Rapha wins big at Cyclocross National Championships

Powers (L) and McDonald post-race.
(Photo courtesy Rapha/CXMagazine.com)

Apparel company Rapha, whose North American headquarters are in North Portland, had a big weekend at the 2012 Cyclocross National Championships. The races, held in Madison, Wisconsin, featured the nation’s top cyclocross talent together to vie for bragging rights in what has become one of the fastest-growing bike disciplines since mountain biking took off in the 1990s.

Rapha sponsors the four-person Rapha-Focus Cyclocross Team and two of its members — Jeremy Powers and Zach McDonald — were crowned national champions.

Powers, who hails from Easthampton, Massachusetts, won the men’s elite competition after out-riding a field of serious contenders that included Jonathan Page, Ryan Trebon (from Bend) and Tim Johnson. Powers attacked with two laps to go (out of eight) and never looked back. Trebon rolled in for second.

McDonald, who lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington (outside of Seattle) crushed his competitors in the U23 field, taking home the gold by over 2:21 seconds. McDonald was feeling so good he suited up for the men’s elite race yesterday and — despite a spectacular crash at the starting line — powered into the lead break to give his teammate Jeremy Powers a helping hand.

After his victory in the elite race, Powers told USA Cycling, “I can retire happy now… I don’t care really what happens after this.”

For Rapha, a company based in the U.K. that has staked a claim on looking good while riding hard, far, and fast, the victory means even more publicity for the premium-priced bikewear brand.

Rapha’s North American GM Slate Olson says when his the London-based parent company set up shop in Portland in 2008, major cyclocross success “wasn’t really on their roadmap.” Sponsoring a major cyclocross team was an idea that came from the Portland office, he says.

After the big weekend, Olson says, “Having success at this level is really rewarding.”