September 21/10 9:49 am - Starcrossed: Sims 2nd, Dyck 4th, Elliot 5th

Posted by Editoress on 09/21/10
 

Starcrossed, September 18th in Redmond, WA


French Invasion at StarCrossed
With the start of the UCI Cyclocross calendar already in full swing, the 2nd weekend of UCI racing in the US saw top European riders Francis Mourey (FDJ) and Christian Heule make the nine hour flight to Seattle for the start of the North American Cyclocross Trophy Series. (NACT) Mourey quickly made his way to the front of the race at the start, taking with him Ryan Iddings (Redline) and Jonathan Page (Planet Bike). Absent from the initial selection were names like Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Barry Wicks. (Kona). Mourey showed great form through all sections of the 2.8km course, under pouring rain and stadium-lit lights. After lap two, Mourey still had every bit of a 30 second gap on chasing riders, but an extremely motivated Trebon continued to lead the chase.

Just after lap three, Trebon made contact with Mourey, and the pair continued to ride together for the remainder of the race. Trebon continued to take position number one, with Mourey patiently sitting on Trebon’s wheel, watching every move the Kona rider made under muddy and wet conditions. As the riders headed into the bell lap, it was evident Trebon and Mourey would wait to sort out the race in the final 200 meters. With no help from Mourey, Trebon lead out the sprint only to be overtaken by Mourey in the last 100 meters. Heule finished 3rd with Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant) and Jonathan Page (Planet Bike)

Katerina Nash solos to victory at StarCrossed
The Shimano Women’s Elite race began under the lights, with the skies opening up and consistent rain falling throughout the night at StarCrossed, the 1st round of the North American Cyclocross Trophy Series. (NACT)

Katerina Nash (Luna) wasted no time making her way to the front of the race, after Sue Butler (Hudz-Subaru) got the hole shot. A small trio of riders formed at the beginning of lap one including Nash, Butler, and back-to-cyclocross racing Wendy Simms (Kona). For a brief moment, all three riders looked motivated to work together, but Nash quickly made her mark, and ditched Simms and Butler through the Bob’s Red Mill Gauntet course feature, which transitioned from King County’s Marymoor velodrome to grass infield. In the end, it was Nash soloing to victory with Simms holding second, and Butler 3rd. Canadian rider Mycal Dyck held 4th place and Natasha Elliot rounded out the top-5.

Courtesy organizer