Powers and McConneloug Take Cycle-Smart Day 1

by Jacob Sisson

Mary McConneloug (Kenda – Seven – NoTubes.com) and Jeremy Powers (Cannondale – CyclocrossWorld) reigned supreme today in what could be considered the East Coast Championships as most west coast riders either stayed left to try their luck for the Golden Speedo, or sat this non-NACT and non-USGP weekend out. Nick Weighall (Cal Giant) and Adam Craig (Giant) were two of the few to make the trip to the oldest UCI race in the country.

But with UCI points on the line, and many family and friends coming out to cheer their local pro riders, the racing was competitive and tight. Powers and teammate Driscoll once again showed their team is the one to beat, taking one-two in the rush to the line over series leader Dan Timmerman (RGM Watches – Richard Sachs – Radix).

In the women’s race, McConneloug resumed her winning ways after winning last Saturday’s Beacon Cross, narrowly beating Natasha Elliott (Garneau Club Chausseurs) with a late surge, with Laura Van Gilder (C3 Athletes Serving Athletes) and Verge series leader Maureen Bruno Roy (MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles) in fourth.

Weighall and Timmerman Attempt to Derail Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld Train

The men started fast and furious but it didn’t take long for the day’s clear favorites to hit the front, as Jeremy Powers only waited a few corners before assuming the race’s lead. Not far behind, Powers’ teammate, Jamey Driscoll, picked his way through the field and was on Powers’ wheel. Before long, Powers and Driscoll, who were taking turns upping the pressure on the field behind, had separated themselves from all but Cal Giant Berry’s Nick Weighall, the reigning U23 national champion, and current Espoir fast-man, Jerome Townsend (Bikereg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF). Absent from the front, but mounting strong comebacks were Dan Timmerman, who single-handedly crossed a sizable gap to the leaders to join them before half of the race had run, and Adam Craig, who suffered from a last row start.

Powers had been opening up small gaps early in the race, but it was a crash on the top half of the race course that may have shaped his race once and for all. Powers was brought back into the fold, as the day’s four protagonists – Powers, Driscoll, Weighall and Timmerman – were bac together to fight things out. Behind, Jerome Townsend had dropped off the leader’s pace, and had been riding with Adam Craig, who had surged up through the field, until Townsend’s left crank arm excused itself and he  was forced to ride for a time with only one leg. Despite the mishap, Townsend was able to hang on for eighth, winning a sprint over fellow U23 nemesis Luke Keough (Champions Systems).

Powers and Driscoll continued to take turns working over Timmerman and Weighall, and it was Timmerman who fell off the pace first. Before long, Weighall had fallen off too, and Driscoll and Powers were left to ride their own race. Timmerman mounted another strong comeback in an attempt to rejoin the leaders, but unfortunately fell five seconds short of the leaders. Timmerman and Weighall would settle for third and fourth respectively. Adam Craig had been closing the gap on the leaders for some time, until an untimely dropped chain sent him back down the leaderboard by two spots, and he found himself riding with Will Dugan (RGM Watches – Richard Sachs – Radix) and Derrick St. John (Garneau Club Chaussure Ogilvy). Craig’s efforts shed Dugan, and a mechanical spelled doom for St. John, and despite his dropped chain, Craig hung on for fifth. Driscoll and Power could do nothing to separate themselves from the other, and the race went to a sprint. Powers led into the final turn, and overwhelmed his younger teammate to take his sixth win of the year.

Sandpit is Decisive in Women’s Race

A bobble in the sand pit by Garneau Club Chausseurs Ogilvy’s Natasha Elliott allowed Mary McConneloug (Kenda/Seven/NoTubes) to escape for the win today, her second UCI win in three tries. The two had been inseparable, after they blitzed their way away from the rest of the field. The main chase of the day came from Laura Van Gilder (C3 – Athletes Serving Athletes), Maureen Bruno Roy (MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles) and Andrea Smith (Minuteman Road Club). The win looked to definitely be in the hands of McConneloug or Elliott by the time half of the race had been run, and the question was not if they would be caught, but who would take third place.

