October 9/10 23:58 pm - Darkhorse Cyclo-Stampede International Cyclo-cross: Day 2, Java Johnny's-Lionhearts International

Posted by Editoress on 10/9/10
 

Java Johnny's-Lionhearts International in Middletown, OH

Day two of Cincinnati's UCI 3 International Cylocross Festival saw racers commute from the city's southern suburbs in Kentucky to its northern suburbs in Ohio for the Java Johnny's-Lionhearts International in Middletown, Ohio.  The course in Middletown couldn't have been more different than the previous day's climber's course in Covington.  The relatively flat course was a sinuous 3.4 km collection of turns set on 9 acres of a small community park set in the middle of a stereotypical suburban neighbourhood.  Not everybody is a fan of the layout.  Ryan Trebon said “It's, like, ten 180's in a row and tons of slow corners where you're going at 10 mile an hour.”  At the other end of the spectrum was Katie Compton, who said before the race that Middletown is her favorite course, in America or Europe.  The vast majority of racers polled enjoyed the course.

The Elite Masters kicked-off the featured part of the program, Andy Messer (DRT Racing p/b Revolution Bike & Bean), the promoter of next week's Zipp OVCX Tour event presented by Papa John's in Bloomington Indiana, was the early leader.  Not to be outdone by Messer, Marc Vettori (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes), one of the co-promoters of next week's UCI double-header at Granogue, Delaware, had a spectacular crash when he went wide on one of the few off-camber turns on the course.  “There were two wooden stakes there,” he said after the race, “and I hit them so hard that I thought I broke my fork. Then I went over the handlebars.”  Vettori was unhurt.  Meanwhile Mark Legg-Compton (Planet Bike/Steven Bikes), wearing a running shirt instead of his usual bike kit to stay cool during another unseasonably warm day, methodically picked off riders and then rode off the front for his second consecutive victory of the weekend.

Thirty Elite Women started the second race of the richest women's cyclocross weekend in the world.  A large pack of nearly a dozen riders, including all the favorites, formed at the front and was led by Sue Butler (Hudz/Subaru).  Behind, nearly the rest of the field formed the chase group.  The paradox of the twisty course in Middletown is that it's faster to ride solo than in a pack, yet the race always seems to feature pack racing.  Katie Compton (Planet Bike/Steven Bikes) didn't get the best of starts and was fourth going into the first of the tight corners, behind Butler, Dee Dee Winfield (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes) and Mo Bruno Roy (Bob's Red Mill p/b Seven Cycles).  Compton slowly made her way to second, then attacked on the street section that also doubled as the start straight.  Echoing her husband's comments following his races, Compton said, “There are really only two places to attack here, and that was one of them.”  Once in front, Compton motored away.  Later she revealed another paradox about the course.  When asked how to go fast on the course, she exclaimed, “Be smooth!  You have to back off a little here or you'll just lose your speed.  You have to slow down to go faster.”

Meanwhile, behind Compton, Laura Van Gilder (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes) and Sue Butler separated themselves from the rest.  Butler led while Van Gilder tried to stay glued to her wheel.  Nearly everybody in the park knew the strategy that was unfolding, including the participants.  “At one point I looked over at Laura and said ‘I can't beat you in a sprint',” said Butler later.  Equally unlikely was Van Gilder riding away from Butler on such a technical course, so she followed like the road sprinter she is during the summer months.  A quarter lap from the end, Van Gilder made her move.  At first, Butler said she thought Van Gilder was just pulling through, but soon realized her error.  The two traded positions several more times, but Van Gilder led though the final twists leading into the curved finish straight.  Butler surprised many by staying on Van Gilder's wheel during the sprint, but waved the white flag 20 meters from the finish to take third behind Van Gilder's second place.

From the start of the Elite Men's race, Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/CycloCrossWorld.com) and Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA) had a gap.  Barry Wicks, after finishing second the day before, was never a factor and said afterward, “I just didn't have it today, so I thought it would be better to conserve for tomorrow.  It happens, sometimes.”  In the near 90 degree (F) heat, Powers started with two ice bags in his skinsuit to keep cool and took feeds of water on every allowed lap.  The two traded positions but essentially rode the race like a motocross race.  “I rode the last two laps the same way I rode the rest of the race, at full speed,” smiled Powers after the race.

“There were only a few places where you could put down any power,” said Trebon.  “I prefer courses that are more about fitness than technical ability.”  Still, the race was in doubt until the last lap.  Powers, who had been bunny hopping the barriers near the end of the lap for most of the race, gained a gap and took the advantage going into the twisty section leading into the finish stretch.  “There's no place to pass in that section,” said Trebon.  “When he lead through there the race was over a minute before we got to the finish line.”

