Compton, Powers Close UCI3 Weekend at Harbin Park with Repeat Wins – Updated: More Photos, Full Results

Women’s $4,373 Podium: 1st Katie Compton - $2,351 (c), 2nd Laura Van Gilder $1,176 (l), 3rd Kaitie Antonneau $846 (r) © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

by Marion Hambrick and Ken Getchell

Fairfield, OH – The UCI3 Festival concluded with Harbin Park presented by BioWheels/United Dairy Farmers, the third and final race of the weekend. The Elite Men and Women faced another day of sunny skies with temperatures soaring into the low 90s. A smattering of tree-filled sections across the course provided little shelter for the riders.

Located in suburban Fairfield, Harbin Park is 20 miles north of downtown Cincinnati. The UCI3 course contained features from previous races plus a few new ones. Of the three Festival races, Harbin Park’s course measured the longest, a full 3.5 km cornucopia of pavement, double-track dirt, sand and grass. The dry conditions, gradual hills and mostly 90-degree turns led to a fast and dusty course for the racers.

Coming off wins the first two days, Katie Compton (Planet Bike) looked to sweep the UCI3 series. Compton wasted no time moving up to the front and soloed away for her third straight win of the weekend. The Harbin Park win was her 45th UCI victory and extended her four-year Cincinnati winning streak.

Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) also walked into the final day with weekend wins, Trebon at Cyclo-Stampede and Powers at Java Johnny’s. The two fought for the coveted tiebreaker on the Harbin Park course, and Powers set out to defend his 2009 title. Powers and Trebon quickly went off the front and traded lead positions until Powers stepped on the gas and pulled away for the first place finish.

The winning move of the Women’s UCI race took place less than two minutes after the start as Katie Compton gapped the field on their first trip through the sand barrier © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

For Compton, Third Verse Same as the First (and Second)

The Elite Women’s race featured a full slate with 32 women lining up at the start. Katie Compton (Planet Bike) sought the weekend sweep and to continue her winning ways in the Cincinnati series. Sue Butler (Hudz-Subaru) and Laura van Gilder (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes) were also back for more. Butler took the podium spot behind Compton on Day One, but narrowly lost second place to van Gilder during the Day Two sprint to the finish.

The Harbin Park course featured a series of twists and turns through trees and up and down numerous hills. The course concluded with a steep uphill finish, making the park’s conditions potentially better suited for a sprinter like van Gilder. The park itself has a storied cyclocross history: this edition marks the 14th year organizers have held races here. Known historically for its pork processing factories, Cincinnati has been called Porkopolis. On the last day of the Festival, racers and spectators alike wondered, Who would bring home the bacon? For the UCI3, the top five Elite Women would walk away with the same prize amounts received by the top five Elite Men. Since Harbin Park was a UCI C1 event, first place paid $2,351 to win – over 25% more than the UCI mandated minimum purse for the entire women’s field..

The course at Harbin Park was hilly, though not as brutal as Day One’s side-of-a-mountain race at Covington’s Devou Park. It also had two sandpits at the central viewing area that riders pass through twice a lap, one with an uphill approach just past the finish line and another about two minutes later with a downhill approach. Even though the two passes combined totaled only about 60 meters, the sand played a pivotal role in both the Men’s and Women’s races.

The chase group of Sue Butler (f), Laura Van Gilder, Katie Antonneau, Mo Bruno Roy and Ashley James provided entertaining racing until the very end © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

Like the last two starts, Butler took the holeshot and the early lead with Compton, Butler, van Gilder, Mo Bruno-Roy (Bob’s Red Mill p/b Seven Cycles) and Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) at the front. Compton powered through the sand on her bike while others were forced to run, and the deft maneuver gave her a gap.

“I wanted to run my lines,” said Compton after the race. “I knew I wanted to be first to the sand because I knew I could ride it and figured most of the other women wouldn’t.”

The field quickly split apart as the frontrunners pushed the pace coming back through the sand on the downhill. Not content to wait, Compton opened up an early lead with Butler, van Gilder, Bruno-Roy and Antonneau giving chase. She continued to extend her lead on the back half of the course, which featured a long descent followed by a steep uphill and fast carving through the trees before reaching the double barriers. Showing her usual finesse, Compton quickly crossed the barriers with a 12-second gap. The chase group soon saw that gap stretch to 30 and then 45 seconds as Compton time-trialed the rest of the race, and they once again turned their attentions to the remaining podium spots.

If the race for the lead of the Women’s race was a foregone conclusion, the battle for second was anything but.  In the best women’s racing of the weekend, Butler, van Gilder, Bruno-Roy, Antonneau and Ashley James (Kenda) had what will be remembered as one of the best pack races of the year. The surprise of the group was Ashley James. The Wisconsin native recently transferred to Appalachian State University in North Carolina and is one of several American women having a breakout year in 2010.

A classic battle unfolded between pursuiters and sprinters, and Butler remained on the front most of the time, driving the pace and trying to lose some of her chasers. Many projected the sharp uphill finish would favor van Gilder, who continued to hammer around the course with the other four riders. Before long the pace appeared to affect Bruno-Roy, who lost touch with the group and slipped further down the top 10.

With a perfectly straight, 400 meter uphill finish, everyone in the group knew they had to try to lose van Gilder, but they simply couldn’t shake her. Butler said, “I even started taking crazy lines to see if she would follow me.”  The group’s biggest opportunity came as they went down the hill approaching the bell lap. “I washed out my front wheel,” said van Gilder, “and I wasn’t sure if they knew they had gapped me.” Van Gilder put in the effort to close the gap. “When I closed the gap, I went to the front because I wanted to be in front through the sand so they wouldn’t gap me again, and I used that last lap as a recovery lap.”

