Van Gilder takes two in Granogue

Laura Van Gilder (C3 p/b Mellow Mushroom) triumphed over her second consecutive victory this weekend at round two of the UCI C2 Granogue Cross held in Wilmington, Delaware. Similar to the previous day, she soloed to victory ahead of Andrea Smith (LadiesFirst Racing) in second and teammate Arlie Kemmerer (C3 Athletes Serving Athletes) in third.

“It is nice to have back-to-back wins especially being at Granogue and because the season has been competitive so it is nice to have that in my suitcase,” Van Gilder told Cyclingnews. “The competition was good and everyone was gunning for a victory so it was hard-faught.”

The Elite women lined up to contest day two of the crown jewel of Mid Atlantic cyclo-cross. The event is held at the Dupont Estate, a private and scenic property on 400 acres of rolling green hills and wooded sections.

Strong winds played a factor in the race, however, riders were treated gorgeous autumn weather in the high 60 Fahrenheit. Some course changes compared to the previous day made the race slightly more challenging including a longer climb on the board of the tree line to the silo tower followed by a more technical descent down to the finish straightaway.

Top-notch riders on the start line included previous day’s winner, Van Gilder along with Andrea Smith (LadiesFirst Racing), Kristin Gavin (Cystic Fibrosis), Nicole Thiemann and Carolyn Popovic (Team CF), Crystal Anthony (LadiesFirst Racing) and Arlie Kemmerer (C3 Athletes Serving Athletes).

“I wasn’t the fastest off the line but I was the first onto the grass today,” Van Gilder said. “Today’s course had longer stretches and more elevation. There was equally as much wind and it was a fatiguing course. I had to stay on the gas and push it from the gun. I gained a few seconds on the first lap.”

Van Gilder gained a handful of second on the first run up on the first lap and continued to increase her lead by a few seconds ahead of her competitors on each consecutive lap. The women raced for a total of six laps, slightly more compared to the typical four laps.

“I sensed people just weren’t right on my wheel like yesterday,” Van Gilder said. “I didn’t look back and I tried to keep the pressure on and see if I could crack them and ride the course to my own strengths.”