Planet Bikes’ Katie Compton hits the afterburner on the second lap, which launched her to a stunning short track victory.(Image credit: Eddie Clark)
Katie Compton is happy to take home a stars and stripes jersey for her Planet Bike/Stevens/Kenda team.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
The women fuel up before the race, staying cool while discussing possible games plans.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Luna Pro's Georgia Gould was chipper as always prior to lining up for the start.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Planet Bikes/Steven/Kenda racer Katie Compton coyly and calmy lines up at the start before unleashing a devastating attack on the field which saw her lap all but three of the other riders in the race.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Subaru/Trek racer Willow Koerber set a fast first lap place which blew the race wide open.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Luna Pro racer Amy Dombroski was one of the many mid pack riders who was quickly lapped by Katie Compton(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Planet Bikes' Katie Compton hits the afterburner on the second lap, which launched her to a stunning short track victory.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Tokyo Joes racer Erin Huck starts to get distanced by the leading ladies.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Mary McConneloug of Kenda/Seven/NoTubes, rode another solid race, and held on for fourth through much of the race.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Subaru/Trek rider Willow Koerber recovered enough to reclaim a toughly fought battle for the last podium position of fifth place.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Luna's Georgia Gould was riding to maintain her second place by mid race.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Heather Irmiger rode another great race for her Subaru/Trek team.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Kenda/Felt racer Judy Freeman narrowly missed out on the podium, but still gave an impressive performance with a sixth place finish.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Luna Pro's Georgia Gould cruises through the start finish for one last lap.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Planet Bike/Stevens/Kenda team racer Katie Compton simply dominated the field with a blistering, unmatched show of speed to claim her short track victory.(Image credit: EddieClarkMedia.com)
Katie Compton (Planet Bike,Stevens, Kenda) surges off the front early in the race.(Image credit: Mark Legg)
Katie Compton (Planet Bike,Stevens, Kenda) (Image credit: Mark Legg)
Katie Compton (Planet Bike,Stevens, Kenda) rails the downhill on her way to winning her second short track title(Image credit: Mark Legg)
From left to right, Georgia Gould (Luna), Katie Compton (Planet Bike,Stevens, Kenda) Heather Irmiger (Subaru,Trek) lets the bubbly fly.(Image credit: Mark Legg)
Katie Compton (Planet Bike) powered away to a short track win on Sunday afternoon at the US National Championships in Granby, Colorado. She finished ahead of yesterday's cross country winner Georgia Gould (Luna) and yesterday's runner-up Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Trek).
"That one hurt... a lot," said Compton after dominating the race.
She initially sat in on the first few laps, gauging her competition. Then Compton pushed the pace on lap three, and the elastic quickly snapped as she instantly opened a gap that did nothing but grow throughout the rest of the race.
"I wanted to get a couple of laps in and see how everyone was riding. It always starts fast and then the lull comes. I figured I'd wait until the lull and attack and see what happens," said Compton. "I was wanting to go faster up this hill part on the first couple of laps. I was sitting comfortably, so I decided to just go and I got a gap."
Compton measured her effort with the intention of riding fast enough to get a gap, but saving just enough in case she were to get caught.
Getting caught didn't prove to be an issue as instead, Compton caught and lapped everyone else except second, third and fourth places. Instead of pulling all lapped riders and leaving just four women on the course, officials left the top 10 riders, even those who were lapped, to race until the end.
Compton's victory gave her a second short track national title. She also won in 2008 in Mount Snow in a race that she said, resembled today's. The short, painful effort was a perfect match for Compton's proven talent as one of the best cyclo-cross races in the world.
"If that race had been an hour, it would have been different. But I can suffer and go hard for this amount of time," said Compton.
Gould wasn't caught off guard when Compton rode away to victory. "I wasn't surprised when Katie launched her attack. Was anyone surprised that Katie is fast and attacked? I just didn't have the legs to go with her.
"Katie always does that," added fifth place finisher Willow Koerber (Subaru-Trek).
The recently crowned cross country national champion Gould was feeling the effects of Saturday's gold-medal winning ride. "It was a hard weekend. I felt like I got run over by a truck after yesterday's effort. It was tough out there, but I did the best I could. My plan was to race my hardest and do the best I could. Sometimes the best you can do isn't enough to win."
Irmiger rode to third place ahead of Mary McConneloug (Kenda/Seven/NoTubes), who was pleased with her second podium placing of the weekend.
"You know it's going to end and that's the only thing that keeps me going," said McConneloug of short track racing. "I was having some stomach cramping issues and again, just like yesterday, I only had one speed."
Koerber, who was a the front initially, finished in fifth place.
"The reason I had a great start was because I wasn't going that hard," said Koerber. "Then they started going hard and I kept going the same pace."
Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
