Kate Courtney (Specialized) takes the win and solidifies her lead in the Pro-XCT Series(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Kate Courtney (Specialized) warming up for her cross-country race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
New Zealand’s Samara Sheppard taking to the air during the first lap(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Rebecca Beaumont (Marin x Peppermint) riding singletrack during lap three(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Amy Beisel (Pro Cycling) and Bec Henderson (DanandBec) had a bit of a battle going(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Nikki Peterson (Ridebiker) riding through one of the rock gardens(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Kate Courtney (Specialized) riding one of the rock gardens with one lap remaining(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Amy Beisel (Pro Cycling) riding the home stretch at the end of lap five(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Kate Courtney (Specialized) and Emily Batty (Trek) talk about Red Bull helmets at the finish(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Chris Blevins and Kate Courtney made it a sweep for Specialized today(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Maghalie Rochette (Clif Pro Team) relaxing after the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) riding in fifth position during the second lap(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) chose to run down the Shimano Jump(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Maghalie Rochette (Clif Pro Team) riding in fourth position during lap two(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Muskets were fired for the start of the Boston Rebellion race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Australian Champion Bec Henderson (BecandDan) (Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Newly crowned Kate Courtney (Specialized) lining up next to Canadians Rebecca Beumont and Emily Batty(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Amy Beisel (Pro Cycling) at the start(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Kate Courtney (Specialized) took the hole-shot and led wire to wire(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Kate Courtney (Specialized) flying off the Shimano jump(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Canadian Champion Emily Batty chasing Courtney at the end of lap one(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Amy Beisel (Pro Cycling) was slightly off the pace of the leaders near the end of lap one(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Kate Courtney (Specialized) and Emily Batty riding in thick forest with Rose Grant chasing(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Rose Grant (Stans NoTubes) could never quite match the pace of the leaders(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Relaxation before the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Newly crowned USA Champion Kate Courtney (Specialized) rode away from Canadian Champion Emily Batty to put a lock on the Pro-XCT Series for this season. Batty finished second, while USA Marathon Champion Rose Grant took third place. Canadian Maghalie Rochette (Clif Pro Team) claimed fourth place, while Boston native Crystal Anthony (Riverside Racing) rounded out the podium in fifth place.
Racing in unseasonably cool temperatures on a cloudy day, racers were treated to miles of twisty singletrack and rock gardens on the Adams Farm in Walpole, Massachusetts. What the course lacked in climbing it made up for in terms of rocks, roots, and the level of concentration required to conquer the ever-changing course.
Kate Courtney took the hole-shot and basically never looked back. Only Emily Batty was able to match her pace, but then lost Courtney's wheel during the fourth lap.
Courtney explained her race to Cyclingnews, "I've been on the East Coast racing for three weeks now so I've had a lot of experience on rocky, rooty courses with lots of turns that require a lot of focus. They are more about riding smoothly than putting down a lot of power. I have practiced that a lot during the last few weeks…those tiny seconds added up, along with trying not to make mistakes, and recovering where I could.
Courtney added, "I was able to get away with it today."
Emily Batty also weighed in on her race, "This is my first time to Boston and it was actually a really fun course to ride. I arrived just a day and a half a go, so coming from the West Coast Canadian National Championships, then home, then down here I definitely feel a bit sluggish from travel."
Batty continued, "Kate and I had a good high pace the first three and a half laps and then she got a gap on what little climb there is out there. Then it was really "an out of sight out of mind track".
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Behind Courtney and Batty the other top five finishers settled in to their own pace and rode alone for much of the race. Lea Davison (Clif Pro Team), who was expected to compete for the win, broke a chain during the first lap and had to run most of the lap to the tech zone. Despite losing a great deal of ground she still finished in eighth place.
