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A Breakdown of the Masters Nationals Crit Races: Bend riders show true grit on home turf

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Bart Bowen takes third. After the dust settled on Saturday and Sunday, the final two days of the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships, it was clear that Bend racers know how to race crits.

On Saturday, Bend cycling coach and ex-pro Bart Bowen (pictured at right in purple) sprinted out of large field to finish third in the highly competitive masters 45-49 age group.

And in the women's 40-44 age group, Brenna Lopez-Otero backed up her 2011 win with another victory in Saturday's national title crit race.

Brenna Lopez-Otero

On Sunday Bend racers continued to shine as Helen Grogan managed a second-place finish in the women's 50-54 age group. Congrats to all the masters competitors—it takes a focused athlete to juggle training and racing with a family and a day job.