Ryan Trebon jumped straight back into racing with a commanding victory in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup, attacking from the first lap and holding off second placed Jeremy Powers and his teammate Chris Jones by nearly two minutes.
The LTS/Felt rider powered through the thick, muddy course showing that his leg injuries, which have kept him from competition since the middle of November, have not hampered his training over the past six weeks.
"I didn't really want to ride that last five laps by myself, but it was a hard course and I just seemed to have a little bit more when I was sitting down and smashing through everything," said Trebon. "I actually really like this kind of course. It's just a slog the whole way around, it's like a tractor pull. For me, that's fun."
While Trebon smashed his way through the hour long race ahead, Powers and Jones were kept busy by Brian Matter (Gear Grinder), who eventually finished fourth.
Powers rode clear from Jones by a slim margin, while Matter lost contact and finished not far from the podium with the next rider, Travis Livermon (Smart Stop/Mock Orange) two minutes back.
After claiming the overall USGP series and a total of 10 victories since the beginning of September, Powers wasn't quite at the top of his form, just one week ahead of the national championships.
"I think [Trebon] is feeling fresh and he's got a lot to prove right now, having been off the bike with his injury," said Powers. "It was a little disappointing for me to just not have enough power in the legs to go with him when he went."