The first off the pace in the chase was Smith, who suffered from the pace put forth by Van Gilder, who was taking charge of the chase. Bruno Roy was the victim of some mechanical trouble, as she was forced to the pits, and lost Van Gilder’s wheel once and for all. Ahead, Natasha Elliot took a wrong path through the day’s sand pit, losing both her momentum and McConneloug’s wheel. McConneloug, sensing the trouble behind, went on the offensive and quickly opened up the gap to Elliot.

McConneloug managed to keep the rubber side down, holding off Elliot and taking her second UCI win of the season. Elliot took second, while Van Gilder held off Bruno Roy for the final spot on the podium. Anna Barensfeld (Minuteman Road Club) managed to catch Smith, and the two rode together for the latter half of the race. Barensfeld would out sprint Smith to round out the top five.

Early Races Build Excitement

The Masters 35+ race was a three-way battle again, but this time Johnny Bold and Kevin Hines (Corner Cycle) were joined by Matt Kraus (Richard Sachs/RGM/Radix) instead of series leader and national champ Roger Aspholm (Westwood Velo) who was plagued by a poor first lap and found himself fighting back. Keen tacticians, Bold and Hines took advantage of Aspholm’s absence and, with Kraus’s help, opened an insurmountable lead. The three at the front remained intact as a group and hit the finishing straight together, Bold crossing the line first with Hines behind him and the Sachs rider pulling in third. Aspholm was the next in, his fourth place finish not enough to keep him in the series jersey.

The U-19 juniors had a bit of a shake up with the return of Evan McNeely and Karl Hoppner, both Canadian racers for the EMD/Specialized squad. McNeely soloed to his fourth series victory this season with Hoppner behind. Third place went to the consistent Curtis White (Clif Bar Development Cyclocross Team) for his second podium of the Verge NECCS season.

The U-15 juniors had Austin Vincent (CL Noonan/KAM/Coast to Coast) alone off the front, in his favorite position. Behind him was Peter Goguen from Minuteman Road Club in second and Cooper Willsey (White’s Bikes/GMBC/Catamount) in third.

Of note, in a bizarre accident at the end of the Masters race, UCI Official Harry Lam was seriously injured. While details are not readily available, he was admitted to a regional hospital. A collection will be opened to help his family during his recovery. Details on his condition and the collection will be forthcoming.

The Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series will be contested over seven weekends in 2009, starting with the New England Cross-toberfest of Cycling: 3 straights weekends of UCI calendar racing to be held in Williston VT, Gloucester MA, and Providence RI. After a weekend of much needed rest, the series will continue with stops in New Gloucester ME on Oct 24, Northampton MA on Nov 7, Sterling MA on Nov 28, and the series finale in Warwick RI on Dec 5. This year series is generously supported by Verge Sport, makers of fine cycling clothing and products since 1993; by Cycle-Smart, purveyors of personalized cycling coaching and solutions for riders across the country; by BikeReg.com, the official online registration service of the NECCS; by Paul Weiss Photo/Video, the official photographer of the NECCS, by October Handmade Bicycles, and by Ryders Eyewear. You can visit these sponsors and get more information on the series by going to the web at http://www.cycle-smart.com/neccs.

Photo Gallery:

Full Results:

