Nash wins three straight at Jingle Cross Rock

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Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Cycling) went three for three at the Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross Rock on Sunday after winning Sunday’s marquee C1 race. Nash had originally planned on taking it easy the first half of the race, but a crash midway through the first lap enabled her to escape, with only Elle Anderson (California Giant – Specialized) able to give chase.

“It’s a hard weekend, but today I felt great and had a really clean run,” said Nash. “You never know, the last day you’re like, ‘I have two races in me, and I’m getting a little tired,’ but everything came together today and I had a really good ride.”

Rain fell periodically throughout the day, but the heavy showers that were forecast never materialized. The decisive factor of the day was again the steep ascent of Mt. Krumpit, which had morphed into a run up due to increasingly muddy and slick conditions.

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Crystal Anthony (Optum Pro Cycling) charged out of the starting gate to an early lead, but Nash took over after the first time up Mt. Krumpit. Anthony and Amanda Miller (TIBCO) were in close pursuit behind Nash when Miller lost traction on muddy off camber section. The error brought down Anthony, and allowed Nash to gain a few seconds on the other women. “I tried to ride it, and I couldn’t,” said Amanda Miller. “I slipped and fell. She (Anthony) was right there and our bikes got tangled together.”

Elle Anderson cleared the wreckage and took over the pursuit. Anderson was able to gain time on the flat sections of the course, but Nash grew more confident on the run up each lap, and steadily increased her lead. After the run up, Nash would remount, and hammer the top section of Mt. Krumpit, growing her lead from 8 to 20 seconds over the final two laps. “The flat sections, it’s just hard to make up any time,” said Nash. “I really focused on the run up and the switchbacks after that, that’s where I punched it quite a bit.”

Amanda Miller stayed in pursuit of Anderson, but could not make up any time on the Cal Giant rider. Behind Anderson and Miller the fight for fourth place was hotly contested between Catharine Pendrel (Luna Pro Cycling) and Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com.) Antonneau was especially fast on the run up, challenging Pendrel for fourth place all the way to the finish. “That girl can run amazingly fast,” said Pendrel about Antonneau’s efforts on the run up. “I was able to eek out the slightest advantage on the hill climbs, and then carry that to the finish.”

Nash held her lead all the way to the finish for her third victory of the weekend, followed by Anderson, and Miller. Pendrel kept Antonneau at bay, and finished fourth, with the “Little Badger” finishing fifth.

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