Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) stormed across a snow-covered course in Hartford, Connecticut to claim his first stars-and-stripes jersey at the US Cyclocross National Championships . He took a hard-fought victory in the elite men’s race against Eric Brunner (Blue Competition Cycles p/b Build), who settled for the silver medal.
It was an emotional win for the 27-year-old White, who had pursued a cyclocross national title for 17 years and finished second seven times across various divisions.
“Chasing the stars-and-stripes, my peers haven’t made it easy on me and I thank them for that. You know, day after day my family, my fiancée, my friends are sacrificing. It’s freezing (today)! All the sacrifices have paid off. National champion, finally," White said through a few tears at the finish. "I wanted that stars-and-stripes so bad. It is something I thought about every day.”
Kerry Werner (Kona Adventure Team) moved methodically through the field for the seven-lap race to finish third. Scott Funston (Blue Competition Cycles p/b Build) was fourth and Lance Haidet (L39ION of Los Angeles) was fifth.
It was like a home win for White, who grew up in western New York state and lives in nearby Massachusetts. This season he was second to Brunner at the Pan-Am Championships, but took top honours ahead of Brunner for the overall title at the US Cyclocross Series. The last three rides at CX Nationals left him in the runner-up position in the elite field, last year behind Brunner.
“Eric [Brunner] has really upped his game […]
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