Bainbridge Islander Zach McDonald struck a confident one-wheeled pose (see above) as he crossed the finish line to win yet another another national cyclocross title on Saturday.
McDonald managed to finish the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships U23 race more than two minutes before the second-place finisher, and he did it with relatively clean spandex – a rarity for a winter sport where slips and spills are par for the muddy course.
McDonald’s clean clothes underscore what makes him one of the nation’s best cyclocross riders – uncanny poise on slick, uneven surfaces.
Velo News reports that it was a “a perfect course” for McDonald, a rider “renowned for his technical abilities.” The Bend, Ore. course was “muddy, rutted, and greasy, with a couple of fast downhills and tricky corners that had racers flying into the tape all day long.”
McDonald used one of the corners to ease past the race’s initial frontrunner, who couldn’t handle the curves with equal grace.
For more about McDonald, read Annette Griffus’ Kitsap Sun profile from last January.
PHOTO: Wil Matthews, Velo News
