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.

VERGE Cyclocross Series Race #1, New Gloucester, ME, October 15th

The skies cleared on a beautiful fall afternoon with blue skies and temperatures in the mid-60's giving the racers a reprieve from the horrendous conditions while lightening spirits for a fun race…rrrrrhhhh…whoa…not quite…not even close. Actually it rained for over a week straight with no letting up whatsoever and flooding that devastated much of the Connecticut River watershed. The course in Maine had turned into a muddy quagmire.

Matt White and Michael Cody lined up for the slog fest with a full New England cyclocross field; the race looked to be a tough test of running and handling skills. Cody nailed the holeshot as Mark "The Shark" McCormack bobbled on a slow line into the first corner and opened a gap onto the back side of the course. Cody slowed as he entered the running section where McCormack simply ran away from the rest of the field. Meanwhile Cody and Whitey made it into the front group for the next few laps with Jesse Anthony and Matt Kraus. An unfortunate puncture by White on the bottom section of the course pulled him from the main group while he pushed hard to limit his losses to the pit. Cody would yo-yo back and forth with Kraus and Anthony until the last two laps where their running skills in the mud pushed them ahead. Cody would hold onto 7th on the day after a last lap bobble, and Whitey finished up in 12th.

White Wins Wicked Maine Cyclocross, October 16th

The brave/insane who decided to stick around for the next day's race would be greeted with cool temps and high winds that had turned yesterday's course into a slime pit of despair. A pre-race meeting including Matt White, Adam Myerson, Phil Wong, Shawn Milne, and a few other favorites determined that a very slow start would enable the race distance to be cut short so we wouldn't have to suffer for too long. Someone didn't tell the Canadian racer who blew off the front at the start and forced Whitey and Cody into racing earlier then anticipated.

With such a tired field, White and Cody rode away from any contenders. Two crashes and a flat in as many laps would pull Cody off of White’s wheel as White rode away to the victory, hopping the course’s lone barrier all day, while the Canadian speedster nipped Cody for second after he flatted far from the pit.

You can see some photos from the event here.

Timmerman Wins Syracuse Cyclocross Grand Prix, October 9th

Dan Timmerman put his off-road skills to good use as he rode to a win in one of NY’s regional cross races. Despite using a dismount style that involves getting off on the wrong side of the bike, Timmerman was able to put time into all the other competitors.

Peck Wins Canton Cup Cyclocross, October 9th

Chris Peck posted his third win in three weeks at this muddy New England race in Canton, MA. After the first lap, Adam Myerson (Nerac.com) and Noah Taylor (Richard Sachs) had jumped away to a 30 meter lead, but Peck and teammate Phil Wong were able to get across. Midway through the race, a crash by Myerson allowed Taylor and Peck to separate themselves from the chasing group which now included Tyler Johnson (Easton/Kona) and Rob Hult.

Peck and Taylor worked well together until the final lap when it looked as if Johnson would bridge to the pair. But Taylor slid out on one of the slick turns, allowing Peck to solo in for the win with Wong in 5th.

Fiordifrutta Adds a New Ryder, Oct 7th

Johs Huseby and wife Diane negotiated the contract for a new addition to the team who started work on October 7th at 11:59:45 pm. Ryder Massimo Martini Huseby only weighed in at 7.6 lbs and was 21 inches high, but still promises to be quite a talent for the coming years. Jon Hamblen once again promised to skip dessert for the foreseeable future to help him gain back his title of lightest rider on the team.

Whitmore’s Landscaping UCI Super Cross Cup, Long Island NY, October 1-2

Day 1 – Hamblen 3rd, Cody 5th, White 7th

With the three man team of Jon Hamblen, Michael Cody, and Matt White, Fiordifrutta had great a great opportunity to school the competition today. Hamblen won the holeshot beginning what would be an unusual day of group cross racing. After slippery Mark “The Shark” McCormack blasted off the front, the boys made frequent attacks in hopes of bridging to the big fish. After a number of attacks, and a team bobble that nearly took them out of the race, Jon Hamblen rode free of the large group with Troy Wells, and was able to pick the youngster off in the sprint to take 3rd. Cody and White then battled the remaining field to take 5 and 7 respectively, with a great last lap surge by Michael Cody.

Day 2 – White 3rd, Hamblen 4th, Cody 9th

The same 3 man team was ready as ever to take on the same course again on Sunday. This time the race shaped up a little different from the gun, a faster start with a crash mid way through the first lap separated Matt White and McCormack from the rest of the field. Hamblen and Cody were in hot pursuit. Another bobble separated our front runners putting White into the chase and holding 2nd with a good gap. He was not over taken until the last quarter of the race when Matt Shriver was able to bridge and attack White leaving him to defend and take 3rd place. Hamblen was able to shake the rest of the competition to ride in solo for 4th, and Cody held on for 9th after a late race crash. It was another solid day for the Fiordifrutta squad.

Peck Wins BCA Cyclocross, October 1

After arriving back in CT at 2 am from the Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, Chris Peck dragged himself out of bed to race in Pittsfield, MA on Saturday. With many riders attending the UCI races on Long Island, Peck was able to ride in the front group with Alec Donahue (Louis Garneau) and Rob Hult. After former teammate Hult flatted far from the pit, Peck was able to ride away from Donahue to take the win.

Peck Wins Lake Pleasant Cyclocross, September 25

Chris Peck made a strong showing at one of New England’s first cross races of the season in Lake Pleasant, MA. After two laps, the front group was down to Peck, Alec Donahue (Louis Garneau), and Noah Taylor (Richard Sachs). With 3 laps to go, Taylor fell off the pace with a flat tire, and Peck attacked on the steep run to put a solid gap between himself and Donahue.