Compton Wins Again, Another Men’s Podium Sweep at Boulder Cup – Updated: Photo Gallery, Video, Full Report, Results

Katie Compton on her way to a crushing win at Boulder Cup 2009. © Dejan Smaic / sportifimages.com

by Brook Watts

No one could have blamed the media for making use of carbon paper to draft their stories of the Boulder Cup race Sunday.  Recycling the story from Saturday’s Blue Sky Cup could have saved time and would have been 99% accurate.

Consider Katie Compton’s replay runaway victory – the only change to that story line was Amy Dombroski’s superb second-place performance after a less spectacular sixth on Saturday.   Or take Giant Bicycle’s Adam Craig, his 4th place ride on Saturday set the stage for a potential threat to Cannondale/CyclocrossWorld.com domination on Sunday that unfortunately never developed for the National Short Track Champion on Sunday.

A thousand or so spectators came out on a sunny and warm day that had many wondering why the course change a few days earlier.  The Boulder Reservoir course, a late substitution for the traditional Harlow Platts Park in Boulder because of an early season snowstorm that dumped up to 20 inches in some s[pots. Course conditions were fast and dry Sunday afternoon for the 30 Elite Women and 69 Elite Men after the Colorado sun baked it in 60 degrees temperatures all day Saturday and Sunday morning..  The 2.5 km course featured multiple sand stretches including a 150 meter section used just by the men’s field that succeeded in the goal of making laps times longer because of the long run.  Even with the sand run the lap times for the men still hovered in the 6:00 range.

Compton continues win streak

Katie Compton (Planet Bicycle)  was clearly on a mission to use the Boulder Cup as training for her upcoming World Cup race in Nommay France.  She stormed from the gun and quick overtook the fast-starting Amy Dombroski (Richard Sachs – RGM) then never looked back.  With an eight second gap by the end of lap one she piled on more time each lap to finish almost three minutes on the eventual second place Dombroski with Alison Dunlap (Luna Chix) a few seconds back holding off Meredith Miller (Cal Giant Berry Farm) who’s been showing great strides in her cross development.  Kelli Emmett (Giant Bicycles) faded to fifth after a strong early race that saw her battling for a podium spot. 

Boulder Cup Elite Women from Michael Beck

Each lap through the Northwave Sand Pit of Doom Compton looked like a a smooth machine while other riders struggled to keep a straight line and make it thorough cleanly.  With Koksijde and its famed sand looming in her November race program it looked even more like a training ride.

With the absence of North American Cyclocross Trophy series leader Natasha Elliot, and nobody placed high enough to dislodge her from the top spot, the awards ceremony was absent the NACT jersey presentation.  Elliot will hold her lead until the final series races in South Hampton NY later in the month.

Johnson spearheads another podium sweep

Johnson in the NACT leader's jersey. © Dejan Smaic / sportifimages.com

The men’s side started out like a greyhound race with Jeremy Powers playing the rabbit for a strong group of pursuers that included his Cannondale/CyclocrossWorld.com teammates Tim Johnson and Jamey Driscoll, Davide Frattini (Team Fuji), Jesse Anthony (Jamis Bicycles), Christopher Jones (Champion System), Geoff Kabush (Maxxis/Rocky Mountain Bicycles),  Danny Summerhill (Garmin) and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher).  But one couldn’t help but think that Johnson was holding back waiting for the right moment to spring free which he did to join his teammate leaving the chasing group utterly destroyed behind.  Driscoll dangled dangerously close to his teammates but never gained contact so it was a two-man race in front until a slight mishap gave Johnson a gap over Powers.

Tim Johnson, wearing the NACT leader’s jersey he captured in the previous day’s Blue Sky Velo Cup, was drilling it on the front even after the threat of getting caught by friend or foe was past.  He finished a half a minute up on Powers and almost a minute on Driscoll making it a clean sweep of the podium for the second day.  Kabush raced in for fourthwith a 20 second gap over Jeremy Horgan Kobelski.  Carl Decker (Giant Bicycles) rounded out the top five.

Johnson now carries a lead in the NACT series that looks unreachable by even his second-placed teammate Powers.  With a stated goal to capture the series overall title it seems Johnson has that within easy reach with the  Cannondale/CyclocrossWorld.com team set up for a NACT series podium sweep as well. Full results below.

Photo Gallery:

Full Results: