Happy June everyone, we’re only a few short months away from opening up the 2009-2010 racing season, so let’s take a look at what our heroes have been doing these days: Lars Boom takes home his first victory in the ProTour Ranks, besting many other cyclocross icons, Katie Compton to the hospital with an asthma attack, Gould, Wells shine at Bump & Grind, Jeremiah Bishop takes home 100 miler.
Lars Boom The Man in Belgium
Former Cyclocross World Champion and current Dutch National Time Trial Champion Lars Boom picked the right breakaway to grab hold of at the Tour of Belgium, and while he was not able to take home a stage win, he was able to grab the overall lead thanks to a 3rd place finish in stage 4. Boom was part of a lead group of 8 riders that finished 1:13 ahead of their nearest challengers. Boom followed up on his third place with a second place finish in the tour’s final stage, at 16.7 kilometer individual time trial. Boom missed out on the stage win by a mere 6 seconds.
Many other cyclocross icons were on hand in Belgium, getting their seasons into full swing. Behind Boom, the best place cyclocrosser was current World Cyclocross Champion Niels Albert, who cracked the top 20 with a solid 17th place finish, 3:37 behind the man he relieved of the World Championship stripes. Klaas Vantornout managed to better Belgian teammate Sven Nys by one placing, but more than a minute overall with his 29th place finish, 8:36 behind Boom, with Nys finishing 30th, 10:01 behind the Dutchman. Dieter Vanthrourenhout finished the week 65th overall, 22:40 behind Boom. Sven Vanthourenhout, Philipp Walsleben and Lubomir Petrus all finished in the 70’s with Vanthourenhout in 71st, Walsleben in 74th and Petrus in 75th. Kenneth Van Compernolle had a rough go of it, but finished the tour 35:55 down.
Katie Compton ends day in the Hospital, not on the podium
While the elite of American mountain biking were enjoying their day in the sun at Bump & Grind in Pelham, Alabama, Katie Compton ended the day in the local hospital, with an asthma attack ending her day early. Compton was mixing it up with the heads of state, in the top three, when breathing troubles cut her day short. Compton’s combative nature kept her in the race longer than she should have, as her condition required the use of oxygen to make sure she didn’t do any damage to her body. Keep an eye out for more in depth coverage in the near future for more details!
Gould and Wells keep the speed up, with solid efforts at Bump & Grind
While neither Todd Wells or Georgia Gould were able to take home the win in Alabama, each was able to get themselves superb finishes at Bump & Grind. In the men’s race, the start list included some of cyclocross’ top talents, including Wells, current National Champion Ryan Trebon and his Kona teammates Barry Wicks and Erik Tonkin, Adam Craig, Canadian National Champion Geoff Kabush, and Troy Wells. Trebon, Wells, Craig and Kabush were all able to make the initial selection, but the speed proved to be too much for Trebon and Craig, who dropped off the pace shortly after the finish of the first lap. Kabush was the next ‘crosser to exit the lead group, under the pressure of Wells, among others. When the final attacks finally came, Wells was not able to hold them off, and finished the day in 4th, with Kabush 6th, Craig 7th, Troy Wells 8th, Tonkin 17th, Trebon 19th and Wicks not making it to the finish. Both Trebon and Wicks were the subjects of mechanical troubles.
In the women’s race, Georgia Gould and Katie Compton were two of the main animators of a day which would end in an all-Luna Racing podium. Unfortunately for Gould, she would be out sprinted for the victory by Luna teammate Catherine Pendrel. The race’s lead group was composed of some of the who’s who of American cyclocross, with Gould, Compton and Katerina Nash, along with Pendrel. Compton, who was racing under the flag of Sho-Air, dropped out early because of her breathing issues. Nash was the victim of a crash that saw her lose a contact lens, leading to a 3rd place finish. Gould would be out sprinted by Pendrel and would have to settle for second. Other notable cyclocross riders who contested in Alabama included Kelli Emmet, who finished 5th, and Sue Butler, who finished 8th.
Jeremiah Bishop survives 100 miles to win Mohican 100
After dabbling in cyclcross last year, Jeremiah Bishop returned to his endurance mountain biking roots to win the Mohican 100, a 100 mile enduro mountain bike race in Ohio. A group of six men made it to the home stretch of the race in one group, an event relatively rare in the realm of endurance mountain bike racing. Bishop was at the head of the pack when the six riders made it to the final section of single track, which was all the advantage Bishop needed to take home the win and the lead in the American NUE series after two stops.
Wondering what your favorite mudders have been up to? Doing your homework so you can win Cyclocross Magazine’s fantasy cyclocross league next season? We’ve got you covered with our new, weekly report on your favorite top ‘crossers. Each week Jake Sisson will bring you the latest news, gossip, and maybe even a tweet or two on the pro scene. This is installment #11. Installment #10 is here. Got something worth reporting? Let us know!
