Powers storms to second US 'cross championship
Trebon earns silver, Johnson bronze in Boulder
Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus) had spent days pre-riding the course, weeks getting acclimated to Boulder's altitude, and years perfecting his technique and fitness. On Sunday at the US Cyclocross National Championships in Colorado, all Powers had to do was deliver. And deliver he did, sprinting to the holeshot in the first corner and holding the lead for 60 minutes until he had another national title to his name.
"It was an excellent course for me. It dried out perfect," said Powers of the course that was hit with 10 inches of snow just days before. "It had a lot of off-cambers, a lot of tricky, fast, tight turns. It suited me perfect." With a headwind blasting straight down on the field through the opening straight, Powers blasted off the line, head down.
"That was hard!" a gassed but smiling Trebon said at the finish. "Jeremy was going fast from the start. He had a little more bass than I did the whole race. I was just hanging on. I felt good – good enough for second. Jeremy was just on it. He was riding really good, just smooth."
Held at the Valmont Bike Park in Boulder, the course was split in two, with sharp elevation gains in the first half and a flatter, serpentine track in the second half. Powers ran up the 24 wooden steps of the tall 5280 staircase, his bike held ‘suitcase' style at his side.
The taller Trebon would throw his bike over his shoulder, galloping up behind. Course organizers built a vicious, off-camber, curving descent off the top of the course after the stairs. Dubbed "Pete's Plunge," the section tore more than a couple tubulars off their rims throughout the week of racing, and caused scores of riders to slip out earlier in the week after 10 inches of snow blanketed the course. On Sunday in dry conditions, Pete's Plunge still claimed a few victims, and even Powers and Trebon would often stick a leg out as they railed around the steep, tufted corner.
'Cross veteran Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocross) had a disastrous start, getting knocked out of his pedal a split second after the gun fired. While his competitors sprinted up the dirt road, Johnson stuttered, pawing at his pedal to get going again. "It was huge. A start like that, it is so important. My foot that was already in the pedal got knocked out by the front wheel of somebody next to me. So there I was, no gas, no power. It took me a full lap to get back up to where I was," Johnson said. "The gap was already there. Obviously those guys were riding so strong, putting time on me every lap, so it's not like I lost the race because of that. Jeremy and Ryan are definitely the worthy top two riders today."
Johnson is a rarity in North America as a professional cyclocross racer; all the other top 'cross names in the US race road or mountainprofessionally. Johnson did hail from road, however, spending time on American and European squads.
Defending national champion Jonathan Page (Fuji-Spy Optics) was in contention early — joining Johnson and Allen Krughoff (Raleigh-Clement) in a second-lap pursuit of Powers and Trebon — but he faded to eventually finish sixth, 2:51 behind Powers. "Tim Johnson slipped out of his pedal, came over on me, so I was behind at the beginning. I never recovered from that really," Page said at the finish. "I tried my best. That's all I could do today."
Krughoff's Raleigh-Clement teammate Jamey Driscoll linked up with him in the closing laps, and the paired team time trialed through the wind, which was gusting up to 35mph/56kph. "It was really about straight-up fitness today," Driscoll said. "I was hoping to be up with (Powers and Trebon), but I don't know how I could have done that based on how I rode and how fast those guys were going."
Krughoff, who was enjoying his best-ever nationals finish, was laughing at the finish about the chaotic start. "There were guys slipping pedals, guys coming into each other. There was a lot of tension in the first straight away, since guys know what happens once gaps are established," Krughoff said. "I felt like I was flying into the Death Star with stuff flying all around me."
For Powers, an East Coast rider, his preparation time invested in coming to Colorado early had paid dividends. "I had come here, and I had ran the stairs 1,000 times. I had hit that off-camber 20 times before we got out here," Powers said. "I know how much I can gain from being at altitude. Being here early was definitely key for me to win today. It was a bit of a sacrifice to be away from home for three weeks, but in the end it paid off." As with his compatriot Katie Compton, Powers will be taking his new stars-and-stripes skinsuit to the Worlds in Netherlands.
Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Jeremy Powers (Rapha Focus) | 0:59:16 |
2 | Ryan Trebon (Cannondale pb Cyclocrossworld) | 0:00:43 |
3 | Timothy Johnson (Cannondale pb Cyclocrossworld) | 0:01:36 |
4 | James Driscoll (Raleigh Clement) | 0:02:32 |
5 | Allen Krughoff (Raleigh Clement) | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Jonathan Page (Fuji/Spyoptics) | 0:02:51 |
7 | Daniel Summerhill (K-Edge/Felt) | 0:03:28 |
8 | Justin Lindine (Team Redline) | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Tristan Schouten (UCI CT/WPT: Team Optum p/b Kell) | 0:03:53 |
10 | Troy Wells (TEAM CLIF BAR Cycling) | 0:04:41 |
11 | Kerry Werner (Mock Orange Bikes) | 0:04:49 |
12 | Anthony Clark (JAM Fund/NCC) | 0:04:50 |
13 | Jake Wells (Stans Notubes Elite Cyclocross) | 0:05:04 |
14 | Barry Wicks (Kona) | 0:05:20 |
15 | Russell Stevenson (Voler) | 0:05:32 |
16 | Stephen Hyde (JAM Fund/NCC) | 0:05:33 |
17 | Robert Marion (American Classic Pro CX Team) | 0:05:54 |
18 | Jeremy Durrin (UCI CT/WPT: Team Optum p/b Kell) | 0:05:57 |
19 | Tim Allen (Feedback Sports Racing) | 0:06:10 |
20 | Bryan Alders (Marin Bikes) | 0:06:30 |
21 | Joseph Maloney (Team Wisconsin) | 0:07:03 |
22 | Braden Kappius (TEAM CLIF BAR Cycling) | 0:08:11 |
23 | Christopher Case (Boulder Cycle Sport) | - 2 laps |
24 | William Iaia (Groove Subaru Excel Sports) | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Steven Stefko (Fort Collins Cycling Team) | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Daniel Chabanov (Connecticut Yankee BC) | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Jake Sitler (SEAVS/Haymarket) | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Joseph Clemenzi (Sports Garage Cycling) | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Kevin Bradford-Parish (SET coaching/Specialized) | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Erik Tonkin (Kona) | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Spencer Powlison (Evol Elite Racing) | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Dan Timmerman (Connecticut Yankee BC) | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Taylor Carrington (Feedback Sports Racing) | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Alex Ryan (Mock Orange Bikes) | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Jared Nieters (SEAVS/Haymarket) | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Mitchell Hoke (Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strateg) | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Jerome Townsend (BikeReg.com/Cannondale) | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Corey Stelljes (Racers Against Childhood Cancer) | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Walton Brush (MASH SF) | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Greg Krause (Groove Subaru Excel Sports) | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Michael Burleigh (Primal - Audi Denver) | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Nicholas Lemke (Scalo Veloce) | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Michael Wilk (3D Racing) | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Innokenty Zavyalov (Minnesota Cycling Team) | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Adam St Germain (ENGVT) | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Eric Thompson (Mt. Borah Epic Team) | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Ken Benesh (Evol Elite Racing) | - 3 laps |
48 | Troy Heithecker (Roosters/Bikers Edge-UT) | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Jason Sager (Angry Catfish) | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Bryson Perry (DNA Cycling) | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Alex Work (Bicycle Bluebook/HRS/Rock Lobst) | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Scott Chapin (BicycleBlueBook/HRS/Rocklobster) | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Mark Flis (The X-Men) | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Andrew Reardon (Bob's Red Mill Cyclocross) | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Josh Whitney (Evol Elite Racing) | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Jay Strothman | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | John Klish (Feedback Sports Racing) | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Nicholas Keough (Keough Cyclocross) | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Evan Murphy (NYC Velo/The Cannibal) | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Shawn Harshman (Boulder Cycle Sport) | - 4 laps |
61 | Josh Bauer (Hollywood Cycles) | Row 60 - Cell 2 |
62 | Russell Finsterwald (SRAM Factory) | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Kacey Campbell 0 | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Paul Lugar (Boulder Running Company Cycling) | Row 63 - Cell 2 |
