Rochette’s Rochester Repeat – 2018 Rochester Cyclocross Day 2 Women’s Race Report, Results

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Sunday proved to be a repeat double feature for the elite competitions at Rochester Cyclocross, the second weekend stop for the 2018 USA Cycling Professional Cyclocross Calendar (ProCX). Maghalie Rochette (St-Jerome, Quebec/CXFever p/b Specialized)  kept up the heat with her second-straight victory.

Fall-like temperatures hovered close to 60 degrees Fahrenheit on a cloudy afternoon at Genesee Valley Park, unlike the hot conditions from a year ago.

Ellen Noble (Kennebunkport, Maine/Trek Factory Racing) would take the holeshot on Sunday to enjoy clean air in front of the other 34 riders who were covered in Noble’s cloud of dust.

A similar scenario to Saturday’s C1 race began to play out, with Rochette taking the front position halfway through the opening lap.

Rochette and Noble would safely negotiate Double Trouble on the first pass. Following in third position, Kaitie Keough (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cannondale p/b CyclocrossWorld) would fall in the serpentine climbing section on the banks of the New York State Barge Canal. This same section would cause Keough to hit the dirt again on lap two.

Rochette opened an eight-second lead on the second lap over Keough, with Ruby West (Hamilton, Ont./Specialized-Tenspeed Hero) now riding third. Noble would take a spill and drop from third to seventh.

By lap three, Rochette drove on autopilot for a 30-second lead, having no trouble with Double Trouble. Keough and others would dismount to run part of that section. And on lap four, now with two more circuits to go, Noble continued to power through the strung-out field and pass Keough for second.

L to R: Ellen Noble, Maghalie Rochette, Kaitie Keough. UCI C2 Women Race, Sunday. photo: Bruce Buckley

“It was a little bit different today,” Rochette explained about how the race progressed on Sunday. “In the first lap, Ellen got a tiny bit of a gap, so I was chasing back to her. As I was making the connection to her, she slid out in a corner on the first lap. That gave me the opportunity to go. I didn’t necessarily attack, but I just kept the pace that I was at and the gap opened up there. I could see it (the gap) growing. For three or four laps I really pushed to open the gap. Then I was conservative to make sure I kept [it].”

Without any more major mishaps, the top three women would finish in that order, in just over 48 minutes: Rochette, Noble and Keough.

“I’m super happy about that,” Rochette said about going two for two at Rochester Cyclocross. “I was trying not to think about it too much. I try to really focus on what I can execute and what I can control, and not think about the end result too much. That is what I did this weekend. I surprised myself. I’m happy with how things went.”

Noble would secure second place for a second day, 32 seconds back.

“It’s a little bit bittersweet,” Noble said about finishing second again on Sunday. “I had way better legs today, but I also had way more problems. I ended up crashing twice, unfortunately. It’s frustrating, but I’m really feeling confident going into the World Cups [and] with more speed work, I’ll be ready to go. I regrouped, and I was like ‘just go as hard as you possibly can until the race is over.’ And it ended up getting me into second, so I was pretty happy with that.”

A charging Keough would finish just six seconds behind Noble for third.

“I’m a little under the weather with a cold, so yesterday was a bit rough,” Keough said. Last year in the C2 race, Keough would edge Rochette for the victory. “Also, just with it being just the first ‘cross race of the season and the first time I have raced in a while. It was getting the cobwebs out. Today was a lot better and I’m happy with it.”

In two weeks Telenet UCI Cyclocross World Cups will be hosted in the U.S. again at Waterloo, Wisc. (Sept. 23) and Iowa City, Iowa (Sept. 29). Rochette is excited about these competitions. “They (Kaitie and Ellen) are both super strong. I am so excited that the level of the U.S. women is so strong. Every weekend we have great battles. It prepares us better when we go to Europe or when we race with the Europeans. I love the state of the sport right now.”

Caroline Mani (Besacon, France/Van Dessel Factory Team) worked her way to fourth place and Erica Zaveta (Brevard, N.C./ Garneau-Easton Cycling) would finish fifth, the same positions they earned on Saturday.

2018 Rochester Cyclocross, UCI C2 Women. L to R: Ellen Noble, Maghalie Rochette, Kaitie Keough. photo: Bruce Buckley

Full results below.

ProCX races continue in Breinigsville, Penn on September 15-16. After a one-year absence on the ProCX calendar, Nittany Lion Cross returns with two days of UCI Category 2 events for Elite Women and Men. Now in its 13th year, Nittany Lion Cross also features two days of racing for Mid-Atlantic Cyclocross series.

2018 Rochester Cyclocross Day 2 Results - Pro Women, UCI C2