Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA) signaling that she took both wins this weekend(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
The women’s podium (l-r): Nicole Duke, Helen Wyman, Gabby Day(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Mo Bruno Roy, out of the saddle(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Andrea Smith takes a dig(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Gabby Day and Andrea Smith spent most of the race together(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Ordered chaos in the sand(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
The tide was coming in(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Mo Bruno Roy gets to the stairs(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Gabby Day leads Andrea Smith up the stairs(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
British champion Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA) took control(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Gabby Day gets some space on Andrea Smith(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Caroline Mani leads Sally Annis(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Helen Wyman never lost focus(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Nicole Duke attacked the off cambers(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Sometimes, racing 'cross doesn’t seem like fun(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Gabby Day soloed to her best result in the US(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Lyne Bessette was a welcome addition to the field(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Helen Wyman went 9 for 9 on her US trip(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Helen Wyman had the pressure on today …and delivered(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Andrea Smith and Gabby Day came off the line the fastest(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
The women’s podium (l-r): Nicole Duke (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld), Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA), Gabby Day (Renner Custom Cyclocross Team)(Image credit: Natalia Boltukhova/Pedal Power Photography)
Racers head up a long section of granite steps(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Nicole Duke (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) turned herself inside out to stay with Wyman(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA) had clear sailing for the whole race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Jessica Kutz (Penn State) trying to stay on balance while running in the loose dirt(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Gabby Day (Renner Custom Cycling) running up the dirt hill in third place(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Top ten women await a special call-up before the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Jesse Anthony (World Bicycle Relief) hits the jackpot as he gets a kiss from Nicole Duke(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
USA U-23 champion Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Andrea Smith (LadiesFirst Racing) fighting for third place(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Mo Bruno-Roy (Bob’s Red Mill-Seven) would have preferred more mud(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Arley Kemmerer (C3 - Athletes Serving Athletes)(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) in her US U23 champion's kit(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA) running the steps at the beach(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Nicole Duke (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) racing about ten seconds behind Wyman(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Gabby Day (Renner Custom Cycling) leaving the beach area(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Andrea Smith (LadiesFirst Racing) slipped and fell on the steps but recovered quickly(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Arley Kemmerer (C3 - Athletes Serving Athletes) on the new wooden steps(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
The elite women warming up on their trainers before the race(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Andrea Smith (LadiesFirst Racing)(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Racers on a new section of course along the ocean(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
The tacky mud was a nightmare for drive trains.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Laura Van Gilder (C3 p/b Mellow Mushroom) takes the lead at the start(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Plenty of cows watched the racing at Pineland Farm.(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
French champion Caroline Mani running past the beer garden(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Sally Annis (Crossresults.com) battling with Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld)(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Linnea Koons (Embrocation Cycling Journal) racing in the top ten(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA) alone on the lower field(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Nicole Duke (Cannnondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) chasing Wyman(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Sally Annis (Crossresults.com) heading up a new set of stairs at the beach(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Spectators perched atop the lifeguard’s chair had the best seats on the course(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com) taking a few laps on her home course(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Andrea Smith (LadiesFirst Racing) goes down on some slick S-Turns(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Gabby Day (Renner Custom Cyclocross) riding in third position ahead of Andrea Smith(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA) sweeps the weekend at Gloucester(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA) riding along the ocean(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Helen Wyman (Kona-FSA) with a lead on the beach(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Helen Wyman with fellow Brit Gabby Day who finished third(Image credit: Dave McElwaine)
Helen Wyman (Kona) made it look easy today as she powered away from virtually the entire women's field to win even more impressively than she did on Saturday. Only Nicole Duke (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) could keep Wyman in sight for most of the race, but had to settle for second place. Gabby Day (Renner Custom Cyclocross) bested the rest of the chasers to end her USA campaign with a third place finish.
The weather and a new course design played a major factor in today's racing. Rain had been off and on for 24 hours preceding the race, and started moderately in the middle of the women's race. Corners were slick, so pre-race choices about tires and tire pressures became critical.
Tom Stevens, legendary New England course designer, laid out a course that was quite different from Saturday's event. There was a new beach section and a completely new set of wooden steps was built up from the beach to an adjoining hillside. Racers reported that there were longer straight-aways and less sharp cornering.
Wyman got off to a reasonable start but both Andrea Smith (LadiesFirst Racing) and Laura Van Gilder (C3 p/b Mellow Mushroom) nosed her out. But within the first half lap, however, Wyman took the lead and never relinquished it.
At the first run-up Wyman took a ten-meter lead followed by Duke, Day and Smith. Smith and Day would spend much of the race locked in battle until an unfortunate crash by Smith cost her precious seconds. Day was noticeably faster on some of the turns. She commented after the race, "I'm all about cornering."
Wyman seemed thrilled with her victory. "It was good…far fewer corners, much more straights…much more to my liking," Wyman said. "There were places where you could just put the power down and the corners were more sweeping."
Throughout the weekend's racing Duke seemed faster than Wyman in the technical sections, while Wyman was clearly stronger on the straight-aways. Wyman admitted as much, remarking, "Nicole is awesome technically. The way she rode the side of that bank was unreal. Every time I hit a section longer than ten meters I just tried to go as hard as possible."
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Wyman added, "I'm a roadie at heart and I'm rubbish at mountain biking so the more European the course the better."
Laura Van Gilder, French Champion Caroline Mani (CC Etupes), and Sally Annis (Crossresults.com) actively chased the leaders but could never really close down the sizeable gap.
Nicole Duke has been a brilliant off-season signing by the Cannondale team. While she has not yet won a major race, she is racking up a large number of podium appearances. The US Masters 35-39 national champion was impressive at times last year, but this season is racing at a noticeably higher level. She credits her new team for much of her success.
Most of the top American racers will now turn their attention to the USGP race in Fort Collins next weekend where Katie Compton (Rabobank-Giant) is expected to make her season debut. The race between her and Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) has been highly anticipated all season.