65 | Grant Holicky (Evol Elite Racing) | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
66 | Jp Brocket (Ethos Racing) | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | Robbie Jones (Hastle Free Sports) | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
68 | Andrew Loaiza (Rocky Mountain Road Club) | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
69 | Shadd Smith (KCCX Fuji Elite Cyclocross Team) | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Brett Pirie (Groove Subaru Excel Sports) | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
71 | Mike Friedberg (Yellow Belly) | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
72 | Brad Neagos (Natural Grocers Cycling Team) | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
73 | Brian Lehman (Simple Racing) | Row 72 - Cell 2 |
74 | Nathan Brown (Bontrager Cycling Team) | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
75 | Matt Davies (Boulder Cycle Sport) | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
76 | Dylan Postier (Team Undiscovered) | Row 75 - Cell 2 |
77 | Nick Schaffner (Marc Pro - Strava) | Row 76 - Cell 2 |
78 | Tom Horrocks (The X-Men) | - 5 laps |
79 | Peat Henry (Team Noah Foundation) | Row 78 - Cell 2 |
80 | Aaron Bouplon (Bicycle Racing Association of C) | Row 79 - Cell 2 |
81 | Eric Lundgren (JBV Coaching) | Row 80 - Cell 2 |
82 | Brian Hludzinski (Boulder Cycle Sport) | Row 81 - Cell 2 |
83 | Adam Finck (Team Velocity Bike Shop) | Row 82 - Cell 2 |
84 | Todd Cassan | Row 83 - Cell 2 |
85 | Kelly Nowels (Ravenna Capital Management) | Row 84 - Cell 2 |
86 | Marcus Bush (Synergy) | Row 85 - Cell 2 |
87 | Kailin Waterman (Bicycle Bluebook/HRS/Rock Lobst) | Row 86 - Cell 2 |
88 | Jonathan Delacey (Durango Wheel Club) | Row 87 - Cell 2 |
89 | Chance Cooke (Great Northern Cycling Club) | Row 88 - Cell 2 |
90 | Eric Nelson (Mudfoot) | Row 89 - Cell 2 |
91 | Jw Miller (Erik's Bike Club/Eriks Bike Sho) | Row 90 - Cell 2 |
92 | Michael Garrett (Massachusetts Institute of Tech) | Row 91 - Cell 2 |
93 | Scott Arnold (Athlete Octane) | Row 92 - Cell 2 |
94 | Michael James (Prima Tappa Cycling) | Row 93 - Cell 2 |
95 | Jim Gentes (Buy-Cell.com) | Row 94 - Cell 2 |
96 | Jordan Nguyen (Team Super Awesome) | Row 95 - Cell 2 |
97 | Josh Weis (Colavita Racing Inc.) | - 7 laps |
DNS | Ben Cross (Austinbikes/Revenant) | Row 97 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Justin Doll (The X-Men) | Row 98 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Craig Faulkner (Crossniacs) | Row 99 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Brian Finnerty (California Giant Cycling) | Row 100 - Cell 2 |
DNS | John Flack (CBC Racing) | Row 101 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Justin Healy (Ski Utah|Plan 7) | Row 102 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Michael Lackey (Birmingham Velo) | Row 103 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Brandon Melott (Team Soundpony) | Row 104 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Andre-Paul Michaud (Durango Wheel Club) | Row 105 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Wiley Mosley (Team Super Awesome) | Row 106 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Adam Myerson (UCI CT: Team SmartStop p/b Moun) | Row 107 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Colby Pearce | Row 108 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Michael Robson (Moots) | Row 109 - Cell 2 |
DNS | David Sheek (SDG Felt) | Row 110 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Jason Siegle (SDG Felt) | Row 111 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Christopher Smith (The Fix Studio) | Row 112 - Cell 2 |
DNS | David Weber (Team Kappius) | Row 113 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Todd Wells (Specialized Factory Racing) | Row 114 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Robert Berghel (Village Volkswagon) | Row 115 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Ronald Glowczynski (BikeFlights) | Row 116 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Hunter Keating (Harmony Systems Pro Cycling) | Row 117 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Quinn Keogh (Harmony Systems Pro Cycling) | Row 118 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Jeff Kluck (Queen City Cycling) | Row 119 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Zach Mcdonald (Rapha-Focus) | Row 120 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Shawn Milne (Keough Cyclocross) | Row 121 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Paul Rapinz (Boulder Running Company Cycling) | Row 122 - Cell 2 |
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