Big D Cycling Juniors Start November with a Bang!

Chris Braley, at the ripe age of 10 years, came out strong last weekend to start off his cyclocross season.  Saturday’s Colavita Cup had a packed field of nineteen, 9-11 year old racers.  It was a fast course, with very little climbing.  He finished the day in 3rd Place.

Chris putting the hammer down!
Chris putting the hammer down! Photo credit: Randy Braley Photography

Sunday’s Boulevard Cup would prove to be more challenging with the race being 30-minutes and a hillier section added to the course.  With another packed field, Chris jumped out with a strong start and kept the number two rider in his sights, hoping to have another shot at the podium.  Even after dropping his chain on the last lap, he made one final push and finished the race in second place.

Chris having a blast on the podium!
Chris having a blast on the podium! Photo credit: Randy Braley Photography
Chip Zimmer has been having a great year in the Masters 60+ category, so he decided to mix it up with the youngsters at the Colavita Cup in Category!
Chip Zimmer has been having a great year in the Masters 60+ category, so he decided to mix it up with the youngsters at the Colavita Cup in Category! Photo credit: Randy Braley Photography
Amy VanNieuwenhuyse navigating the Boulevard Cup course, having a great Masters season.
Amy VanNieuwenhuyse navigating the Boulevard Cup course, having a great Masters season. Photo credit: Randy Braley Photography

Switching gears ~ Giddy up, Ponies! The Vaughts headed to Louisville!

Greg and Nigel Vaught headed east to Louisville in the first weekend of November for the Derby City Cup. Greg wanted to get Nigel some more experience with racing in a larger field. What Greg was not interested in was getting hit from behind, snapping his rear derailleur hanger on Saturday and destroying a wheel in his Sunday race!

Watching his son Nigel helped ease the misfortune he experienced in his races, though. Nigel had commanding leads in both his races at Derby City Cup, but some miscalculations and some difficulties with the course dropped him from the top step. Even with some mistakes made, he finished on the podium each day.

Finn Smith in the foreground with Nigel being the blue blur in the upper right corner of the picture, with an early commanding lead!
Local KCOI U20 racer Finn Smith in the foreground with Nigel being the blue blur, heading up the hill, in the upper right corner of the picture, with an early commanding lead!
Nigel earned a 2nd place finish and a 3rd place finish in both his races at Derby City Cup over the first weekend in November.
Nigel earned a 2nd place finish and a 3rd place finish in both his races at Derby City Cup over the first weekend in November.

Keen Wealth Advisors has been a major supporter of junior racing since it became the title sponsor of Big D Cycling. We can’t thank them enough for helping to grow our sport and to encourage young boys and girls to stay active and have fun  doing it!

Big D Cycling Keepin’ It Competitive In Masters! Keen Wealth Classic Is Less Than Two Weeks Away!

Big D Cycling has just rolled up strong through the heart of the KBCXT season.  Finishing up the two days of racing at the Capital Cup in Topeka, Kansas, on a fun and challenging course of mixed terrain, the team racked up seven podium spots, plus an additional four, top-five finishes, all the while pocketing valuable 1.5x KBCXT points in the race to repeat as Masters Cx champions.
While Paul Aldeguer was busy battling the Masters 40’s crew for a 3rd place spot, Steve Van Nieuwenhuyse, Jim Clevenger and Greg Vaught went 2, 3, 4 on Saturday against the Masters 50’s. Chip Zimmer and Amy Van each grabbed the highest steps that weekend in their divisions and looked great doing so!
Wash-Rinse-Repeat at Raytown BMX Course!
This past weekend, the Raytown BMX course had the Masters standing tall yet again.
Amy Van grabbed the top step both days in the Women’s division while her husband, Steve, managed back-to-back second place spots in the Men’ 50 field.
Amy Van warming up at the Raytown BMX course.
Amy Van warming up at the Raytown BMX course. Photo credit: Roger Harrison


Saturday
 had the Big-D Masters 50’s crowding the podium with Van Nieuwenhuyse, Clevenger and Vaught going 2nd, 3rd and 5th, respectively.

Steve Van off to a fast start ... is there any other way?
Steve Van off to a fast start … is there any other way? Greg Vaught close behind!! Photo credit: Roger Harrison
Chip Zimmer, as always, is a solid podium contender in the 60’s field and has received some help from Reg Robertson and aggressive newcomer to the Cx team, Jay Raupp.
Chip Zimmer taking the plunge!
Chip Zimmer taking the plunge! Photo credit: Roger Harrison
Over the last five weeks of Cross racing, the Masters team, as a whole, has stood atop 23 podiums and backed those with another 15 top-five finishes … and then comes the team Junior phenom, Nigel Vaught.
Nigel has made the jump to Cat-4’s and just posted an impressing top five finish at the Raytown course in a field of 23 riders. At the end of a recent, grueling, back-to-back race weekend and after doing double duty races each day in Juniors and C-4’s, Nigel made the comment he was “getting a little tired.”  This comment came as the Masters racers were busy cleaning crash wounds, putting weight softly onto sore knees, stretching out tight hamstrings and digging through the cooler for a refreshing adult beverage.
Nigel on the podium for Juniors 15-18!!
Nigel on the podium for Juniors 15-18!!

Some of those races Nigel went from finish line Juniors to start line Cat-4’s, while dad swapped numbers in the staging area. Ahhh, nothing quite like the eternal spark of youth and enthusiasm. Nothing that is, except the solid investment advice from Keen Wealth Management.

Please make plans to attend the first annual Keen Wealth Classic cyclocross race to be held in the scenic hills of Wyandotte County Lake Park on November 13, 2016, and see what Big D Cycling has in store for the Kansas State Category Championship Cx race. The Beach Shelter on the west side of the lake is ground zero for some great Cx and spectator action. Plan to spend the day with Big-D and have lunch with several members of the Keen Wealth staff. We’d love to see you there!