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US Cyclocross championships - CN
Portland, Oregon, USA, December 10-12, 2004
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December 12: Elite Women, 50 minutes
Surprise win for Compton
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In somewhat of a surprise performance at the US Cyclocross Nationals, Colorado rider Katie Compton took out her first Cross National Championship rounding off a very successful athletic season for 2004. Earlier in the year, Compton won multiple medals in track events whilst paired up with Karissa Whitsell at the Paralympics in Athens.
With the mud still thick on the course in Portland the women's race was aggressive from the gun with Ann Knapp and Mary McConneloug pushing the pace off the line to create a break of four riders. With them went Compton and seasoned cross rider Gina Hall. The four opened up quite a gap until Compton was able to take a faster line on a couple of the corners and open up her own gap. Despite the strong winds on the day Compton put her head down and was able to hold off the chasers to take the win in a very impressive display of strength and skill. Behind her Knapp and Hall had opened up a gap on McConneloug and were forced into a two up sprint for second place.
Hall was able to take the win over favourite Knapp with mountainbike Olympian McConneloug taking fourth place in front of newly crowned Masters National Champion Sarah Kerlin.
Compton was happy with her win but announced that she was not going to compete in the World Championships due to her ambitions to continue competing in Paralympic events. The ruling states that a rider cannot compete in Paralympic events within three years of representing their country in able-bodied events.
Whilst surprising the field today, Compton's performance would not really have been such a shock to fellow Colorado riders who have seen her competing against the Cat 3 men over the last couple of months. As well as good preparation, Compton also had the support of reigning champion Alison Dunlap who lent her a bike to use as a spare in the pits.
Results
1 Katie Compton (Cody Eacing) 37.48.0 2 Gina Hall (Missing Link) 0.16.3 3 Ann Knapp (KONA) 0.17.4 4 Mary McConneloug (Seven Cycles/Kenda) 0.44.8 5 Sarah Kerlin (Velo Bella) 6 Christine Vardaros (Velo Bella) 2.29.9 7 Melissa Thomas (Bike Source/Tokyo) 2.35.5 8 Rhonda Mazza (Vanilla/Team S&M) 3.05.6 9 Barbara Howe (Velo Bella) 3.15.6 10 Josie Beggs (STARBUCKS) 3.32.2 11 Gretchen Reeves (Rocky Mountain) 4.29.5 12 Suzanne King (sunnyside sports) 4.31.8 13 Rebecca Much (Alan Factory Team) 4.35.6 14 Melodie Metzger (Velo Bella) 4.37.2 15 Maureen Bruno Roy (Cyclocrossworld.com) 16 Heather Szabo (Tokyo Joe's) 5.18.3 17 Erin Kassoy (Velo Bella) 5.19.6 18 NA 5.26.6 19 NA 5.27.7 20 Anna Milkowski (Rona) 5.39.1 21 Ingrid Spies (Ti Cycles) 5.57.8 22 Megan Monroe (Lemond) 6.11.3 23 Mandy Lozano (Easton/Kona/CCA) 6.17.2 24 Celeste Drumm (HUP United) 6.18.6 25 Bridgette Stoick (Veloshop) 6.19.0 26 Allison Baumhefner (Hunter ABS) 6.28.3 27 Betsy Schauer (FORT-GPOA !) 6.38.1 28 Rebecca Cleveland (TEAM BIKE HUB) 6.47.6 29 Kristi Berg (Bicycle Centers) 6.49.3 30 Jennifer Gersbach (Tokyo Joe's) 6.55.7 31 Sinead Fitzgibbon (CRCA/Aquafina) 7.44.6 32 Lauren Costantini (SYCIP RACING) 7.46.6 33 Clark Megan (Cycle-Smart) 7.50.5 34 Hollie McGovern (rad racing) 8.11.2 35 Catherine Johnson (Pro Peloton) 8.19.1 36 Rebecca Wellons (Gearworks/Spin Arts) 8.26.6 37 Lauren Trull (Kona/Easton/CCA) 8.30.5 38 Maryann Martinez (w mystic) 39 Julie Adams (Redline Ritchey) 9.02.9 40 Mackenzie Dickey (team bicycle alley) 9.24.2 41 Stella Carey (Kelly Bike Company) 9.34.5 One lap behind 42 Kathy Sarvary (Mid State Cycling) 43 Dorothy Wong (Kelly Bike Company) 44 Anne Grofvert (Ann Arbor Velo/Epic) 45 Anne Schwartz (Flying Rhino) 46 Megan Harrod (Unattached) 47 Andrea Mackie (Velo Bella) 48 Christina Begy (Spot) 49 Tammy Ebersole (Evolution Racing) 50 Kathleen Hannon (Freewheel) 51 Daniele Sltaskal (Gaston) 52 Lisa Randall (Alan Factory) DNF Lisa Most (WISSAHICKON) DNF Katrina Davis (Richard Sachs)
