Maghalie Rochette (SRAM/Seeker) and Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing) soloed on final laps at Genesee Valley Park in upstate New York and won the UCI C2 elite races at Rochester Cyclocross.
Rochette reversed her fortunes on the second day of racing at Rochester Cyclocross to take the top step ahead of Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon), who won the C1 contest on Saturday. Sydney McGill (Lastig Off-Road Racing) took third place for a second day in a row.
Brunner dominated the elite men's contest for a second day in a row, with Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) repeating in second place. Kerry Werner (VeloMafia) secured the final spot on Sunday's podium in a three-rider sprint against Jules Van Kempen, who took fourth, and Tyler Clark in fifth.
Reaching the mid-point of the US Cyclocross Series (USCX) after Rochester races, Rochette extends her lead in the elite women's division on Bakker by 20 points. McGill is third in the standings, 48 points back, while Caroline Mani holds fourth place, 58 points back.
Brunner and Strohmeyer are tied at the top of the elite men's leaderboard at 164 points each. Clark holds third, 42 points back, while Werner is in fourth, just two points behind the Canadian.
How it unfolded
Sunday's UCI C2 races reversed the same course used for C1 contests the day before, sending riders straight to the stairs before diving into a twisting, technical back half.
Through the first half of the elite women's race, Rochette held a 10-second gap on Bakker, then added time every lap with clean handling and powerful accelerations on the flat grass straights. By the second half, she had more than 30 seconds to her advantage.
On the bell lap, Rochette sealed the solo victory, finishing 43 seconds ahead of Bakker and earning her third win in the USCX across four races. McGill held off a late charge by Raylyn Nuss (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) for third, the two separated by 15 seconds. Ellen Noble (JAM Fund), a former two-time U23 US cyclocross champion who is making a return to racing after several years, finished 10th in the C1 race, went two spots better on Sunday.
The elite men followed on the dry track for eight laps in their 60-minute race. By the second lap, Strohmeyer and Brunner had broken clear of the field by 15 seconds, and one lap later Brunner attacked just before the stairs for separation from the reigning US elite champion.
Across the halfway point of the race, Brunner continued to add time to his solo lead over Strohmeyer while Werner and Clark tried to separate from Van Kempen and Tofik Bashir but remained a strong quartet going into lap five.
On the final lap, the chasers battled for the final podium spot. Werner surged before the finish area stairs, jumping clear of Van Kempen and Clark while Bashir, 18-year-old in his first elite season, lost contact.
Brunner extended his lead on the bell lap and would record back-to-back wins, 43 seconds to Strohmeyer. Werner’s late move secured third place.
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