Just got back from Kansas City. Still have to wash the bikes and try to make them work again. The conditions were about as bad as they can get for bike riding. Some frozen ground that was rutted, with a layer, more than a layer of mud. The lines changed abunch and it was a humbling experience as usual. It was in the lower 30’s. Pretty cold. I’m not sure whether I was having a good day or just an average day. I didn’t hurt that bad, but I wasn’t in a position to have to hurt that bad. I was handling my bike pretty good except wrapping course ribbon around my bars a few times. The best/only good lines were on the edges of the course where it wasn’t frozen ruts. But, when there was a rut and it threw you into the ribbon, it was pretty ugly. It was pretty fun racing in front of a ton of people that I personally know. I’d forgotten how fun that really is. I hope the experience today will give me some small advantage in the Elite race Sunday afternoon. It’s supposed to start snowing soon. Tomorrow is going to be a completely different course. And the another completely different course on Sunday. Should make for some great cross spectating. OK. I’m pretty beat. Mainly from the cold/wet conditions. Not being warm for hours. Etc. Catherine Walberg, from Topeka, repeated her Cyclo-X Nationals win from last year. She came from behind and won just by 7 seconds in the last half lap. It’s a hard, but very rewarding way to win a hard bicycle race. It was super enjoyable/nerve racking to watch. OK. To bike work.

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Below is what Velonews had to say-

Tilford collects another stars-and-stripes at CX nats
By VeloNews.com
Filed: December 14, 2007

Steve Tilford collected his fifth cyclocross national championship on Friday at wind-whipped, mud-spattered Wyandotte County Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

The KCCX-Verge-Eriksen Cycles rider won the masters 45-49 race in 43:03, nearly two minutes ahead of Kevin Hines, with another veteran ‘crosser – two-time masters national champion Gunnar Shogren (Fort Factory Team) – taking third at 4:03 back.

Despite having something of an edge on the competition – a resident of Topeka, Kansas, Tilford worked with race promoter Bill Marshall to finalize the course – the five-time champ said he “woke up pretty nervous today.”

“It’s different from when I was winning mountain-bike world’s. After I won that a few times, I kind of got more of a relief than actual happiness, so I kind of quit going at that point,” he added.

“Cyclocross is just plain fun. Even when I was wallowing in the mud today, I liked it.”

Another familiar face took the women’s 30-34 crown. Maureen Bruno Roy (IF-Wheelworks-SRAM), fresh off a pair of top-five finishes in the final weekend of the Verge New England Championship Cyclocross Series, crossed 1:20 in front of Josie Jacques-Maynes (California Giant Berry Farms) with Sally Annis (NEBC-Cycle Loft-Devonshire) third at 2:22.

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