October 17/05 11:02 am - Verge New England Cyclo-Cross: Race 1 Report
Posted by Editoress on 10/17/05
| Courtesy Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau Cyclocross Team Bessette & Johnson Love the Mud Sticking firmly to the Arthurian motto of the Round Table - "adapt, adopt, and improve" - Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau's Lyne Bessette and Tim Johnson handled the epic bad weather of the 2005 Verge New England Cyclo-Cross Series in New Gloucester, Maine with aplomb, finishing first and second, respectively. On the deep muddy fields of the Downeast Cyclo-Cross, a UCI Cat 2 race, Lyne and Tim continued their strong early season results. With driving rains soaking the already moist course, Lyne dashed off the front of the Elite Women's race and never looked back. It was the same strategy that proved so successful for her the previous two weekends and this weekend was no different. Lyne won by almost two minutes, her fourth victory in as many races. "It's hard because you never had any rest, except for one small downhill," said Lyne of the soupy mud. "I had to keep the pedals turning to keep my momentum, to keep going. There was also a lot of running involved, but I'm happy with the skills I have right now. I still need to work on my mounts and dismounts, but when it's muddy like this it doesn't make a huge difference." Tim's race started much worse than did Lyne's, his third row position on the start grid a serious hindrance in the dicey conditions. By the end of the first lap, with eventual winner Mark McCormack (Team Clif Shot) already in the lead, Tim wallowed outside the top-20. But by lap three he was back at the business end of the Elite Men's field, hammering his way into the top-three, and eventually finishing in second. "That was probably the worst start I've ever had," said Tim. "I was a straightaway behind right from the start. But I knew it was going to be harder than a lot of people expected. If you go into the red too early you pay for it later on. I did all I could but I could never catch Mark. I was railing the corners, but it just wasn't enough." Tim and Lyne continue their 2005 season October 29-30 with the US Gran Prix Michelob ULTRA races in Gloucester, Mass. |  |
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