Kemmerer exacts revenge during day 2 of Chicago Cyclocross Cup

Sunny skies and freezing temperatures created drastically different course conditions on day 2 of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup's New Year's Resolution Race in Bloomingdale, Illinois. With Elle Anderson's early departure, and a host of US women skipping the event to prep for US Cyclo-cross nationals next week, the day was wide open for Arley Kemmerer (Charm City Cycling LLC) to exact revenge after her disappointing fourth place finish in the previous day's race.

Kemmerer, who was plagued by host of equipment and mechanical issues in the first day of racing, pulled away from Amanda Carey (Volkswagon Boise) two laps into the race and grew an unassailable gap to win by over 15 seconds.

"I was pretty wound up about this race today," said Kemmerer, who held the lead in the previous day's race before her mishaps. "I knew I had a shot at winning, and wanted to give everything I had and make no mistakes. Amanda went down, that was the gap I needed, and I just rode as hard as I could."

Carey considered dropping out of the second day or racing due to the onset of a chest cold but decided after yesterday's success that she would contend for the win. "We had a fun group in the front, just Arley and I, after breaking away in the second lap. I came around, and was leading around a corner, and just washed out," said Carey about the bauble, which cost her the race.

"It was getting slick out there and didn't even look like it. I had to reset my chain and she was gone. She got an eight or 10-second gap right there. It was painfully close the whole time. I tried to chase her down but I just didn't have it in me today."

Behind Carey, the race for third turned into the battle of the day as Rebecca Blatt (Van Dessel Factory Team) took an early lead over Emiliy Shields (Mock Orange Racing) and Corey Coogan Cisek (Cyclocrossracing.com.) Shields, who also rides collegiate cyclo=cross for Lees-McRae College, caught Blatt with three laps to go. Blatt and Shields traded the lead for the remaining laps until Shields gambled with a final attack and pulled away in the last stretch of the course.

"We worked together a lot," said Shields about her race with Blatt for third. "That's the big difference from yesterday, because I was all by myself then and kind of gave up, but I was going a lot harder today."

The cold and shifting winter conditions of the CCC New Year's Resolution race is expected to be good preparation for the Wisconsin weather that is forecasted to include rain, warm temperatures, and possible snow for the elite races on January 13.

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