The leader’s pack on the second staircase included Courtenay Mcfadden (GE/American Classic) and Amanda Miller, both looking to make the world’s team with a great result today, and Elle Anderson (Kalas-NNOF Cycling Team) rounded out the group, and her place at worlds was already secure with her top-five finish at Valkenburg.
Courtenay Mcfadden (GE Capital) continue her impressive season with a 12th place finish, but was on Compton’s wheel on lap one. © Cyclocross Magazine
Compton, meanwhile, was revving up back to her usual form and picking her way through the field, and was sitting second behind Lloyd by the time the women’s field made their way to the pits for the second time, with Kemmerer falling back to third.
Kaitlin Antonneau (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld), like Compton, was recovering from a slow start, and her and Gould were sitting behind Anthony, Noble and Kemmerer in the first lap.
Katie Antonneau finished second behind her coach Katie Compton, just as she did in 2013 in Verona, WI. © Cyclocross Magazine
Lloyd was able to stay on Compton’s wheel until a punchy climb before the course’s longest descent forced her to dismount. The two riders still were only separated by a matter of seconds when they hit the barriers. By the time Antonneau crossed the lap line, which showed that the racers would only be riding four total laps on this long, slow course, she was with the chasing group contesting third place.
By the time Compton passed the pits in the second lap, she had a clear gap where she could begin to conservatively plan the course instead of taking unnecessary risks. Lloyd was pacing herself behind in second while Anthony and Antonneau were both putting time into second place. Elle Anderson, meanwhile, was fading back from the sight of the leaders despite this being a course that sported features much like those seen in Europe. Between jet lag and having to rearrange flights to Europe, however, Anderson was coming into this race with a great deal of off-the-course pressures that could have affected her racing.
This is the mud the Elite Women had to deal with. © Cyclocross Magazine
Just before the halfway mark of the race, Antonneau moved into the third position alone, shedding Anthony from her wheel, and a few riders back, Kemmerer and Noble were battling each other for an advantage as they had been doing in the second half of the season. Gould had a nasty spill on the running off-camber section, twisting her bike around the fencing and eating time off her race. Antonneau decided to skip a bike exchange although the mud buildup on the course was significant, although the move allowed her to gain a few seconds on Lloyd.
