November 23/08 5:26 am - North American Trophy #7

Posted by Editoress on 11/23/08
 

N. American Trophy #7 - Whitmore's Landscaping Super Cross Cup Day 1 Southampton, New York
Report courtesy Ken Getchell, SpectaSport

What a difference a year makes. Last year, the Whitmore's Landscaping Super Cross Cup saw some of the world's best UCI cyclocross racers competing in 85 degree weather. A year and a few weeks later, competitors were greeted to the first of two UCI C1 races by sub-freezing weather and high winds. The near epic conditions couldn't slow down the racers, especially Ryan Trebon and Georgia Gould, who took dominant victories.

The race weekend in the Hamptons serves as the penultimate stop for the MAC Powered by SRAM series, as well as the finals for the NACT. And the first drama occurred in a hotel room away from the track itself. Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale), the only male rider other than Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA) still in the running for the North American Cyclocross Trophy, tried to warm up on a trainer. But his swollen knee, injured the week before in New Jersey, did not have enough flexibility to pedal. But Trebon looked so strong, it may not have mattered. Saying that it was easier to ride by himself in such gusty, swirling winds, Trebon took off from the field and never looked back. Eventually he built his lead to nearly a minute, before slowing down to celebrate on the final 500 meters. Behind him, Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) and Todd Wells (Team GT) were the survivors of a race-long attack-fest that at one time also included Troy Wells (TIAA-Cref / Clif Bar), Andy Jacques-Maynes (Specialized/KBC/California Giant) and Jesse Anthony (Team Jamis). Wells nearly passed Powers on the final corner when Powers went wide during the sprint, but Powers was able to accelerate and fend off Wells for the second spot.

The women saw a more entertaining race than the men, at least in the first half. A good deal of that entertainment was provided by Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com), who was reportedly lured out of retirement for this race with the promise of cooking lessons in the kitchen of promoter Myles Romanow's Wild Thyme restaurant. Sue Butler (MonavieCannondale.com), Natasha Elliott (EMD Serono/Stevens) and defending MAC Powered by SRAM champions Mo Bruno-Roy (MM Racing/Seven Cycles) were the early animators while Georgia Gould (Luna Chix) leapfrogged toward the front following a slow start. "I wasn't aggressive enough on the start," she would later say. Also lurking in the top third was Bessette, NACT points leader Amy Dombroski (Velo Bella - Kona), Dombroski's teammate and MAC stalwart Dee Dee Winfield and the current MAC Powered by SRAM points leader Laura Van Gilder. After reaching the front group, Gould attacked on the paved finish section and was able to separate herself from the group for the rest of the race. Bruno-Roy crashed, knocking her seat and handlebars sideways and allowing Bessette to move up to fourth.

Bessette continued her charge, and exceeded her goal of a top-ten finish with a strong second place. Afterward, she was smiling like a first-year racer. Freed of the pressure associated with racing as a professional, Bessette reveled in the joy of cyclocross and racing her bike purely for the enjoyment of it.

Meanwhile, Ryan Trebon reveled in the knowledge that he had clinched the prestigious NACT championship, and the trophy and bonus money that went with it. Georgia Gould looked a bit more cautious, as the women's NACT championship comes down to a nail-biting conclusion at the second day of the Whitmore's Landscaping Super Cross Cup on Sunday.