Wilichoski lands back in Danvers with national cyclocross title

Brian Wilichoski was hoping to race well enough to “land on the podium’’ in the masters division of the National Cyclocross Championships last weekend in Madison, Wis.

A 35-year-old painting contractor from Danvers, Wilichoski landed dead center with a gold medal and winner’s jersey in hand.

In his fourth season of competitive racing, Wilichoski withstood a serious gaffe on his final lap and raced home ahead of 80 challengers over the 10.5-mile course to win his first national title. He completed his grueling effort in 48 minutes, 15 seconds - 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Chris Case of Golden, Colo.

The victory capped a magnificent season for Wilichoski, who also claimed masters’ championships in Gloucester, Northampton, and Maine this year, as well as the New England title in Springfield. He qualified for the world championships this weekend in Louisville, Ky., but is not making the trip.

“I’ve got a wife [Jani] and two young kids [Emma and Blake] to worry about,’’ he said. “I was lucky to be in Madison. I just couldn’t do [Louisville]. There’s also a job to worry about. In addition, I’m exhausted. The worlds are in Louisville again next year, so maybe then.’’

Wilichoski trailed Weston Schempf (Rockville, Md.) most of the first lap, but when Schempf headed to the pit to switch bicycles, he crashed and broke his seat post. That gave Wilichoski an opportunity to open a gap and at one point, he led his closest competitor by 25 seconds. He held the lead until the bell lap, when it nearly nearly slipped away.

“I was heading up a hill and my foot slipped out of the pedal,’’ said Wilichoski, who played football and baseball at Danvers High, class of 1995.

“When that happened, I knocked my rear brake into the spokes and the wheel locked up. I panicked, got off the bike, picked it up and ran with it on my shoulder. At the same time, I was trying to free the brake from the spokes. The whole thing probably took 5-10 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. My initial thought was, ‘Oh, no, after leading all this way I’m going to lose it.’

“While I was walking, the others were riding and I could see that my lead had been cut in half. When I started up the hill, I couldn’t see [Chase]. Then I could. After getting the brake free, though, I jumped back on and went as hard as I could to the finish line. Fortunately, I was able to hang on.’’

Wilichoski said the unusually warm temperatures (40-45 degrees) in Madison played a part in the incident.

“That was the big thing,’’ he said. “There could have been a foot of snow and 10 below and that might have been easier. Instead it was sunny and in the low to mid 40s. That made for a super greasy course. The ground had been frozen, but it thawed somewhat and made the course a lot more technical than had it been hard and dry. I had to pit several times and change bikes because they gummed up from the mud and lost traction.’’

Days later, he will still savoring his triumph.

“I’m really still in a state of shock,’’ he said. “To say exactly how I feel is very difficult. To put in so much time and effort and then have things work out, there’s no words to explain the feeling. The best part of it is that if I stopped racing today, this will stay with me forever. I’ve got the gold medal and the ‘Stars and Stripes’ jersey and no one can ever take them away.’’

Campus corner

The University of Massachusetts Lowell could have a healthy representation of men and women at the NCAA Division 2 Indoor Track & Field Championships in March. Senior Angus MacDonald of Methuen placed fourth overall in the mile (tops among D2 and 3 runners) at last weekend’s Dartmouth Relays. His time of 4 minutes, 14.66 seconds places him atop the Division 2 list. Provisionally qualifying were Evan White of Tewskbury, Ryad Bencheikh of Woburn, and Craig Bennett of Milton, who finished 1-2-3 in the 400 meters. . . . Also reaching provisional status for the River Hawks at Dartmouth were Antoinette Toussaint of Somerville, who cleared 5 feet, 6 inches to win the high jump, and Ashley Zielinski of Manchester, N.H., who finished second in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.95 seconds. . . . Merrimack freshman Connor Toomey of Billerica scored both goals in a 2-2 tie with Boston College to earn Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors. . . . Bentley junior Abby Mathews of Chelmsford was the NE-10 Diver of the Week after winning the one-meter and finishing second in the three-meter in a dual meet win over Plymouth State.

John Vellante can be reached at JohnPVel@aol.com.