before the Putney cyclocross, New England's top racers gathered to take on this twisty course in Keene, NH. Johs Huseby and Rob Hult made the front group for Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks, Chris Peck trailed this group for much of the race, and Jon Hamblen stayed home to save his energy for the Putney race. Hult made a strong solo effort early in the race until he was caught and crashed by Matt Svatek (Sportsbook.com), which allowed Huseby to rejoin the pair. Despite attacks by Huseby and Hult, they could not overcome a last lap surge by Svatek, who took the win with Hult in second.