Fresh from our New England correspondent, Kerry Litka:
Women’s Elite: Lynn Bessette warmed up for the race by battling for top 5 in the Cat 2/3 Men’s race before riding away from the women’s field on the first lap to an easy victory. The rest of the field was racing for 2nd and a solid group of 5 riders worked together like a break in a road race to distance themselves from the pack. The group included Natasha Elliot of Ontario, Megan Elliot, Rebecca Wellons, and Amy Wallace (someone else was in there but I can’t remember who). It came down to a pack sprint and Wellons was 2nd, Natasha Elliot was 3rd.
Men’s Elite: Tim Johnson was the favorite as he clearly had the home course advantage; a first lap mechanical took him out of contention for the lead and Jeremy Powers won the race, with Multe Urban, Christopher Jones, and Jesse Anthony close behind for second through fourth. Adam Myerson followed Tim Johnson as he tried to return from his rolled tire, and ending up outsprinting him for 5th. Full results here.
Course Notes: The course was noticeably less technical than previous incarnations, and the trademark serpentine descents were omitted today. The run up, sand pits, and paved uphill start section remained the same. The weather was very uncrosslike – warm, breezy, and not a cloud in the sky. The course was dry and VERY fast according to racers; this was by far the fastest variation of the Stage Fort park venue to date. The race definitely worked to the advantage of power riders and didn’t offer any opportunities for technically skilled riders to show their stuff. Packs of riders working together were common sights in all of the races of the day, and sprint finishes for many of the top 10 places determined most outcomes.
