Compton and Powers Take UCI3 Day Two Victories – UPDATED: Full Report, Photos and Race Results

The real reason Ryan and Tristan are smiling is because Jeremy Powers somehow gave himself bunny ears in this photo © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

by Marion Hambrick and Ken Getchell

Middletown, OH – The UCI3 Festival continued with the Java Johnny’s – Lionhearts race at Sunset Park. The Elite Men and Women faced a second day of sunny skies and 80-degree temperatures, but the wooded park provided some respite from the heat. Surrounded by houses and trees, the Sunset Park course was located in a Middletown residential neighborhood, 50 minutes from downtown Cincinnati.

Despite the high temperatures, some Elite Women claimed this race course as one of their favorites. Having participated in the 2009 Java Johnny’s race, Katie Compton (Planet Bike) and Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) noted the fun nature of the course, which featured numerous twists and turns, sand, an orange tiger bounce house for the kids and quite a few acorns for the racers. The fun continued for Compton, who went two-for-two and secured her second win of the UCI3 Festival (catch up on yesterday’s report). The first place finish marked her 44th UCI victory and kept her four-year Cincinnati winning streak intact.

On the Elite Men’s side, Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) picked up where they left off yesterday, battling for the top podium spot. The heat again proved challenging for Powers, who kept losing his lead to Trebon after repeatedly taking water in the pits. But in the final lap, Powers distanced himself from Trebon and secured the win.

By mid-race, Compton was on a solo ride © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

Compton Celebrates 44th UCI Victory
The Java Johnny’s Elite Women’s race unfolded in typical fashion. Sue Butler (Hudz-Subaru) took the holeshot and the early lead with Laura van Gilder (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes), Dee Dee Winfield (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes) and Mo Bruno-Roy (Bob’s Red Mill p/b Seven Cycles) behind her. Butler admitted to riding conservatively at Devou Park, saving her legs for two more days of racing. The question became whether Butler’s strategy would give her the power required to beat Katie Compton (Planet Bike) and break the four-year Cincinnati winning streak – or would Butler see another familiar second-place podium finish.

The course in Middletown couldn’t have been more different than the Cyclo-Stampede climber’s course in Covington. The relatively flat course was a sinuous 3.4 km collection of turns set on nine acres of a small suburban community park. “It’s like ten 180’s in a row and tons of slow corners where you’re going 10 mile an hour,” said Ryan Trebon (Kona).

Sue Butler leads Dee Dee Winfield and Katie Compton early in the race © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

The course’s tight turns forced many riders to slow down, but Butler proved relentless as she pushed hard through the corners. Butler remained at the front with Winfield, Compton, van Gilder, Arley Kemmerer (C3 -Athletes Serving Athletes) and Antonneau behind her. After the fast start, Bruno-Roy fell down and slipped to ninth but eventually clawed back to the leaders.

Compton slowly made her way to second, then attacked on the street section that also doubled as the start straight. She said, “There are really only two places to attack here, and that was one of them.” Once in front, Compton motored away. Later she revealed a paradox about the course. When asked how to go fast on the course, she exclaimed, “Be smooth! You have to back off a little here, or you’ll just lose your speed. You have to slow down to go faster.”

Another paradox of the twisty course in Middletown is that it’s faster to ride solo than in a pack, yet the race always seems to feature pack racing. Butler rode alone in second, but van Gilder, Antonneau, Winfield, Kemmerer and Bruno-Roy remained together as they worked to catch the leaders.

The frenetic pace led the women to complete five laps instead of the four originally projected. While Compton remained out front, a heated scrimmage for second place ensued between Butler and van Gilder. Not content to remain in the chase group, Bruno-Roy began powering out of the saddle in efforts to reach the duo upfront. Antonneau, Winfield, Kemmerer and Ashley James (Kenda) stayed together and continued to chase the leaders.

Katie Compton wins her 44th UCI race © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

Two laps remained as Compton extended her lead to 30 seconds and her 44th victory dream quickly became a reality. Behind her, Butler and van Gilder fought for second place. Butler later said, “At one point I looked over at Laura and said, ‘I can’t beat you in a sprint.’” Van Gilder eventually did get the better of Butler with her sprint to the finish, as LVG is known to do.

A quarter lap from the end, van Gilder made her move. At first, Butler said she thought van Gilder was just pulling through, but soon realized her error. The two traded positions several more times, but van Gilder led though the final twists leading into the finish straight. Butler surprised many by staying on van Gilder’s wheel during the sprint, but waved the white flag 20 meters from the line to take third.

Compton’s husband, Mark Legg-Compton (Planet Bike-Steven Bikes), also chalked up back-to-back victories in the Elite Masters race. The two look to sweep the UCI3 Festival with wins at Harbin Park.

Jeremy Powers prepares to dismount for one of the two sand hairpins © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

Powers Battles Heat and Trebon for Win
Ryan Trebon (Kona) returned for a second day of racing after securing his first 2010 UCI win at the UCI3 Festival’s Cyclo-Stampede in Devou Park. While others succumbed to the heat, Trebon credited his mountain bike skills for the Day One victory. Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) admitted the hot temperatures affected his performance, but sought to defeat the heat and defend his 2009 Java Johnny’s title.

At the start, Powers took the holeshot with Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) in second, followed by Trebon (Kona) and Jake Wells (Hudz-Subaru). Trebon quickly caught up to Powers, and the two began the pursuit for the top spot, with their fast pace creating a gap as they led the field. Jake Wells (Hudz-Subaru) also pushed the pace and moved up to third. A chase group formed behind Wells with Kabush, Christopher Jones (Rapha-Focus) and Tristan Schouten (Cyclocrossracing.com-Blue-Rolf Prima). Troy Wells (Clif Bar) remained alone further back.

Managing the high temperatures became priority one for Powers, who used two ice packs during the first lap to stay cool. No stranger to heat, Trebon looked for the early advantage, and the Kona rider came out of the saddle in an attempt to separate himself from Powers. Similar to Day One’s race, Trebon and Powers continued to trade the lead position. Powers repeatedly took water in the pits, consistently losing the lead to Trebon and then regaining it later throughout the course.

Ryan Trebon drops a foot around one of the many tight corners while leading Jeremy Powers © 2010 Jeffrey B. Jakucyk

With two laps to go, Powers moved back to the front and tried to distance himself from Trebon. “I rode the last two laps the same way I rode the rest of the race, at full speed,” smiled Powers after the race. Yet the Kona rider tenaciously stuck to his wheel.

“There were only a few places where you could put down any power,” said Trebon. “I prefer courses that are more about fitness than technical ability.” Still, the race was in doubt until the last lap. Powers, who had been bunny hopping the barriers near the end of the lap for most of the race, gained a gap and took the advantage through the twisty section leading into the finish stretch. “There’s no place to pass in that section,” said Trebon. “When he lead through there, the race was over a minute before we got to the finish line.”

Powers secured the win and defended his 2009 Java Johnny’s title. Trebon finished second, and Schouten took the remaining podium spot. Schouten said, “I just wanted to be in front, because it’s faster to ride by yourself here than to be in a group. It wasn’t an attack or anything. When I got to the front, there was a gap. When it got to 10 seconds, I knew I was going to ride my own race.”

In his victory interview, Powers said, “This course really suited me. Yesterday’s course really suited Ryan.” The rubber match concludes at Harbin Park, which combines the design elements of both races. The third and final day of the UCI3 Festival is a UCI C1 with the women’s and men’s races paying equal prize money through the first five places.

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