Standings Update: 6 of 7 Races Complete
November 13
Following the super galactic Star ‘Crossed many of the 2024 NEOCX fields have been clinched with only a handful of top steps to be determined at our Theater of Dreams on Saturday. Molnar (the younger), El Sanadi, Slutz, Shere (Tove), Loman, and Sroka (Rudy) can show up fancy free knowing they’ve secured their crowns and their place in history regardless if they decide to race or simply lord over their slain competitors, chili in hand, just because they can. For others they’re next meal has to wait; there’s work yet to be done.
The Mens 4/5 race has simply been spectacular, with bad luck, half bike lengths, and untimely unclipping all adding up to a dead tie between Zac Grien and Nick Snyder. Scott Liechty can’t even pick a favorite in this one, and he’s been closely studying 4/5 fields for years. The only thing we know for sure is that the Finale is going to start off with a cracker of a race.
Mens 3/4 is also tight as a duck’s behind. Woody, after lighting things up in Solon, simply needs to win to at least force a tie with Tanner, assuming that if he were to win then Tanner would get 2nd. That’s a safe assumption as the NEOCX fans have pledged to tackle anyone preventing the tie-breaker shootout, or, in the case that it’s Josh Franek ahead of Tanner, asking very nicely for him to please slow down. The rest of the field is closely contested, as well, virtually guaranteeing multiple final positions being decided via the shootout.
The contest to see who takes home the bespoke SSCX Champion fanny-belt can go one of two ways. Yuanshuai Si can find his way out of the woods, show up, and take it with a top three finish or, should that not materialize, a mano e mano battle between hirsute JMR teammates, Woody & Klueber, would determine the champion. Brian would need Woody to drop a few places but, coming straight off of the potentially career-defining 3/4 race with Tanner, one could easily see that happening. Our Lady Cyclocross is going to be in for a show!
Standings Update: 5 of 7
October 31
Ordinarily, when one checks the standings they’re expecting data. Incontrovertible facts. Hard truths. This edition starts with Voice of Customer feedback, the sort of thing we meld to support whatever bias we had in mind when asking the question to begin with.
“Trying NEOCX is the best decision I’ve ever made, ever, in my entire life, about anything”
-Sarah Hoffman
Is this exaggerated ebullience from her being on the series podium or liberties taken by our field reporter at the dregs of a Midwest Red IPA. Both, maybe, but the essence rings true: we’re all glad for that first time we tried CX. We also want to know the numbers needed from the final two races, so let’s get to it.
The Mens 4/5 field saw bad luck for Nick Synder where a flat tire caused an early appearance of his tall-man-on-a-tiny-bike costume and Jason Johnson continued his upward trend with a solid 4th place. Chatter amongst the pit crews had been about where Clark got his skills, nature versus nurture, and this result will finally have some siding with the former.
Wave 4 had two additional fields virtually decided as both Addie Slutz and Tanner Tsvetkoff each have three wins and a second place, making them nearly impossible to pass. No mystery there. Where there is plenty of mystery is at the lower end where Ryan Hoch, a claimed vegan even though society at-large agrees that’s poppycock, is halfway home to a “perfect season”, scoring 69 points in both of his races. What’s the Fuzzy Stitchworks workshop gonna make for a perfect season, we wonder?
The Masters are much more interesting. Tove and Gwen, teammates off the course, heated rivals on, appear headed to the first ever tie-breaker shootout and the Mens 45+, while narrow in depth, has each racer with a viable pathway to the top. Star ‘Crossed may be decisive as the relative deterioration of night vision, above all else, will be crucial. In fact, we understand Grit Racing to be supplying a tracking airpod for each racer sporting trifocals in the event of wayward piloting.
Business, as they say, is picking up.
Standings Update: 4 of 7
October 22
Unlike last year, where Lanky locked up the Mens 4/5 top-step before the last race, this year’s a great contest. The odds on favorites for the top two spots are Zach Grien and Nick Snyder, who were separated by a bike-throw at Todd Field. In fact, we predict those two will end in a tie and become the first to have their outcome determined in this year’s Finale shoot-out tie-breaker! Likewise, the third step is anyone’s guess. Zappala, Miller, Visoky, Barbero, and Liechty, yes, Scott Liechty, all with a chance.
Similar story on the Womens side. Between Hoffman, Uhoda, the Franeks, and The Sheriff you’d be hard pressed to sort out the final order. Further complicating the prediction markets is Ames McLaughlin’s first place at Thrill on the Hill, suggesting lots of series potential. However, 80% of success is just showing up, and we’re not entirely sure that Grit Racing knows they’re putting on a race in a few weeks, let alone that Heck is Saturday, and Ames is one missed race away from disqualification.
The Masters holds intrigue. No, it’s not the 65+ where Rudy has already locked-up the series, but instead in the 45+ field. Wookie, now without a team, is racing like it, and sources report his sighting near 26th & Detroit. Could the rumors be true, that Wookie could be racing for Joy Machines next year?
North Union Cycling appears to be going to extreme lengths in preventing Brian Klueber from taking home the SSCX Championship fanny pack belt that Fuzzy Stitchworks must be hard at work constructing. Late in the race and leading, team captain Nathan Molnar, recognizing Yuanshuai Si could severely damage Klueber’s chances, decided to severely damage his own rear-wheel on the rock wall, heroically smashing it to bits and allowing Yuanshuai to win and for Nate to have the better part of three recovery PBRs down the hatch before race finish. And with that, it looks like Yuanshuai will get the belt.
Standings Update: 3 of 7
October 3
After a week of number crunching our Analytics team reported back that to compile and assess season standings when the four best scores count and there are still four races remaining is just plain dumb, that the entire world is still in contention. Well, NEOCX hasn’t become the finest grassroots, non-USAC, Cleveland cyclocross race series by listening to a bunch of math nerds! We give the people what they want, when they want it, no matter if it makes sense. So here you all are, the Series Standings after three races.
There have been a number of fantastic individual efforts thus far, from new racers gathering gumption and getting in the mix to veterans putting up great results, but this week’s focus is on #cxisfamily. The Mihalik boys have been up to their usual as has Tom Franek, who is evidently not content to have an eponymous rule but is gunning for the record of podiums by surname. Rosalie, as per custom, and now Josh and Kristina have been racing and racing quite well. At this point we’re ready to cede any and all things NEOCX to this crew.
The whole McDaniel family, five of ’em best we can tell, burst from their van into Sunday’s morass as well what must have been Ellie’s unsuspecting friend, Sophia, racing in the Womens Juniors. By now word has surely gotten around the McDaniel neighborhood that no matter what, never, under any circumstances, agree to a sleepover at their house the night before a cross race. Or maybe not? Will Joe have a line of neighborhood kids sleeping dorm style in his garage every CX eve? Time will tell.
Overheard on Brooklyn’s viewing hill was a conversation regarding the Molnars, how soon would it be before Nick bests his old man between the tape? Well, that impossible-to-imagine scenario has already played out with the Lawhorns as Isabella placed one ahead of her dear, dear mother at Thrill on the Hill. A source of pride, we suspect, for Heather, but what about Joe? What must he be thinking now when it comes to stoker selection for upcoming Tandemoniums? Isabella or Heather? Will a few weeks worth of Coal Country gravel have Joe siding with “happy wife, happy life” or will there be temptation, once the Johnson boys and other assorted tandemeers show up, to try to eke out that extra spot?