Compton opens season with victory at Planet Bike Cup

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It was a successful day for Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycle Corporation, based out of Waterloo, whose US Gran Prix of Cyclocross (USGP) sponsorship was sweetened with Katie Compton's (Trek Cyclocross Collective) first domestic win in her new Trek colors. The sponsorship issues that threatened the USGP earlier in the year seemed well in the past as Compton took a commanding lead of the women's race and left the rest of the field to battle for second. Georgia Gould (Luna), fresh off her Olympic and world championship success, took second and was followed by British rider Gabby Day (Rapha-Focus.)

For Compton the Trek program has brought a renewed energy to her racing. "The bikes are dialed in perfectly for me," said Compton before the race. "It's one of those things you get when you are a little kid, and you get that new bike at Christmas, and you are super-excited to ride. That's how I feel. I'm excited to ride my bike again."

After banging bars with other riders at the start on the hard and twisty course, Compton took matters into her own hands. "Sitting in the first half lap I kept running into people," Compton said after her race. "Through the turns I just wanted to pick my line and go. On the backside I figured I might as well put in an attack now to see what happens. I got a gap and just went with it."

For Gould, who medaled at both the Olympics and world championships this year, it has been a long, yet rewarding season. "I just finished my mountain bike season, where I had pretty good fitness for Olympics and world championships but I definitely don't hold myself to the same standard, so I'm riding out the fitness I had at the end of the season," said Gould. "It would have been great to take a break right after Worlds but I didn't want to skip CrossVegas and this because they are both really good races and it's important to support the best races we have in the US."

Gabby Day took the hole shot at the start of the women's race and traded the lead with teammate Julie Krasniak and Nicole Duke (Raleigh-Clement) before Compton made her attack on the hilly side of the course. Compton's move gave her the lead going into the second lap and gave her room to charge through the corners where she picked up time each lap. Compton steadily grew her lead to almost a minute by the end of the race and never looked to be threatened as she smoothly powered around the bends and turns of the Sun Prairie course on her new Trek set-up.

The remainder of the race was a battle for podium spots contended by Day, Krasniak, Gould, Teal Stetson Lee (Luna), Meredith Miller (California Giant Berry Farms) and local favorite Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld) After Compton separated from the group, Krasniak and Day worked to put some distance between themselves and the remainder of the pack but were brought back by Meredith Miller, who chased down the Rapha-Focus duo with Kaitlin Antonneau and Georgia Gould in tow.

Encouraged by a legion of fans inspired by her Olympic performance, and "#heckleme" campaign on Twitter, Gould attacked the chase group with two laps to go and managed to put 10 seconds on the group, which was splintered under her efforts. Krasniak and Miller would both bobble the last lap opening the door for Gabby day to take the remaining podium spot for third, her first major US result.

With the first day's C1 race out of the way the women will line up on Sunday for the second day of the Trek USGP of Cyclocross at 2:45 CDT in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.