Sunday’s return to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for Round 3 of the Bay Area Super Prestige Series will be a homecoming for 2 Northern California CycloCross stars from the pioneer days when California ruled the ‘cross roost. For Junior National Champs Jim Gentes and Clark Natwick – arch rivals in the mid-70’s – the same area near the park’s Polo Fields that will host Sundays round remains timeless from their races in 1975 with cypress tree forests, sandy paths, and trails covered by pine needles. Although following separate paths since they earned their titles in 1975 and ’76, both riders remain fixtures at both local and national CycloCross scenes.
For San Jose’s Gentes, the first US Junior CycloCross champion crowned at Berkeley’s Tilden Park at the first ever CycloCross Championships in December, 1975, his active racing career came to a conclusion a few years later when he finished at San Jose State’s Industrial Engineering/Design program and began working for Blackburn Designs. 1985 was his career turning point when he gambled on a radical new helmet design and founded Giro Sports Design, the groundbreaking manufacturer of one of the world’s most famous symbols of racing art and rider protection. Since the sale of his company to Bell Sports in the mid-90’s, Gentes has been a frequent Masters competitor at both Northern California events as well as National Championships – and he’ll line up with the 45+ field on Sunday.
Clark Natwick, the ’76 Junior National Champ from Pacifica, continued an amazing CycloCross career, both as a rider, event organizer, and coach. A 4-time Senior National Champ, Natwick joined ‘70’s US stars Laurence Malone and Joe Ryan in stars and stripes as they represented the US at World Championships from 1976-1981. Natwick later became the CycloCross coach for the US and created the SuperCup Series for USA Cycling before turning over that property to Kiron Group’s Lyle Fulkerson in 1998. Today he coaches athletes in the Bay Area for Endurance Mill Valley.
Pilarcitos Cyclesports, event organizers, were at one time considering a “Classics” race to signify the return of racing to Golden Gate Park – a class limited to ‘70’s era style equipment – toe clips, steel frames, wool jerseys, etc. in a “Turn back the Clock” memory – and momentarily thinking of the traditional ‘70’s ‘cross start line with riders lining up off the bike for the whistle. But because fields have grown so large with the traffic jams that affect start grids today that idea was quickly jettisoned. Nearly 300 competitors are expected Sunday as NorCal riders are just a month away from the National Championships in Portland. And word has also leaked that Santa Cruz racer/filmakers Brian Vernor and Willie Bullion may be ready for a premiere of thier CycloCross oeuvre exploring the Worldwide ‘cross community via Northern California cross history and culture on saturday night before the Elite Men/Women/Juniors championships.
2004 Bay Area Super Prestige Sponsors include:
Red Bull
Bianchi Bicycles
Big Swingin’ Cycles
Clif Bar
F:iz’ik
Palo Alto Bicycles
Sheila Moon
Sports Basement
Ritchey Logic
Summit Bikes
SyCip
Eurocycling Imports
AbbiOrca Photography
Verge Sport
Further Information:
Pilarcitos Cyclesports
Tom Simpson
(650 302-6310
www.pilarcitos.com
Gary Fisher and Clark Natwick challenging Golden Gate Park’s log barricades in this December, 1975 event, just a week before the 1st ever US CycloCross Championships in Berkeley’sTilden Park. Photo by: Ray Stafford
The start line, ‘70’s style, in Golden Gate Park. 5-time National Champ Laurence Malone is on the far left. Photo by: Ray Stafford
Bunny-hopping in Golden Gate Park. Jim Gentes, founder of Giro Helmets, challenging the barricades – and winning -. Dan Nall, silver medal in 1975 behind Laurence Malone, on the right.Photo by: Ray Stafford
US CycloCross Senior Champion from 1975-1979 Laurence Malone. He electrified the Worlds crowd at Hanover in 1977 using this same tactic. Photo by: Ray Stafford
1st US Junior National CycloCross Champion – Jim
Gentes with Clark Natwick (2nd) on left and Rick Moale (3rd) on right. Photo
by: Ray Stafford