It was the best of times and the worst of times for both Gage Hecht and Lance Haidet this past weekend at the Kings CX in Cincinnati.
Nearly two inches of rain led to some seriously slick and muddy conditions on Saturday. This played to Lance's favor as he was able to bounce back from early race mistakes and battle for the top spot on the podium. He'd come up a few seconds short, but could not have been more happy with a second place amongst a stacked field. The course was not as kind to Gage. A missed pedal and a few slip ups here and there had him chasing all day. He would settle for ninth and seek redemption on Sunday.
Overnight, dark clouds where swept away and the warm sun dried up the course quite a bit. A few course changes also led to some seriously fast racing. A great start and smart tactics had Gage poised to take the win, but like Lance on Saturday, he would have to settle for second place. Still a fantastic result. And, like Gage on Saturday, Lance found himself making mistakes that had him fighting to stay within the top ten.
It was another amazing visit to Cincinnati for the Kings CX weekend. The promoters, volunteers and community really know how to put on an amazing two days of racing. Next up is the Pan Am Championships in Ontario, Canada!
Limit your losses. "I had a good start, but about half-way through the first lap, I slipped a pedal and landed on the top tube. This mishap caused me to lose contact with the two leaders. For most of the rest of the race all I did was chase." - Gage Hecht
Stay smooth. "Conditions on Saturday were pretty awesome! After about an inch and a half of rain over the course of the day, the course was running super slick. Everyone was making mistakes out there, including me!" - Lance Haidet
Find the line. "It really came down to who was able to find a rhythm, nail the best lines, and limit the amount of time spent on the ground." - Lance Haidet
There is always tomorrow. "Saturday did not go well. Needless to say, this result left me wanting more. " - Gage Hecht
Shake it off. " Most of my mistakes happened early on, so I spent most of the first half of the race trying to make up ground and get through traffic, which is a lot easier said than done in those conditions." - Lance Haidet
On the bright side. "I always look forward to racing here in Cincinnati. The promoter has done a great job over the years of creating a great atmosphere for cyclocross!" - Gage Hecht
Day 1 podium. 1st Kerry Werner, 2nd:. Lance Haidet, 3rd: Curtis White
Let's take it up a notch. "On Sunday, the course design was opened up making it much faster. The wind and sun dried out the track to the point where it resembled concrete on a freeway. It was quick!" - Gage Hecht
In the big ring. "Sunday was a completely different story compared to Saturday. Not only was the course super tacky, but they also took out a ton of the corners. I honestly think I spent a solid 50% of the race in my biggest gear." - Lance Haidet
Time to dig. "I had a decent start and found myself in the leading group. Due to a small dab in the ride-up, I loss contact with the leaders for about three laps. This chase really forced me to dig deep." - Gage Hecht
Take the good with the bad. "Between my crash and my back starting to act up in the later half the race, It was definitely not my best ride. I was suffering quite a bit out there, and honestly gave it everything I had today. 9th was all I could manage. I am not super happy with my result, but am stoked that Gage was able to crush it today and come away with second!" - Lance Haidet
Making contact. "After finally making contact, Curtis kept the speed high. I made my move with about half a lap to go, but opened up a door to find traction, and Curtis took advantage of it and slipped up my inside. I ended up rolling it in a few seconds behind him." - Gage Hecht
Not today. "I was feeling really solid and things were looking really good. On one of the easiest corners of the course I took a big digger. It was one of those crashes where I was on the ground so quickly, it took about ten seconds of sitting on the ground to process what the heck had just happened." -Lance Haidet
On to the next one. "I’m super proud of the racing that day and came out of the weekend knowing what all I can improve on before Pan-American Championships next weekend." - Gage Hecht
Day 2 podium. 1. Curtis White, 2. Gage Hecht, 3. Kerry Werner
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Rider Tire Selection and Pressure
Lance Haidet (Sat.)
Front: PDX / 16 psi
Rear: PDX / 16.5 psi
Gage Hecht (Sat.)
Front: PDX / 15.5 psi
Rear: PDX / 17 psi
Lance Haidet (Sun.)
Front: LAS / 21.5 psi
Rear: LAS / 22 psi
Gage Hecht (Sun.)
Front: MXP / 22 psi
Rear: LAS / 24 psi
Donnelly Professional Cycling Team Sponsors
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Victory Circle Graphix
ProNet Cycling
For media and sponsorship inquires email: info@donnelllysports.com
Team Schedule (Tentative)
Rochester Cyclocross – Rochester, NY
Jingle Cross World Cup – Iowa City, IA
Trek CXC World Cup – Waterloo, WI
Fayettecross - Fayetteville Arkansas
US Open of Cyclocross – Boulder, CO
Cincinnati UCI Cyclocross - Cincinnati. OH
NEXT RACE:
Silver Goose - Midland, ON
Pan Am Games - Midland, ON
Ruts N Guts CX – Broken Arrow, OK
USA National Championships – Tacoma, WA
UCI World Championships – Dubendorf, CH