Katie Compton crushed all challengers at CrossVegas 2009. © Joe Sales
CrossVegas Announces Preliminary Field
CrossVegas organizer Brook Watts sounded like a Las Vegas odds maker as he described the field that he has managed to bring together for the September 22nd race. “The winners of the CrossVegas titles are going to come from the best field ever assembled in America. Whether you break it out by national champions attending, where we’ve got eight nations covered, or if you look at the international rankings where we’ve got three of the top 10 riders in both the Elite Men and Elite Women categories. If you look at it from another level, you’ve got the returning champions from the previous editions of CrossVegas. And then to really top it off you’ve got a dozen “wild card” contenders, and any one of those riders could draw an ace on race day!”
Talk about a great problem to have as a race organizer. For the first time in America a gathering of national champions from eight nations that includes:
Elite Men National Champs:
Tim Johnson (Cannondale – Cyclocrossworld.com) – USA
Geoff Kabush (Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain) – Canada
Marco Fontana (Cannondale Factory Racing) – Italy
Francis Mourey (Francaise des Jeux) – France
Geert Wellens (Champion System) – Belgium (Elite Category)
Joachim Parbo (KCH Leopard Cycles) – Denmark
Zoltan Tisza (Tecnofilm Bentonexpressz 2000) – Hungary
Elite Women National Champs:
Katie Compton (Planet Bike) – USA
Katerina Nash (Team LUNA Chix) – Czech Republic
In addition to the national champions, the Elite Men’s field will be stacked with riders from the top 20 U.C.I. ranking. Riders like fifth-ranked Gerben de Knegt of Holland (Rabobank Continental Team), Frenchman Francis Mourey (Francaise des Jeux) at seventh, Christian Heule of Switzerland (Rendementhypo Cycling Team) ranked ninth and American Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) ranked 18th.
The Elite Women’s field will include fifth place Katie Compton of the U.S. (Planet Bike), seventh place Katerina Nash of Czech Republic (Team LUNA Chix) and 16th place Amy Dombroski of the U.S. (Team LUNA Chix).
Returning are 2009 CrossVegas champions Jamey Driscoll of the U.S. (Cannondale – Cyclocrossworld.com) and Katie Compton (Planet Bike) who also won in 2008. Ryan Trebon (KONA), winner of CrossVegas 2007 and 2008 will be returning. Trebon and Compton are CrossVegas’ only two-time winners.
Stressing that this preliminary list was sure to grow as the countdown to September 22nd proceeds, Watts said, “Don’t under estimate the other great riders who will be coming to CrossVegas,” and began listing Americans Jeremy Powers (Cannondale – Cyclocrossworld.com), Adam Craig (Rabobank-Giant), Georgia Gould (Team LUNA Chix), and Meredith Miller (Cal Giant-Specialized). Tim Van Nuffel of Belgium (Vangoethem-Prorace), Martin Grujan of Switzerland (Cannondale Factory Racing), CrossVegas 2009 Silver medalist Chris Jones (Rapha-FOCUS) and Davide Frattini from Italy (HUDZ- Subaru) will also be in attendance. “I’ve probably missed a half-dozen top guys and gals that are capable of turning CrossVegas upside down.”
Watts concluded by saying, “CrossVegas is fortunate to have an abundance of talented riders who want to start their season in front of the largest crowd in American ’cross racing. The real winners are sure to be the spectators.”
More information available at www.crossvegas.com.
