Dutch rider fights back to lead group on the final lap to beat Nash and Compton.
Image 1 of 46
Ellen Van Loy (Bel) leading the race up the sand pit during lap one(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Umbrella men shaded the riders before CrossVegas(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
The women's CrossVegas podium: Nash, De Boer and Compton(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
De Boer leads Nash and Compton toward the finishing straight.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Kaitlin Antonneau runs through the sand at CrossVegas(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Sophie De Boer flanked by Katerina Nash and Katie Compton on the CrossVegas podium.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Caroline Mani runs through the sand at CrossVegas(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Eva Lechner runs through the sand at CrossVegas(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Ellen Van Loy (Bel) with a small lead early in the contest(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Eva Lechner (ITA) and Elle Anderson (USA) lead the Elite Women during the fast start on grass(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Katie Compton (USA) in a select group of three with Katerina Nash (CZE) and Sophie De Boer (NED)(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Eva Lechner (ITA) seemed to be having a bit of a tough night(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Sane Cant (BEL) riding ahead of Ellen Noble (USA) on the banked track(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Courtenay McFadden(USA) running to a top ten finish at CrossVegas(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Rebecca Fahringer (USA) has been a revelation this season and riding near the front.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Kaitie Antonneau (USA) runs through the sand pit(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Catharine Pendrel (CAN) led during the opening laps but then lost contact with the leaders(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Arlen Kimmerer (USA) has been off to a strong start this weekend(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
French National Champion Caroline Mani before the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
USA Champion Katie Compton (Trek Panache) warming up before the race.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Sophie De Boer leading Katie Compton around the banked track.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) leading De Boer, Compton, and Pendrel up the sand pit.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Sophie De Boer outkicks Compton and Nash to win the Cross Vegas World Cup.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Eva Lechner (Italy) chasing Ellen Van Loy in the sand(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
The Luna Pro Team unveiled their new Cliff Pro Team name and kit before the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
USA U-23 Ellen Noble went on to win the U-23 race at Cross Vegas(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Several of the American women (L to R) Courtenay McFadden, Amanda Miller, Katie Compton, and Kaitie Antonneau.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Eva Lechner shows the pain of her effort at CrossVegas(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
The women's field on the CrossVegas circuit.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The CrossVegas circuit.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Clif team at the start of CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The start of the women's race at CrossVegas 2016.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Eva Lechner in action at CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Katerina Nash took second place at CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sophie De Boer(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sophie De Boer claimed victory in CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The women's race at CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The women's field sets out from the start at CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sophie De Boer launches her winning effort at CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sophie De Boer wins CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sophie De Boer out-sprints Katerina Nash and Katie Compton to win CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sophie De Boer out-sprints Katerina Nash and Katie Compton to win CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sophie De Boer beat Katerina Nash and Katie Compton to win CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Wout Van Aert and Sophie De Boer were the winners at CrossVegas in 2016.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Katie Compton at CrossVegas.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Eva Lechner.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sophie De Boer suffered immensely on the final lap of World Cup opening round at CrossVegas, but the Dutch rider found the strength in the last half of the grass course to take the win in a three-up sprint ahead of reigning champion and three-time winner Katerina Nash and Katie Compton.
"On the last half lap they dropped me actually," De Boer said in the finishing straight. "I never thought I could come back, but then in the last half lap they were waiting, so I thought, 'Oh, I'm just going to go for it.' My teammate, he was screaming that I should be first at the stairs, so I just gave it a go, and yeah, we had the sprint but I never thought I could win because they had dropped me already."
De Boer credited the rivalry between Nash and Compton for leaving the door open for her win.
"Yeah, I think so," sehe said. "In the last lap we were all looking at each other. When Katie attacked really strong I dropped, but they were looking at each other so I thought I'd take my chance."
How it unfolded
Eva Lechner led the group into the first set of barriers in the slow going on the mostly grass course. The favourites bunched near the front throughout the first lap as the field began to string out behind on the thick turf.
Lechner opened a small gap after the first time up the off-camber sand pit, but the Italian speedster didn’t press the advantage as the leaders regrouped on the front. Catherine Pendrel took the lead on the second lap, continuing the pressure her teammate Lechner applied on lap 1.
