Jones Brothers rip it on two wheels.
Although cyclocross may not be our primary sport at Craftsbury, we were proud to see CNSC junior skiers Trey and Owen Jones crushing the New England cyclocross races this fall. Biking is awesome training for cross country skiing, and with the first ski race of the season under their belts at the Craftsbury Opener, we're excited to see how the Jones' brothers and the rest of the junior crew do this winter.
Trey Jones navigating a corner during the final race weekend in Warwick, RI.
What is cyclocross exactly? It's a form of bike racing where riders complete multiple laps on a course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills, sand, and obstacles which require them to quickly dismount, carry their bike, navigate obstacles and then remount. The bikes themselves are more similar to road bikes than mountain bikes, in that they lack front or rear suspension, and the geometry and handlebars is similar to a road bike. However, cross bikes usually have a burlier frame than your typical road bike, and have knobby tires to help riders better navigate mud, sand, and rocks.
Owen Jones running with bike on shoulder during a race in Putney, VT earlier this fall
Trey and Owen race for the Barker Mountain Bikes (BMB) Team out of Bethel, ME. They both competed in many cyclocross races across New England this fall.
They most recently wrapped up their 2018 season by completing the last of the Vittoria series, which consists of four venues and eight races. This is a series which takes place in Gloucester, MA, Northampton, MA, Suffern, NY and Warwick, RI. Trey and Owen both raced in the Junior Boys 9-14 Division for this series; Trey maintained the leader's jersey throughout the series and was awarded first place overall for the series. Impressively, Trey was on the podium in all 16 cyclocross races he competed in this season, and won 12 of those 16 races. Owen had a great season finishing in eighth place overall in the series. He is still young for the age group, with two more years left in the division. Link to results can be found HERE.
Mounting and dismounting quickly is a key part of cyclocross. Trey demonstrates during a race in Warwick, RI.
Owen corner tightly during the final race weekend in Warwick, RI.