Compton claims second victory

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Katie Compton (Planet Bike) rode to her second consecutive solo victory of the weekend at the Boulder Cup on Sunday. Runner-up Amy Dombroski (Richard Sachs) outpaced former UCI Mountain Bike World Champion Alison Dunlap (Team Luna) to claim second by eight seconds.

"I felt a little better today, but I still don't feel that great," Compton said. "I was coming into this weekend obviously not fresh, so I have a week to recover with travel and getting to France. Next weekend I'll feel better. This weekend was good for the legs. [It was] good to push hard despite not feeling great and [it was good] working on my skills in the mud and the sand. It always feels good to win, I'm not going to lie."

Compton moved into the lead of the North American Cyclo-Cross Trophy (NACT) series following her double victory in rounds seven and eight this weekend. She admitted that she would like to win the prestigious jersey; however, her battle to maintain her number one ranking in the UCI World Cup standings resumes next weekend in Nommay, France, and she will not contest the final two rounds of the NACT series.

Dombroski shot out of the gates at full throttle and held a commanding lead through the first half lap of the elite women's five-lap event. The Under 23 US National Champion admitted that she has been working on her starts so she won't have to keep burning unnecessary energy catching the leaders at the beginning of each race.

"I've been struggling with my starts big time, and I was just standing on the start line thinking, 'okay, make this one count'," Dombroski said. "It's flat and [being in] the top three was key at this course. As soon as the gap opened up, it was just going to get bigger and bigger."

The circuit was filled with obstacles that included a sandy run-up followed by a wide sandbox. Then there was a set of barriers through an S-turn.

"I really liked the sand," Dombroski said. "I didn't know about that sandy run-up section though, so that took me by surprise. I was warming up earlier, with my final part of it on the road. I heard about the course change, and I was trying to be attentive but it surprised me. I've been working on my running, so I liked that section."

The crowd went wild as Compton moved into the lead and pulled to a sizable 30-second advantage over her competition. By the end of the second lap, her lead had grown to a convincing one minute as she appeared to float over the terrain with ease.

A chase group formed behind Compton. Its riders battled for second. Dombroski shared the rotation with Dunlap and Kelli Emmett (Giant) until she finally broke loose mid-race.

"Kelli was right on my tail on the first couple of laps," Dombroski said. "But then I noticed that Dunlap was there, and I thought 'oh shoot, they are probably going to start working together'. I tried to keep the power on and treated every lap that followed like it was my last. I know, at least with me, that when I get a gap on someone, it's hard to stay mentally strong."

Close behind, US road champion Meredith Miller (California Giant Berry Farms) tried to muscle her way back into the mix, passing Emmett for fourth place on the last lap. Barbara Howe (Vanderkitten) eventually placed sixth ahead of Alison Powers (Fuji) and Lisa Matlock-Strong (Natural Grocers).

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