Kerry Werner earns victory in opening round at North Carolina Grand Prix

Kerry Werner (Kona Adventure Team) won the opening day at the Hunter Subaru North Carolina Grand Prix in Hendersonville. Canadian Tyler Orschel (Canyon Devo Racing) was second and Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz Bicycles) finished third.

It was Werner’s first victory of a shortened fall cyclocross campaign, as he has spent the past few weeks at USA Marathon Mountain Bike Nationals, finishing sixth, and then claiming ninth in the Iceman Cometh Challenge in Michigan. 

Orschel, who earned a fourth-place finish at the 29-mile Iceman MTB race, was on familiar territory in western North Carolina as he was a five-time collegiate national champion from nearby Brevard College. But veteran Werner finished second last year on day one of the NC Grand Prix and was out for redemption on a course where he took his first UCI cyclocross win a decade ago.

“I haven’t been racing [cyclocross] since Baltimore and I wanted to come back and test myself. I’ve only got this and Nationals left,” said Werner, who recorded his 10th win at the NC Grand Prix on Saturday.

“Historically, when this race is dry it is always a good race. I didn’t want it to be a seven-up sprint at the last lap.”

The 47-rider field in the UCI C2 elite men’s race started under sunny skies and cool temperatures in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Orschel took the early lead on the first of eight laps, and exchanged blows with Werner, Ortenblad and U23 Pan-American Champion Jack Spranger (Bear CX). 

Spranger faltered on the mid-point of the race while Canadian Brody Sanderson (AWI Racing p/b The Crank & Sprocket Bicycles) made a huge effort on the sixth lap to briefly take the lead. Sanderson settled for fourth place while Spranger took seventh.

On the penultimate lap Orschel and Werner rode together at the front until the Canadian faltered in an off-camber section. Werner used the bobble to attack and created a gap for the solo victory. 

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