Jamey Driscoll and Chris Jones battled it out in cyclocross, and now find themselves the thick of the action in California. File photo © Joe Sales
As Stage 2 in the Amgen Tour of California came to an end yesterday, there was a herd of cyclocross racers, including Andy Jacques-Maynes, Chris Jones, Jeremy Powers, Jesse Anthony and Lars Boom within 21 to 25 seconds of race leader Ben Swift.
The high drama of the day happened when Jamey Driscoll and Ben Jacques-Maynes found themselves in the third breakaway, along with two other racers. The riders were reeled in by the rest of the peloton, largely led by Jeremy Powers. This prompted some comments among the cyclocross community, including Tim Johnson, who tweeted, “And now @jeremypowers just chased down @jameydriscoll. No love?” Read more about Powers’ thoughts of the Tour here. His plans had included trying to “get into some breaks and get some good exposure for our team and sponsor, Jelly Belly.” So far, he seems to be accomplishing them.
Overall, it seems like the cyclocross racers we know and love are holding their own in the Amgen Tour of California after Stage 2. Perhaps it’s because when a ’cross racer hears about bad weather, it’s not exactly off-putting. Stage 1 was canceled on Sunday due to snow, but a little thing like weather has never stopped a cyclocross racer from putting in an amazing race.
As of the end of Stage 2, results for some of the top cyclocross racers in the Tour are as follows:
Tyler Wren (Jamis-Sutter Home) is sitting in 39th, and just 10 seconds down from the race leader.
Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell) is sitting 54th, a mere 21 seconds down. Jacques-Maynes is closely followed by Chris Jones (Team United Healthcare) in 59th, only four seconds further back. Read more about Jones and his plans for road and cyclocross season here.
Two seconds back from Andy Jacques-Maynes is Jeremy Powers (Jelly Belly), who is ranked 75th, and Jesse Anthony (Kelly Benefit Strategies-Optum Health), ranked 65th. Lars Boom (Rabobank) in 82nd rounds out the quartet of cyclocrossers who rolled in at the same time after Stage 2.
After their breakaway attempt, Ben Jacques-Maynes, also of Bissell, is sitting in 122nd and Jamey Driscoll (Jamis-Sutter Home) is in 143rd, just over three minutes down.
Stage 3 is happening today, and Chris Jones has specific plans for this section since it passes through his hometown of Auburn, California. “It’d be pretty cool to have a jersey at the start of stage three in Auburn…we’ll see!”
As the Tour continues, we’ll be keeping up with these racers, so check back for updates.
