Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon) and Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing) won the C1 races on the first day of Rochester Cyclocross in Rochester, New York, the second round of the US Cyclocross Series (USCX).
Capitalising on an early crash by Nico Noll and Lauren Zorner, Bakker surged ahead with Caroline Mani (VeloMafia) and Sydney McGill (Lastig Off-Road Racing) in close pursuit through the opening laps. Their move split the race and left the rest of the pack scrambling to recover. Behind the leaders, Canadian Maghalie Rochette (SRAM/Seeker) launched a determined chase, steadily working her way through traffic until she joined Mani and McGill before the halfway point of the race.
At the halfway mark, Bakker held a steady 20–30 second advantage over the trio of Rochette, Mani, and McGill. The final laps confirmed Bakker’s dominance, as the Dutch rider claimed a solo victory, 14 seconds ahead of Rochette while McGill outlasted Mani to claim the final podium spot.
After nabbing the holeshot in the men’s race, Competitive Edge Racing teammates Cody Scott and Dylan Zakrajsek set a rapid opening pace. Brunner started sluggishly, briefly sitting around tenth, but quickly fought back into the top five by the end of the first lap. Similar to previous years, the early circuits featured large-group racing, with a nine-rider lead pack, but the cohesion unravelled quickly.
Brunner and US cyclocross champion Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD TREK Bikes) moved clear while former Canadian U23 champion Tyler Clark chased solo. Scott, Kerry Werner (VeloMafia), Zakrajsek, and Tofik Bashir (CXD Trek Bikes) formed the next group which splintered under the pace.
With three laps remaining, as Clark was threatening to bridge across, Brunner attacked through the start-finish to maintain separation. Into the final two laps, Brunner and Strohmeyer traded short bursts, doing just enough to keep all at bay. On the bell lap, Brunner managed to get a small gap, which he carried to the line. Strohmeyer claimed second, crossing the line 11 seconds later. Clark secured third.
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