Almost on queue, as soon as the men lined up to start the KMC Cyclocross Festival, the skys opened up. Surprisingly, the course stayed tacky, instead of turning to sloppy mud. Riders were able to keep upright for the most part, and even enjoyed catching air off the box jump.
The men’s raced played out in similar fashion to the women’s, with Powers making his move and holding the lead all the way to the line.
The rain continued coming down, alternating between downpours and misting. The course held well, turning into tacky mud, not sloppy wet mud. Zach McDonald (KCCX Cyclocross Team p/b Challenge Tires) went to the front from the start, but it didn’t take long for Powers to pass his former Rapha-Focus teammate. Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) wasn’t about to let Powers go and made his own move. Johnson was able to get within about ten seconds of the national champion, but was never able to close the gap.
Lukas Winterberg (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com), who was filling in for the injured Ryan Trebon, rode in chase with Stephen Hyde (JAM Fund/NCC) and Ben Berden (Raleigh/Clement), while Cameron Dodge (Pure Energy/Scott Bicycles) and Jamey Driscoll (Raleigh/Clement) were just off the pace. The chasing pack was whittled down to just Winterberg and Berden fighting for the final podium spot.
As Powers crossed the line with one to go, the skies opened up, and it began to pour once again. Neither Powers, nor Johnson let up, and the two rode a flawless final lap to finish on the first two steps of the podium. Winterberg was able to edge out Berden and probably would have caught Johnson if there would have been one more lap. Dodge was the best of the rest to round out the top 5.
Recent Comments