Werner wins Charm City opener

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Kerry Werner (Kona Maxxis Shimano) grabbed the top spot fr the elite men Saturday at the Charm City Cross in Baltimore, Maryland.

It didn’t take the elite men very long to launch a five-man group at the front and string out the rest of the 41-rider field.

“I took the holeshot and led the first lap,” said Werner, who finished just off the podium in fourth place at last year’s C1 in Baltimore. “Honestly, I thought I could get away from these guys a little quicker. I thought pushing the pace on some of these corners would have shattered the field a little sooner. I reckon it did. There were five of us that basically stayed away.”

Along with Werner, the pistons in the lead included Curtis White (Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld), Matthieu Boulo (Team Pays de Dinan), Matthew van den Ham (Garneau-Easton p/b Transitions), and Jamey Driscoll. Trailing in sixth was Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz/Donkey Label Racing).

There were multiple moves and bike changes. With two to go, Werner moved to the front and picked up the pace. White would not be able to stay in touch with the leaders, leaving four to continue to set the pace.

“It was a bit of a chess match,” noted Werner about the race. “Van den Ham was riding pretty strong. When you see Jamie Driscoll at the front of the race, towards the end, you always have to check yourself. And then the Frenchman (Boulo), he had some very solid World Cups, so it was wide open. He was riding into the flyover every lap, and he was doing damage for sure. That was really wrecking me.”

On the final of the seven laps, Boulo opened a small gap on Werner. The move did damage to van den Ham and to Driscoll. But Werner fought back.

“I really had to work in the corners to bring him back before the (Zoo) Mansion Hill. I connected right at the bottom - I was gassed,” added Werner. “I managed to just slot in front of him (Boulo) at the top and kind of work the corners off the top of the hill. I got three seconds and just ran with it. It was freaking tight. I was not ever relaxed this entire race. It was good. I was happy to win the C1 that way. Man, I am ecstatic. So pulling it off today was huge.”

Werner, who is the ProCX points leader for Elite Men, would win his fourth race this season in a time of 58 minutes, 12 seconds. It was his first C1 of the year, finishing second at Rochester Cyclocross in early September. Boulo would finish alone in second, just eight seconds back.

It took a sprint for Driscoll to outlast van den Ham and take third place, 25 seconds off the winning time. Driscoll, who was second at RenoCross earlier this season, said he could feel the high humidity during the race and the conditions were a little slower than last year.

“I’m not a good sprinter, but I just had more gas at the end,” Driscoll said about catching van den Ham on the final lap to battle for the final podium spot. “The move that I got him on was that last river crossing. I just chose a different rut than him and basically came to the pavement equal position, but I had more speed. Even though I was on the outside, I was able to carry my speed around the dry pavement.”

White would follow in fifth and Ortenblad in sixth.

“The pace was high all race, so that was a big thing. Smooth was fast today,” said Werner. He’s ready for Sunday in the C2 event. “I’m just going to race really hard. I’m not going to play games. I kind of want go pedal to the metal. I’m going to make it fast, send it early.”

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