UCI Elite/U23 Men		53 starters
Place	First Name	Last Name	Team
1	Jeremy	Powers	Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com
2	Jamey	Driscoll	Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com
3	Dan	Timmerman	RICHARD SACHS – RGM WATCHES – RADIX
4	Nicholas	Weighall	California Giant Berry Farms/Specialized
5	Adam	Craig	Gaint MTB Team
6	DERRICK	ST JOHN	Garneau Club Chaussure Ogilvy
7	William	Dugan	RICHARD SACHS – RGM WATCHES – RADIX
8	Jerome	Townsend	BikeReg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF
9	Luke	Keough	Team Champion Systems
10	Adam	Myerson	Cycle-Smart
11	Jesse	Anthony	Jamis Bicycles
12	Nathaniel	Ward	BikeReg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF
13	Jake	Keough	Team Champion Systems
14	Josh	Dillon	RICHARD SACHS – RGM WATCHES – RADIX
15	Ethan	Gilmour	Bellapcoaching.com
16	Peter	Bradshaw	Embrocation Cycling Journal
17	mitchell	Hoke	Clif Bar Development Cycling Team
18	Nick	Keough	Team Champion Systems
19	Kirt	Fitzpatrick	Sexual Camel
20	PETE	SMITH	Embrocation Cycling Journal
21	Manny	Goguen	BikeReg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF
22	Rickey	Visinski	Echappe Equipment Elite Team
23	christian	favata	Favata’s Tablerock Tours and Bikes
24	david	wilcox	Cambridge Bicycle
25	Todd	Wheelden	KONA/OA/Cyclemania
26	Wayne	Bray	Syracuse Bicycle – SpokePost.com
27	Colin	Reuter	International Bicycle Centers
28	Christopher	Hamlin	UVM Cycling
29	Kevin	Sweeney	International Bicycle Centers
30	John	Hanson	IF/Lionette’s Cycling Team
31	Peter	Rubijono	Embrocation Cycling Journal
32	matthew	green	Spooky Bicycles
33	Greg	Whitney	Back Bay Bicycles / Espresso Royale Caff
34	Michael	Norton	Verge Sport/Test Pilot
35	hunter	pronovost	Cheshire Cycle Racing
36	Macky	Franklin	Pioneer Racing
37	Ryan	Kelly	NorEast Cycling
38	noah	tautfest	Bicycle Express
39	Patrick	Goguen	NEV & CP / Bobcat of NH
40	James	Newton	Minuteman Road Club
41	Tom	Gosselin	Peak Performance Multi-Sport
DNF	Michael	Jenks	Highland Park Hermes
DNF	Michael	Broderick	Kenda-Seven-No Tubes
DNF	Dylan	McNicholas	CCB
DNF	Patrick	Bradley	Rutgers University Cycling Team
DNF	John	Burns	Bikeman.com
DNF	Gavin	Mannion	Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team Inc.
DNF	Kevin	Wolfson	BikeReg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF
DNF	Matt	Mainer	UVM Cycling
DNF	Pierre	Vanden Borre	Embrocation Cycling Journal
DNF	Justin	Lindine	BikeReg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF
DNF	Marc-andre	Daigle	Warrior Racing
DNF	Michael	Rea	NorEast Cycling
UCI Elite Women	30 starters
Place	First Name	Last Name	Team
1	Mary	McConneloug	Kenda-Seven-No Tubes
2	NATASHA	ELLIOTT	Garneau Club Chaussure Ogilvy
3	LAURA	VAN GILDER	C3 Athletes Serving Athletes
4	Maureen	Bruno Roy	MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles
5	Anna	Barensfeld	Minuteman Road Club
6	Andrea	Smith	Minuteman Road Club
7	Anna	Milkowski	BikeReg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF
8	Sara	Bresnick-Zocchi	Pedalpowercoaching.com/Landry’s Bicycles
9	Rebecca	Wellons	Team Plan C
10	Ann	D’Ambruoso	Minuteman Road Club
11	sally	annis	Hub Racing
12	Linnea	Koons	October Factory Racing
13	Rebecca	Blatt	US Army/Central Wheel
14	Karen	Potter	Zanconato
15	Christina	Tamilio	MInuteman Road Club
16	Crystal	Anthony	Minuteman Road Club
17	Anna	McLoon	Harvard University
18	Arielle	Filiberti	Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team Inc.
19	Karin	Holmes	Sunapee/S & W Racing Team
20	Sarah	Krzysiak	Syracuse Bicycle – SpokePost.com
21	BETH	MASON	Verge Sport – Test Pilot
22	Natalia	Gardiol	Cambridge Bicycle
23	Marilyn	Ruseckas	Seven Cycles
24	Michelle	Kersbergen	Joe’s Garage
25	Carmen	Labbe	POLAR Canada
26	Allison	Snooks	Minuteman Road Club
27	mary lynn	hadix	CVC/Subaru of New England
28	Callie	Gordon	Cyclocrossworld.com
DNF	Anna	Young	Pioneer Racing
DNS	Emily	Curry	Joe’s Garage