2024 Miller Park “A” Race Recap
After a three year hiatus, the Sacramento Cyclocross Series presented by Performance Bicycle returned to Miller Park in Sacramento. This narrow peninsula of a park is situated right along the Sacramento River and provides a punchy course consisting of almost all grass aside from the 200ft beach section. This race would also see wind being a factor, with 20-35mph winds gusting down the river channel.
The Men’s A race saw fifteen riders take the line, and Timmy Bauer (Above & Beyond Cancer) took the holeshot leading the group down to the river. The lead group was eight riders strong at the end of lap one, with Bauer still pulling at the front but with regular front runners Michael Machado (Coureur Monterey Bay Racing Team), Jeremy Ferguson (Enjoy Cycling) and Ryan Rinn (Radaus Racing) all in position to attack. Lap two saw no separation in the front four, but gaps started to form at the back end of the lead group which came back together at the end of the lap seven riders strong. On lap three, Jack Duncan (Mikes Bikes) came into the picture, catching up with the leaders by the time they hit the beach. Half way through lap three is where the race started to shake up, with Michael Machado attacking and Jeremy Ferguson being the only rider to stick with him. The two rode clear of the three rider chase group consisting of Bauer, Rinn and Duncan. A cyclocross race is rarely without surprises though and halfway through lap three suddenly Ferguson was alone off the front, with Machado having to stop in the pit for a shoe change and coming out in fifth working to catch back up to Rinn.
Ferguson entered lap four looking like he might run away with it after Machado’s shoe mishap, but in the second half of the lap he rolled a tire in a tough corner and made his way to the pit for a wheel change. At the same time, Machado’s pace to get back to the front broke up the chase group, and Machado eventually rode clear going into lap five with a gap back to Bauer. Ferguson was working to catch back up as well, but dropped his chain early in lap five losing a big chunk of time that he wasn’t able to recover from. For the remainder of the eight lap race the top three rode alone but with no mishaps and Machado finished 48 seconds clear of Bauer who was only nine seconds clear of Duncan.
In the women’s race, twelve ladies took the line and very quickly Julie Young (Julie Young Training) was at the front beginning to power away from the field. Megan Brinkmeyer (Quodapp) was joined in the chase by Madeline Ortenblad (Rock Lobster) and though they never would catch Young, the two had a very tight battle for the entire seven lap race. Caetie Ofiesh (Ornot) kept in contact with the pair through lap four but that’s when the battle for the last two podium positions started to heat up and she would eventually finish over a minute behind third place. Ortenblad may have seemed content to sit on Brinkmeyer’s wheel with an attack to come, but it was Brinkmeyer’s power on the straights that kept her in second with Ortenblad catching back up in the corners and technical areas. Their race came down to a sprint finish, with Brinkmeyer only edging out Ortenblad by less than a wheel length.
Top 10 Men’s Results:
1st – Michael Machado (Coureur Monterey Bay Racing Team)
2nd – Timmy Bauer (Above & Beyond Cancer)
3rd – Jack Duncan (Mike’s Bikes)
4th – Ryan Rinn (Radhaus Racing)
5th – William Hawkins
6th – Jeremy Ferguson (Enjoy)
7th – Justin Paulson (Rhythm Racing)
8th – Owen Gillette (Sonora FBC)
9th – Will Gregor (Reno Devo)
10th – Elliott Petterson (Scuderia di Gatti)
Top 10 Women’s Results:
1st – Julie Young (Julie Young Training)
2nd – Megan Brinkmeyer (Quodapp)
3rd – Madeline Ortenblad (Rock Lobster)
4th – Caetie Ofiesh (Ornot)
5th – Emliy Funk
6th – Corina Bennett
7th – Lindsay Wetzel Polin (Team Feral Catz)
8th – Jennie Hawkins
9th – Taylor Gorman (Scuderia di Gatti)
10th – Tenley Ong
Click here for full race results. Racing resumes with a doubleheader weekend November 16th & 17th at Rusch Park. Schedule info available at: www.saccyclocross.com