Van den Ham and Noble win Cycle-Smart International day 1

Michael Van Den Ham (Red Truck-Garneau) finished first in the 25th edition of the Cycle-Smart International, just ahead of his team-mate and Canadian Champion Raphael Gagne. Anthony Clark (Squd Bikes) secured the last spot on the podium in a sprint finish against mark McConnell (Hot Sauce Cycling)

The new Red Truck-Garneau team put on a clinic today. Gagne and Van Den Ham took turns at the front and were able to distance themselves from their competitors by the end of the second lap. From that point on they rode an effective two-man time trial that consistently increased the gap to the chasers.

“That was absolutely a team victory with Raf”, remarked Van Den Ham. “We worked really well together a couple weeks ago at the Canadian National Championships, when Raf took the win”.

Van Den Ham continued, “I’m so happy to take the win today but it never would have been possible without Raf. He pulled so much and that fatigued him a bit on the last lap. This is my first UCI win, period…this is the biggest result of my career hands down.”

The course at Look Park included a considerable amount of time on the grassy field, but also a large chunk of time in the woods on a plateau at the back of the course. The loose, rocky, rooty run-up was, as usual, the most popular place for the huge number of spectators to view the race.

The course also included a technical descent that had given the Elite Women fits. The men, however, seemed to have little problem with it.

The Elite Men will race again at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Look Park in Northampton. 

Women's Race

Ellen Noble (JAM/NCC/Vittoria) put her head down with two laps remaining and sailed away from Emma White (Cyclocrossworld.com), winning by eight seconds over White. Kate Lysakowski (Joe’s Garage) took the last step on the podium, finishing third.

Ellen Noble took the hole-shot but the long back and forth section on grass allowed Emma White to use her road-racing prowess to get by Noble and lead for a considerable period. But, Noble was not content following White.

“I have a really hard time sitting in and racing with other people so I started to get a little antsy”, remarked Noble. “So, I made a move and noticed I was getting a little bit of time on some of the turns. I noticed then that she was starting to close in but I wasn’t ready to give up and let myself be absorbed.”

Noble added, “So, I gave it one more hard effort. I noticed I was getting a gap so I just went all in for a lap and got a good gap and then left some room for mistakes.”

Last weekend Noble won the U-23 Pan Am Championship. She was already the USA U-23 National Champion. A student at the University of Massachusetts, this weekend is essentially a home race for her.

The Saturday course at Look Park included it’s famous run-up, but also included a very technical “pros only” downhill switchback descent. All of the lead women were able to ride that section, but the majority of the women’s field had to run it.

The Cycle-Smart International was celebrating its 25th birthday on Saturday. The crowds were large and seemed to be enjoying the New England autumn weather and scenery.

The Elite Women will race again on Sunday. 

Full Results