Nicole Duke getting ready at the start of Crusher in the Tushar. © Cathy Fegan Kim
Cyclocrossers around the country have been following the call of gravel all season, and one of the biggest races in the country is the Crusher in the Tushar. While Levi Leipheimer was untouchable with his win, ’crosser Barry Wicks took third, followed by roadie/’crosser Jamey Driscoll. Jonathan Page took seventh, followed by Justin Lindine. In the women’s race, Gretchen Reeves took the win, while ’crossers Anna Jo Dingman took fourth and Nicole Duke took sixth.
Racing on her singlespeed, Duke blogged, “My tool of choice for this race was my Alchemy CX bike equipped with my SRAM gearing of 34/28 and Zipp tubulars with extra tire and screw driver taped under the seat. The year before I ran a 36/27 and paid the price. I debated heavily and had the mountain bike rig set up to go also. I knew the gearing would be a better choice but was torn to ride the cyclocross bike, as this is my discipline and I felt I had to represent it.”
“The miles went by, scenery kept me alive, and the last right hand turn would be one mile straight up to Eagle Point. Slowly but surly, Ben and I crossed the line together. As in true Crusher style, there was a volunteer waiting for every rider to take their bike, hand them a cold rag, and fetch what ever beverage was needed.”
Check out the gallery from Cathy Fegan-Kim:
