(Photo: USA Cycling)
I’ll cut right to the big news of the weekend from the Cyclocross National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky: Portland’s Clara Honsinger nabbed a national title!
After getting a great start, Honsinger (Team S & M CX) rode — and ran and slid — the treacherously muddy course to the win on Sunday in the Women’s Under-23 race. Even sweeter for Honsinger and the Sellwood-based Team S & M CX team was Sophie Russenberger getting the bronze medal. Beth Ann Orton, another member of the three-woman team, rode to a strong 13th place in the Women’s Elite race.
Honsinger’s win capped a tremendous season that saw this “kid from Oregon” emerge as a true star on the ‘cross circuit.
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Team S & M CX is owned and operated by Sellwood Cycle Repair owner Erik Tonkin. Tonkin, now retired from competitive racing, celebrated his shop’s 25th anniversary in 2017. Team S & M has been a mainstay on the local circuit for many years; but it’s been only in the last few seasons that Tonkin committed to an elite, all-women development program. With the support of sponsors, the work of Tonkin and his team manager and head mechanic Brenna Wrye-Simpson have paid off big time. Congratulations!
*Molly Cameron on the podium in 2nd place via her Instagram post.
Also showing well at #CXNats was Portlander Molly Cameron. She finished 2nd in the Masters 40-44 category after leading for much of the race.
These are great results and they validate the Portland region’s rightful place as a hotbed of cyclocross talent. Congrats and thank you to all the Portlanders who made the trek to Louisville. You made us all proud!
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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