Powers prevails in Providence

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A week straight of rain finally ceased Friday afternoon, just in time for Saturday’s UCI C1 Providence Cyclo-cross Festival race, the 2nd round of the Shimano New England Pro Cyclo-cross Series race at Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.

In the Men’s event, it was Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus) who emerged victorious yet again, narrowly beating Ryan Trebon (Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld) to the line. Ben Berden (Raleigh/Clement) rounded out the podium.

The Men’s race started fast with Ian Field (Hargroves Cycles - Specialized) taking the $250 hole shot bonus. While the field remained somewhat intact for the first lap, an attack by Berden at the start of the second lap established a lead group of four containing Tim Johnson (Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld), Berden, Field, and Dylan McNicholas (CyclocrossWorld). Trebon and Powers were caught out of the move and spent the better part of the second lap bridging to the leaders.

Trebon and Powers were able to connect with the front four by the start of lap three at which point Trebon immediately pushed the pace. During Trebon’s acceleration, McNicholas suffered a dropped chain heading into the section of concrete stairs that saw him lose contact with the group for good, putting the number of riders in the lead group at five.

The five leaders traded attacks but it wasn’t until Trebon’s acceleration coming across the line with 5 to go that Johnson was gapped by a few seconds. Shortly after Johnson, Field also fell victim to the speed being set by Trebon. Making matters worse for Johnson, he crashed two corners later in what would be a race-ending crash.

The lead group was then down to just Powers, Trebon, and Berden and they hit out at one another repeatedly for the next two laps. Berden was the first to show signs of weakness opening small gaps and with three laps to go, he finally succumbed to the abuse.

"I had a bad week, I didn’t feel really good," said Berden after the race. "I was good in the beginning of the race but I found that every lap my power was going slower and slower. I held on as long as I could," he added, "but the last three laps was too much.

Powers and Trebon spent the next three laps attacking one another with neither one showing any sign of weakness, always being able to respond to the other’s attack. In the end, however, it was a failed attempt to pass Powers on the inside of a steep, downhill corner that led to a steep ride-up with stairs on the last lap that would cost Trebon the win.

"I was always going faster than [Powers] going into them so on the last lap I’m like, hey, I’m gonna go all for it on the inside, you know, and see if I can just come through him to make him mess up," said Trebon of the mistake. "It backfired and I had to get off my bike and run up, you know, and he got a little gap there and I spent a little energy chasing back up on the long uphill on the back side."

With very few opportunities left to make a pass, Powers was able to keep the lead from Trebon through the final sections of the last lap and onto the final, paved 100 meters where he was able to hold off Trebon for the win.

"He tried to come underneath me and so I had to protect that line," Powers said of the decisive move heading into the ride-up. "That’s racing 'cross. There was nothing really dirty going on, no bumping or shoving, but that was just me saying, ‘No, no, no.’ I had to close the door, as they say, and that forced him off his bike."

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