Mad skills on display at the U.S. national cyclocross championships
Christopher Blevins and Cody Kaiser show off some sweet bike handling
While the main attraction at the 2018 U.S. national cyclocross championships in Reno, Nevada were the gripping battles in the elite races there’s no doubt there were some other impressive skills on display over the weekend.
Katie Compton winning her 14th consecutive U.S. national cyclocross title was immensely impressive and made more amazing by the tight battle with Ellen Noble. Stephen Hyde also had a battle on his hands to win his second consecutive men’s title with Jeremy Powers putting on a very hard fought challenge. But the skills that caught our eyes were those of Christopher Blevins and Cody Kaiser.
When you come to win…@chrisblevs #cxnats pic.twitter.com/L1ceiWmHq9
— FloBikes (@flobikes) January 14, 2018
Christopher Blevins who races for US pro continental squad Hagens Berman Axeon won the U23 race at nationals but it wasn’t just his win that caught our intention. Instead, it was a wildly risky bunny hop in the heat of battle with Eric Brunner who would finish second. While we frequently see pros bunny hop barriers and all sorts of obstacles, three concrete stairs are a particularly tricky obstacle.
Blevins is not deterred, riding into them at full speed and clearing them cleanly. A skid in the corner for good measure. His competitor, who has dismounted to get over the stairs is gapped in the process. A risky move that pays off big time.
On the other hand, Cody Kaiser is a semi-pro mountain biker who’d finish 11th in the elite race behind Hyde. His warm-up for the big showdown was some two-wheeled fun. With two friends skipping a very long rope, Kaiser enters the frame to begin skipping the rope. Kaiser nails seven skips of the rope before exiting. While the stakes were higher for Blevins, the skills were definitely well warmed up by Kaiser for the main event. Track standing in place and bunny hopping are not easy especially combined and when they need to be well timed to clear a skipping rope.
But which display of skills was more impressive? Let us know in the comments below.
