Jingle Cross Day 3: Europeans Rewarded with C1 Points for Returning, Hyde Finishes Sixth

by Peloton Sports

2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men hit the run-up for the first time. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

Dutchman David van der Poel (Beobankcorendon) attacked on the final lap and held on to win Sunday’s UCI Volkswagen Jingle Cross for C1 Elite Men. Gianni Vermeersch of Belgium was second, 12 seconds back, and fellow Begian Diether Sweeck (Era-Circus) rounded off the podium in third, 14 seconds off the lead.

David van der Poel didn’t have his brother as a teammate, but didn’t need any help to take the win. 2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

Belgian riders Laurens Sweeck (Era-Circus) and Vincent Baestaens (Beobankcorendon) rounded out the top five, 28 seconds and 31 seconds in arrears, respectively.

Laurens Sweeck, third place in the World Cups, played support to his brother Dieter today. 2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

Battling in the front, American Stephen Hyde (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) finished sixth overall after entering the final lap in second. Though Hyde was pleased to be the top American in the race, he really wanted to finish on the podium.

Hyde leading Ortenblad as part of the lead group midway through the race. 2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

“I like being the top American these last couple of weeks, but I really want to get a result. I really want to get on the podium. I wanted today to be that day and I felt that I had the legs for it, but sometimes you have bad days,” said Hyde, who had a bike change after a crash midway through Sunday’s C1 race while in the lead group.

Wondering what could have been? Hyde entered the last lap in second, but a late crash sent him back to sixth. 2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

In addition to Hyde, two more Americans finished in the top 10, Kerry Werner (Kona Endurance Team) in ninth and Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz Factory Racing) in 10th.

The course conditions changed once again for the third and final day at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Iowa City. Rain in the past week delivered mud for Friday’s C2 elite races, Iowa City being the third stop of the season for the USA Cycling Professional Cyclo-cross Calendar (Pro CX).

“I just pre-rode Friday. I didn’t want to risk ripping a derailleur off or anything, so I did two easy laps. Saturday, the course was just awesome, slippery but predictable, a little of mud everywhere, that’s super fun. But the race was super hard, it’s a World Cup,” Ortenblad said about the 3.17-kilometer circuit that the men rode seven times.

The course continued to dry out for Sunday’s C1 race. “So all the lines were super hard -packed, some muddy banked berns in spots. Today was super fun as well, but the traction was a little different and the race was not quite as gnarly. A lot of the Europeans went home [after Saturday’s World Cup], so [it was] a little different field,” Ortenblad added.

Rob Peeters rode the very long run-up. 2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

The tough climb up Mt. Krumpit, a signature of the Jingle Cross course from past years, combined with heavy legs after three days of racing, led to the first split in the 58-rider field. A large group of around 13 riders stayed together at the front of the field for the first six of eight laps. A lap later, the front group was down to six riders with van der Poel, Diether and Laurens Sweeck, Baestens, Vermeesch and Hyde.

The entire lead group could ride the difficult off-camber after the finishg line. 2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

Then, a mistake on the backside brought Hyde down and out of the front group. “I went with a move with one of the ERA riders over the top. I was feeling really good, I was hoping to capitalize on that, open up my legs a bit and I just crashed on the downhill going in the sandpit. I just lost my front wheel,” he explained. “We were going really fast so, it’s a big bump right there, crashed all the way at the bottom, my bike flew over me and I broke a shifter. I had to do the rest of that lap without a shifter so that wasn’t that great.”The results suggest that Hyde would do fine as a singlespeeder.

Werner and Ortenblad lost contact with the first big group and battled it out in the chase group. Werner stated that he was happy with his result.

“I lost contact with that front group, I’m not ready for that run, the big run-up up Mt. Krumpit really hurt me every lap. I felt pretty good today on the backside climb, so I tried to just make my way up the run-up and make up my time on that backside climb. I found our group just hanging off the back, I just settled in the middle of the race, and then found out where some guys were weak and worked that towards my advantage at the end of the race.”

“Him and I have been together all year so far, definitely nice to be up the road with him.” Ortenblad said of his battle with Werner. “You can tell watching him on the climbs that he has a good punch from mountain biking. I’d rather sit down and spin my way up and then attack on the flat and downhill So it’s hard to stay with him on the climbs. But I caught him once or twice. In the end, he beat me.”

Hyde will continue to race in the United States before going to Europe in early November. His schedule includes KMC Cross Fest in Thompson, Conn. next week and Charm City Cross in Baltimore, Oct. 8-9.

Ortenblad heads home to Northern California for some rest. “I’m skipping KMC just to take a little break, might race a local race at home. [I will] head back out to Baltimore on the sixth for another block. Hopefully, go over to Europe for the next World Cup, and then Pan Ams, Louisville and then home again. We’re breaking up the season into blocks. A big block of racing, come home, chill a little bit and go race again.”

David van der Poel enjoys his day in the (partial) sun at the 2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

Jingle Cross is traditionally held in late November or early December. The 2016 event was moved to September to accommodate the inclusion of World Cup cyclo-cross races for the first time. Jingle Cross, Inc is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation and proceeds from this event are donated to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. Over its history, the event has raised well over $100,000 for the hospital.

2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

David van der Poel was glad he stayed around to race another day. 2016 Jingle Cross UCI C1, Day 3, Elite Men. © D. Mable / Cyclocross Magazine

Next on the schedule for Pro CX will be KMC Cross Fest at Thompson Speedway Motor-sports Park in Connecticut, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. The eighth annual KMC Cross Fest will feature 37 bicycle races, including and the first of three internationally-sanctioned cyclo-cross races in the U.S. this year for elite juniors.

See our ever-growing Jingle Cross coverage here.

[Don’t miss your chance to win a new SRAM Apex 1 groupset in our latest giveaway. Enter here. Ends on Monday.]

2016 Jingle Cross Day 3 - UCI C1 Elite Men's Results