Charm City Preview

I didn't have the time to post this before the race, but here were my predictions for Sunday's race based on the folks who'd pre-registered. I was pretty much right about the heavy hitters. MikeO had a bad day and I think Mayhew is getting into form since he raced the B's and A's on Sunday. Gerlak definitely showed he belongs. Nick Bax didn't pre-reg or I'dve had him in the top 3 for sure.

1. Mike O'Hara 28 Baltimore, MD An avid urban photographer and blogger, Mike surely plans to make this second season of 'cross one worth capturing on film. His rookie campaign was a memorable one with multiple MAC series top ten finishes. He finished 2nd here a year ago--albeit in the C race. He became one of the most consistent Killer B's around last season and he enters this one with a definite bullseye on his back.

2. Georgia Gould 26 Ketchum, ID This course will be all-to-familiar to Gould. Baltimore is where she was first introduced to the sport and ever since then she's been a rider to watch. A relative newbie to the 'cross scene, she nonetheless proved she belonged on the national stage last year. She even dropped by to open up a can on the Killer B's at a couple of MABRA races. But this year on the MTB, she left everyone in her dust and took home the Stars-n-stripes jersey at Pro Nationals. We can barely wait to see what this Idahoan has in store for this year in the mud.

3. Chris Mayhew 30 Pittsburgh, PA Far more well-known for his announcing skills on the MAC circuit, Mayhew put together quite a consistent season a year ago. He's one of the top returners to the B circuit and that experience should get him off to a strong start this season. Certainly, he's capable of winning this one if he's on good form.

4. Steve Fife 32 Reston, VA It's impossible to miss the Rockville Harley colors on this rider. He's always near the front and looking to attack. Last season he showed he can handle a bike off-road and this summer he's shown he's got the engine to do it on the road as well. Narrowly missing the overall at this year's Cat. 4 Tour de Toona, Steve must have plans to give the MABRA 'Cross Crown a shot.

5. Ray Ignosh 32 Breinigsville, PA A relative unkown to the MABRA racers, this rider has proven himself to be very consistent on the competitive MAC circuit. He's a seasoned vet and performs well on the track, the road, and the trails. Surely he will leave his mark on B'more. It's all a question of where his form lies this early in the season. If it's right, he could be a sleeper pick for the win.

6. Marc Vettori 35 Elkton, MD Another popular blogger, with the most off-beat humor in the area. This year he's joined up with the ever powerful Fort crew. Last year he raced mostly Masters races and accorded himself quite well. It's somewhat of a mystery how well he'll perform in B's this season--or even whether he plans to stick around in the category, but to be sure, there will be plenty to write about this one after he's toed the line at Charm City.

7. John Hostetter III 32 Perryville, MD This rider has been a consistent B racer for the past couple years. Last season he showed some great form to reach the podium in a MABRA race, but this season he's no doubt looking for more than that. It remains to be seen whether this is a course that suits him or not. Last season he finished 20th here. We expect a better result the second time around.

8. Chris Nystrom 35 Ellicott City, MD Another one of the B Bloggers, Nystrom is one of the promoters of this fine race. No doubt he will have all the inside information about the course here, but whether all the stress and time spent setting the thing up will take its toll is a question that must be answered. He finished 13th here last year and went on to be very consistent throughout the season when not maligned by mechs and sickness. Big things are expected by folks riding Dugast and Nystrom hopes to do those supple casings proud.

9. Bernard McDonald 39 Baltimore, MD Another one of the tireless promoters, we'll see if he's ready for the season on race day. Trying to gain some for for the season, he's raced sporadically on the roads with relative success. He too fell victim to promoter fatigue last year and finished 22nd. He recovered nicely to finish 7th in a very strong field the following week. But the rest of the season was up and down. He finished it on a high note however, with the birth of a child.

10. Jared Nieters 29 Washington, VA An impressive Cat. 3 racer on the road, it's pretty hard to believe that he won't improve from his 51st place finish here a year ago. There's no doubt that had a little something to do with mechanical trouble. Nieters was conistently just outside the top ten in the MABRA series last year, finishing a season best 7th in the mudfest that was Hagerstown. We think there'll be quite an improvement this season as a season of experience will allow him to use his powerful engine to make a statement on the 'cross scene.

11. Zach Adams 16 Carlisle, PA Last year he proved to be the best junior in the region not named Bax and he did it consistently throughout. He ended his season with a 15th place at Nationals and this season he's joined up with the Fort crew--bringing a strong junior to their fold. Methinks he wants to prove that he's more than just a "junior" and hopes to mix it up quite a bit with the big boys. It's going to require some strength and maturity, but if Adams puts it all together, some of the older folks could be left watching youth pass them by.

12. Todd Hesel 28 Parkville, MD Riding for the black and green of 'cross power HVB, Hesel will look to make up for the loss of Sean Mealey to the A ranks. Hesel raced only sporadically last season, with mixed results, but he proved this summer that he has an engine to be reckoned with. He finished third on the Queen stage of the Tour de Toona and did it emphatically--finishing on that same step of the podium for the KOM competition. Will he be able to put it all together offroad this season? We'll see, but it's hard not to expect success from this rider any time he strikes a pedal in anger.

13. James Ambagis 36 Newark, DE FortJames spent most of last season as a stellar pit-man for the Fort crew. But he also spent most of last season in search of that elusive C race win. He came awfully close two cold days in a row at Fair Hill. There's no telling how he and his fellow C racers will make the leap to the B's, but good things seem to happen to those with hairy legs. We might see a Sampson situation here if he gives in, however. Here's to hoping FortJames can hold off Delilah and put Fort in the thick of things in the only series they didn't dominate last year.

14. The Field: Pomajevich, Milinkovic, Sauder, Berson, Bowman, Gerlak, Harshman, Kirk, and Lea, and Fader. These are guys we either know nothing about or just didn't crack the top 13. Any of these riders could easily ride themselves into the top 10 or perhaps pull off the win. And that's saying nothing about those who scorned pre-reg. One thing's for sure: we're in for a terrific season of cyclocross this year. Let the racing begin!