Pendrel opened a gap on the staircase section and began to power away with some serious separation, leading into the third lap with a chase group of three making contact just after the start-finish.
Nash, Compton and De Boer joined Pendrel off the front in the new lead group of four, with of the field beginning to blow apart as riders surged to try and reconnect with the front of the race.
Amanda Miller and Carline Mani separated from the chase and looked like the make contact on lap three, but they lacked the horsepower, and the leaders started the fourth lap with Compton still powering the group.
Compton took advantage of the situation to slip to the back of the lead quartet for some recovery, while De Boer went to the front and supplied the power. Pendrel appeared to be struggling to keep the pace, yo-yoing in and out of the lead group as Miller and Mani were joined by Rebecca Fahringer in the first chase.
De Boer pushed the pace through the sand pit on lap four, jettisoning Pendrel from the lead group, although the Canadian limited her losses and continued to ride between the three leaders and the three chasing riders.
The chasers soon linked up with Pendrel as Nash, Compton and De Boer kept their lead. Nash went to the front toward the end of lap four, but the reigning champion wasn’t able to drop the others.
Pendrel bobbled on a run-up during the fifth lap and lost contact with the chase group, leaving three riders in the front and three riders chasing just a few seconds behind.
The leaders continued to swap places on the front of the group, with none appearing to want to risk expending the energy early to try and drop the other two on the power-sapping turf.
The lead trio started the final alp with a 10-second advantage, and the podium places began to look certain to come from this group.
Compton put in a move on one of the short climbs, but Nash and De Boer wouldn’t be shaken. Nash put in a move on the next climb, shaking De Boer out of the group while Compton clung to Nash’s wheel.
Compton attacked next, with the same result as Nash’s earlier move, while De Boer fought to regain contact, dangling just behind the leaders. She regained contact in the sand pit, but then quickly faded again.
Nash led into the final set of stairs as De Boer fought her way back one more time. De Boer took the lead on the stairs and began to power away as Nash struggled to stay in contact with Compton on her wheel.
The trio linked up again and approached final corner together, with De Boer surging to the lead metres before the line to take the win.
Results
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#
Rider Name (Country) Team
Result
1
Sophie De Boer (Ned)
0:47:11
2
Katerina Nash (Cze)
Row 1 - Cell 2
3
Katherine Compton (USA)
Row 2 - Cell 2
4
Amanda Miller (USA)
0:00:19
5
Caroline Mani (Fra)
0:00:26
6
Rebecca Fahringer (USA)
0:00:39
7
Catharine Pendrel (Can)
0:01:07
8
Ellen Noble (USA)
0:01:22
9
Sanne Cant (Bel)
0:01:30
10
Courtenay Mcfadden (USA)
Row 9 - Cell 2
11
Joyce Vanderbeken (Bel)
Row 10 - Cell 2
12
Loes Sels (Bel)
0:01:50
13
Sunny Gilbert (USA)
0:01:55
14
Mical Dyck (Can)
0:02:02
15
Emma White (USA)
0:02:06
16
Eva Lechner (Ita)
0:02:10
17
Ellen Van Loy (Bel)
0:02:20
18
Elle Anderson (USA)
0:02:29
19
Kaitlin Antonneau (USA)
0:02:57
20
Jessica Cutler (USA)
0:03:09
21
Amanda Nauman (USA)
0:03:30
22
Kathryn Cumming (USA)
0:03:35
23
Sandra Walter (Can)
0:03:43
24
Sofia Gomez Villafane (Arg)
0:04:19
25
Arley Kemmerer (USA)
Row 24 - Cell 2
26
Cindy Montambault (Can)
0:04:41
27
Crystal Anthony (USA)
0:05:07
28
Cassandra Maximenko (USA)
0:05:13
29
Jena Greaser (USA)
0:05:58
30
Sidney Mcgill (Can)
0:06:04
31
Caitlyn Vestal (USA)
0:06:13
32
Ashley Barson (Can)
0:06:30
33
Siobhan Kelly (Can)
0:08:02
34
Maria Larkin (Irl)
Row 33 - Cell 2
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Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.
