Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) taking the victory at Green Mountain Cyclocross Weekend(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Todd Wells (Specialized) running the barriers in sixth place(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) was smiling after his first UCI victory(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Elite Men’'s start just before a massive crash(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) leading early in the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Shawn Milne (Keough Cyclocross) running after the stairs(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Jeremy Martin (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) running after the set of stairs(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Todd Wells (Specialized) was the only rider to ride the stairs(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Tim Johnson (Cannondale Cyclocross World/Pony Shop) leading up the new set of steep climbs(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Joshua Lehmann (ENGVT) riding one of the new steep climbs(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Justin Lindine (Redline/NBX) attacked the lead group more than once(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Todd Wells (Specialized) was determined to rejoin the leaders but unfortunately he towed a group of riders along with him(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Tim Johnson, Raphael Gagne, Stephen Hyde, and Justin Lindine descending the course(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Adam Myerson (Smartstop/ Mountain Khakis) running the barriers early in the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Nick Keough (Keough Cyclocross) riding a new steep section of the course(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Tim Johnson (Cannondale Cyclocross World/Pony Shop) with a small gap(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Tim Johnson (Cannondale Cyclocross World/Pony Shop) looks around to see if anyone is willing to lead(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Justin Lindine (Redline/ NBX) leading Johnson, Hyde, and Gagne across the top of the course(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Todd Wells (Specialized) in command of the chase group(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Justin Lindine (Redline/ NBX) launching an unsuccessful attack(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Tim Johnson and his wife Lyne Bessette(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Todd Wells (Specialized) is delayed at the start due to a crash(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory) leading Dan Timmerman up the new set of stairs(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Derek St. John (Stevens Racing p/b The Cyclery) running the stairs on lap one(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) attacking the lead group(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory Team) earned his first UCI cyclo-cross win at the Green Mountain Cyclocross Weekend. Round one of the Verge New England series saw sixty-one Elite men toe the starting line in picture perfect conditions. Gagne, an accomplished Canadian World Cup mountain biker, was relentless in attacking his rivals today.
Tim Johnson (Cannondale Cyclocross World/Pony Shop) finished second, only a couple bike lengths behind Gagne. Stephen Hyde (JAM Fund/NCC/Vittoria) capped off a stellar weekend by finishing third. Justin Lindine (Redline/ NBX) cut his face on the last trip up the stairs but hung on to claim fourth place. He tweeted later in the day, “Sometimes, your cross bike punches you in the face….hoping to feel good for China.”
The race at the Catamount Family Center started on grass but riders quickly faced a large area of mud. As they jockeyed for good lines, a major crash that took down at least eighth riders and ended Todd Wells’ chances today. While he did not fully go down, he had to watch the leaders motor away.
By the end of the race Wells had brought himself back to fifth position, but unfortunately had towed Luke Keough and others with him. Keough, an accomplished road sprinter, edged out Wells for fifth place.
For much of the race; Johnson, Hyde, Lindine, Gagne, and Curtis White (Cannondale/ Cyclocrossworld.com) battled each other. White made a trip into the pits at one point and permanently lost contact with the lead group.
Tim Johnson led the race early but Gagne went to the front during the first full lap. Lindine also attacked the group a couple times. Lead changes were frequent as one rider after the other tested the legs of his rivals. Only Hyde seemed content to sit in and follow the action. Each time through the start/finish the riders sat up and looked at each other seemingly to determine who was going to launch the next attack up the big climb.
Gagne explained his winning move; “I came into the last corner with probably two bike lengths over Tim. I don’t really consider myself much of a sprinter so that’s why I tried to make a move like three minutes from the finish, before the run-ups and before the last climb. I kept the pressure on technically going down.”
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Gagne added, “I felt much better technically today because yesterday was only the second time on a cross bike this year…and these tires, man, they are skinny!”
Most of the top racers in the Elite Men’s field will now set their sights on the CrossVegas race taking place on Wednesday night.
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Full Results
1
Raphael Gagne (Can) Rocky Mountain Factory Team
1:04:17
2
Tim Johnson (USA) Cannondale Cyclocross World-Pony Shop
0:00:03
3
Stephen Hyde (USA) JAM Fund-NCC
0:00:05
4
Justin Lindine (USA) Redline-NBX
0:00:10
5
Luke Keough (USA) Keough Cyclocross
0:00:45
6
Todd Wells (USA) Specialized
0:00:48
7
Lukas Winterberg (Swi) Muller Landscape-BH Bikes
0:00:55
8
Craig Richey (Can) VOmax-SponsorConnected.com
0:01:35
9
Derrick St. John (Can) Stevens Racing p/b The Cyclery
0:01:59
10
Dan Timmerman (USA) House Industries-Richard Sachs-RGM
0:02:09
11
Christian Favata (USA) TRT Bicycles p/b Stan's NoTubes
Row 10 - Cell 2
12
Anthony Clark (USA) JAM Fund-NCC
0:02:10
13
Curtis White (USA) Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com
