Bjorn Selander out-races the pack to win Hudson Cyclocross

• Competitors struggle through a muddy stretch of the course

Competitors in Sunday’s Hudson Riverfront Cyclocross Race struggle through a muddy stretch of the course next to the St. Croix River. Watching, left, are David and Darryl Mataya, who participated in the earlier B and C races, respectively. Bjorn Selander, a 20-year-old Hudson native and member of the USA Cycling National Development Team, won the A race. Photo by Randy Hanson

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• Hudson Cyclocross

Bjorn Selander showed why he’s a member of the USA Cycling National Development Team in Sunday’s fourth running of the Hudson Riverfront Cyclocross Race.

Twenty minutes into the hour-long A race, Selander was nearly a minute ahead of the next-closest competitor.

Midway through the event, he was lapping other racers, causing some momentary confusion for the officials who were keeping track of the cyclists’ positions.

The 20-year-old won the race by a wide margin — and didn’t appear overly exhausted from the effort. Apparently all that training in Europe with the national team has paid off.

No one was surprised that Selander won the Hudson Cyclocross. After all, he’s the reigning cyclocross national champion among racers under age 23.

This weekend, the young Hudson native will compete in a USA Cycling sanctioned race in Ohio. Then he’s off to Europe for more training and racing with the national team.

One hundred seven cyclists participated in the three cyclocross races run on the course set up in Lakefront Park and the wooded area next to the St. Croix River just north of the park.

The course started at the dike bridge, wound through the park, past the bathhouse and into the swampy woods north of the bathhouse.

Racers had to dismount and carry their bicycles for parts of the journey — through a muddy stretch near the river, across the Lakefront Park beach and over two wooden hurdles.

“It was a fun course, but a crazy hard course,” one competitor was overheard saying following the event.

The sport of cyclocross was started in Europe by bicycle racers who wanted a competition for the winter months.

Hudson resident Dag Selander, a former member of the Norwegian national cycling team and a longtime promoter of area cycling events, is responsible for bringing cyclocross to Hudson.

Dag, Bjorn’s father, worked may hours again this year organizing the event and setting up the race course.

The elder Selander also placed 18th overall and seventh in the over 35 category in the A race.

Other Hudsonites participating in the races included David Hackworthy (ninth in the A race), David Mataya (50th in the B race) and Steve Kapaun (20th in the C race).

Former Hudsonite Jeff Colbeth finished 18th in the C race.

See the attached Photo Gallery for more pictures from this event. Photos may also be purchased online from the Photo Galleries and Sales link, http://hudsonstarobserver.mycapture.com, October 9 album.

Tags: sports, hudson, cyclocross, bjorn, selander