Laura Van Gilder powers away from Katie Antonneau and Ashley James in the sprint for second, while Sue Butler dismounts with a jammed drivetrain © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

Butler, van Gilder, Antonneau and James remained together until 200 meters to go. Butler led out the sprint, and Antonneau made the first move to the left and briefly took the front position. In classic sprint style, both Butler and van Gilder reacted instantly. But as soon as Butler stood to sprint, her chain jammed between her two chain rings. Van Gilder powered by Antonneau and the stricken Butler to claim second place. Antonneau came across the line in third as Butler dismounted and ran up the hill to the finish.

After the race, van Gilder discussed the sprint finish and Butler’s mechanical. “The hill pitches up, so you just can’t say that you’ve got it from far out, because if you’re overgeared, you’re going to grind to a halt. Sue [Butler] had some chain issues, and I just decided I was going to go. It was an opportunity. I just went and never looked back.”

Compton claimed her 45th UCI victory. Husband Mark Legg-Compton (Planet Bike-Stevens Bike) also swept the weekend’s events, winning his third Elite Master’s race of the weekend before working the pits for his wife.

Jeremy Powers (c) won the race but lost the champagne fight on the podium. Ryan Trebon (l) launches a frontal assault while third place Chris Jones attacks the flank © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

Powers Wins the Tiebreaker

On the Elite Men’s side, 47 racers started alongside Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) as the two men prepared for a third and final encounter just outside the Queen City. After the Java Johnny’s race, Powers remarked that the Day One course better suited Trebon’s mountain bike background, while the Day Two course proved more to his liking. Harbin Park reflected a combination of both courses, and Powers and Trebon questioned who would come out victorious at the end of 60 minutes. The high temperatures returned for a third day and potentially remained a factor for Powers. The previous two days, he repeatedly lost ground to Trebon after taking bottles in the pit, and then was forced to work hard to catch up.

Powers started with an icepack in his skinsuit for a second day, and he, Trebon, Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain), Brian Matter (Gear Grinder) and Troy Wells (Clif Bar) led the charge at the start and into the first of the two sandpits. Powers flew through the sand, and the dust began to fly as the leaders followed his line and pedaled furiously through the pit. The leaders remained close together with Trebon, Powers, Kabush, Barry Wicks (Kona) and Christopher Jones (Rapha-Focus) at the front. Coming back through the second sandpit, Trebon and Powers put a few bike lengths between themselves and the other riders, who formed a serpentine line coursing steadily through the trees.

Ryan Trebon liked the power sections, but set his tire pressure too low and was drifting too much in the technical portions © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

In similar fashion, Trebon and Powers continued to trade punches throughout the first few laps. Powers would create a gap, and Trebon would come out of the saddle, pedaling hard to close. Their pace soon splintered the field, and four riders – Powers, Trebon, Kabush and Jones – were off the front. Troy Wells, Matter, Wicks, Jake Wells (Hudz-Subaru) and Tristan Schouten (Cyclocrossracing.com-Blue-Rolf Prima) continued to chase the frontrunners with five laps to go. The lead group then split into two with Powers and Trebon creating a small gap. Powers soon put several bike lengths between himself and Trebon on the back half of the course. Refusing to concede, Trebon continued working hard to thwart Powers’ attempts to drop him.

Almost halfway through the race, the defining moment occurred directly in front of the announcers and most of the spectators in the sandpit with the downhill approach. Leading into the sweeping right hand approach, Trebon, who was second at the time, made a huge acceleration to try and pass Powers on the outside and hit the sandpit first. Powers matched the acceleration like a track sprinter, maintained the inside line and hit the sand square. Trebon hit it at the slightest of angles, but it was enough for him to wiggle momentarily, dab his foot and lose contact. “I knew anyone doing that must be a little bit desperate and hurting some,” said Powers after the race. “I already had the inside line, so I used it.”

“It was good,” said Trebon. “He wasn’t giving me anything and I wasn’t giving him anything.” Though Trebon made contact several times, he would never lead the race again. “I could catch him on some of the power sections,” he said, “but as soon as I did, we would hit a technical section, and he’d ride away from me again. I was sliding a lot today, I think the rear tire pressure was one or two pounds too low. I was drifting all over the place.”

The two continued push the pace, with Powers pushing harder until he created and maintained a five-second gap over Trebon through the barriers and back into the sandpits. After the race, Powers commented on his race strategy: “A lot of this course was getting in front of someone at different points to make sure you could get time on them in other sections. I just took advantage where I could.”

Chris Jones had his best performance of the year, 3rd place © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

Behind the leaders, Jones and Kabush soloed in for third and fourth, respectively, with the remaining riders strung out across the course. Powers continued to lead Trebon by five seconds with one lap to go. The two remained separated as Powers charged up the hill for his second win of the UCI3 weekend with Trebon in second and Jones third.

With the scintillating battle for the lead, Chris Jones (Rapha-Focus) rode almost unnoticed to a solo third place, his best result so far this year. When asked what people should know about his performance, he replied, “Tell them how great the kit looks!” as he stood up to model it. Jones has had a slow start to the season, and the team added the UCI3 Festival to its program after difficulties at the Planet Bike Cup USGP weekend. “I’m just getting used to it,” said Jones of cyclocross. “We had our road nationals on Sunday, and Wednesday I was racing CrossVegas. I’m fit from the road, but I’m just not used to cyclocross yet; I hadn’t even practiced any dismounts. It just takes some time. I wanted to improve my results.” Then, smiling broadly, he said, “I’m happy to get a podium position.”

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