Nash victorious at Harbin Park

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Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Cycling) won the Cincy3 Harbin Park cyclo-cross race after battling Katie Compton (Trek Cyclocross Collective) head to head for seven laps. Nash attacked heading into the final lap, and distanced herself from Compton to win the final day of racing at the Cincinnati International Cyclocross festival, which started Friday afternoon.

"We were pretty equally matched today," said Nash. "It's pretty exciting to ride with Katie, she's such a strong racer, and very good technical skills, so I like the opportunity to stick with her. At the same time, I was like, 'I'm feeling good, so she'll have to work hard for the win.'"

Sunny skies and mild wind made for a drier course, and less challenging conditions, than Saturday night's Kings CX night race. Katie Compton started the race off fast as she flew through the hole-shot and began to push the pace at the front of the pack. Katerina Nash quickly joined Compton at the front, and the two proceeded to build a large lead over the primary chase group made up of Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com), Meredith Miller (California Giant-Specialized), and Elle Anderson (California Giant-Specialized.)

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As Compton and Nash traded the lead lap after lap, it looked as if third place would be a race between Antonneau and Miller. Anderson yo-yoed off the back of the chase group, and appeared to be struggling early in the race.

Going into the final lap Nash attacked and separated from Compton. "I realized I would have to do something special on the last lap to get that little gap that I ended up getting," said Nash. "From the beginning of the last lap I picked the pressure up and punched it everywhere I could. Katie hung in there until the end, but I was able to take it at the finish."

Compton and Nash were clearly riding at a higher level than the rest of the field, and the finish came down to a strategic game of cat and mouse. "It was tactical the whole time," said Compton. "I was trying to push it in a few sections, but every time she [Nash] went to the front it slowed down a lot. I couldn't tell if she was tired or just slowing it down on purpose. So I was like, 'Well, I'll go faster,' because if I slow it down, technically - my timing is off for things. Maybe I went a little bit too hard."

As Nash rode in for her second win of the weekend, and Compton finished four seconds behind her, the race for third place was still unfolding. A rejuvenated Elle Anderson caught and passed Antonneau, and Miller, and rode in for third place. Miller finished fourth, and Antonneau fifth. Anderson and Miller took advantage of their numbers to isolate Antonneau, and wear her down over the remaining laps of the race.

"We were beating up on Katie a little bit, but that's how racing goes," said Miller. "That's what I've been looking forward to with having Elle on the team this year. It's the first time I've had another female teammate in quite a while. And really the first time we've been able to tag team like that."

The US Pro CX racing schedule continues on November 9-10th at the Derby City Cup in Louisville, KY.