Tristan Schouten (cyclocrossracing.com/Blue/Rolf Prima) who arrived from Wisconsin too late to participate in Friday's event, rode solo to third place.  “I just wanted to be in front because it's faster to ride by yourself here than to be in a group.  It wasn't an attack or anything.  When I got to the front, there was a gap.  When it got to 10 seconds, I knew I was going to ride my own race.”

It was a repeat win for Powers who won this race last year.  “This course really suited me,” he Powers said in his victory interview.  “Yesterday's course really suited Ryan.”  Though gracious, Powers also set the stage for the following day's rubber match at Harbin Park, which combines the design elements of both of the first two day's races.  The third and final day of the UCI3 Festival is a UCI C1 with the women's race paying equal prize money as the men through the first five places.

Elite Men
1 Jeremy Powers Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld)
2 Ryan Trebon (Kona)
3 Tristan Schouten (ISCorp Cycling Team)
4 Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain)
5 Christopher Jones (Rapha-Focus Cyclocross Team)
6 Jake Wells (Hudz-Subaru)
7 Troy Wells (Team Clif Bar)
8 Brian Matter (Gear Grinder)
9 Weston Schempf (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes)
10 Barry Wicks (Kona)
11 Mitchell Kersting (Fetzer Cycling Team)
12 Mitchell Hoke (Clif Bar Development Cyclo-Cross Team)
13 Ryan Knapp (BikeReg.com)
14 Andrew Wulfkuhle (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes)
15 Bryan Fawley (Park Place Dealerships)
16 Mike Sherer (Verizon U25 Team p/b ABD)
17 Stephen Cummings (Indiana Regional Medical Center)
18 Paul Martin (Panther pb Competitive Cyclist)
19 Dave Weaver (ALAN N. America Cycling Team)
20 Robert Kendall (Bob's Red Mill)
21 Michael Kennedy (Fetzer Cycling Team)
22 Joshua Johnson (DRT Racing)
23 Andrew Reardon (Van Dessel / Real Design)
24 Eric Wondergem (HUP United)
25 Christopher Nevitt (Fetzer Cycling Team)
26 Matthew Weeks (Team Lake Effect)
27 Scott McLaughlin (SRAM Factory)
28 Noah Metzler (Team Globalbike)
30 Michael Anderson (North Country Cycle Sport)
31 Erik Hamilton (NUVO Cultural Trail)
32 Michael Mihalik (Freddie Fu Cycling Team)
33 Paul Mesi (French Meadow Bakery / Fortistar)
34 Joshua Whitmore (Team Globalbike)
35 Zachary Edwards (DRT Racing)
36 Mark Broadwater (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes)
37 Jason Karew (Bishops Bicycles)
38 David McNeal (BBC p/b WheelWorx)
40 William Street (Sisu custom cycles)
41 Jacob Virostko (Shamrock/Biowheels Racing)
 
Elite Women
1 Katherine Compton (Planet Bike)
2 Laura Van Gilder (C3 - Athletes Serving Athletes)
3 Susan Butler (HUDZ Subaru)
4 Maureen Bruno Roy (MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles)
5 Deidre Winfield (C3 - Athletes Serving Athletes)
6 Kaitlin Antonneau (Team Kenda)
7 Kristin Gavin (Team CF-Elite)
8 Ashley James (Team Kenda)
9 Arley Kemmerer (C3 - Athletes Serving Athletes)
10 Kari Studley (Team Group Health)
11 Linda Sone (Planet Bike)
12 AnnaJean Dallaire (Alderfer Bergen)
13 Barbara Howe (Ibis and the Danger Twins)
14 Kimberly Flynn (Grace Law-Trek p/b Vantaggio)
15 Jennifer Maxwell (Van Dessel Sterke Meiden)
16 Marne Smiley (Scott/ Ollett Coaching)
17 Anne Schwartz (Flying Rhino Cycling Club)
18 Meghan Korol (Mafia Racing)
19 Nicole Borem (DRT Racing)
20 Deb Sweeney Whitmore (Performance Bicycle Racing Team)
21 Amanda McKay (Shamrock Cycles/Biowheels Racing)
23 Rebecca Finley (Marian University)
24 Emily Shields (Carolina Masters Cycling Team)
24 Tammy Wallace (ThinkCash Racing)
25 Melissa Corliss (Michelob Ultra Cycling)
26 Katherine Shields (Carolina Masters Cycling Team)
27 Courtney Patton (Trek of Pittsburgh/ National Velo)
28 Emily Benson (Velo Bella)