Compton and Wyman come through the sand first at Derby City Day 2. © Cyclocross Magazine

Day two of the Derby City Cup USGP saw similar dry conditions, albeit in slightly cooler weather than Saturday’s race. Racers took to the course under cloudy skies, and sweatshirts were tossed on as the wind picked up. Earlier races saw Logan Owen of Redline making up for yesterday’s early crash and hard-earned win by running a flawless race and separating himself early on from the rest of the 17-18 field, proving why he’s one of the US’s best hopes for a Worlds podium this season.

Elite Women

Helen Wyman (Kona) was dead set on making up for a fourth place performance on Day One and snagged the holeshot, followed closely by Katerina Nash (Luna) and Katie Compton (Trek). Halfway through lap one, Compton had again taken control of the race, and Nash was the only racer able to keep up with the unstoppable Trek rider. Behind them, Wyman soloed trying to make contact, and behind her, an intense Georgia Gould (Luna) chased along with British racer Gabby Day (Rapha Focus) and Gould’s teammate, Teal Stetson-Lee.

Halfway into lap three, Compton had established a sizable gap on Nash, with Gould now well ahead of Wyman, in almost an exact repeat of yesterday’s performance. Wyman struggled to close the gap, and behind her, Day was chasing hard, with Stetson-Lee and Kaitie Antonneau (Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld) hot on her heels. Behind them, the race was strung out nearly the entire way around the course.

While the positions remained the same by halfway through the race, the gaps were growing exponentially between the race leaders. Behind Day and Stetson-Lee, a small chase group formed with Julie Krasniak (Rapha Focus), Antonneau, Pepper Harlton and Caroline Mani (Raleigh Clement).

A lap later, and Compton had begun to pick off more racers — those who were being lapped by the Trek rider. Placings remained the same, but Mani and Krasniak had formed a French tour de force and had ridden away from the chase group, though Antonneau fought hard to close the gap.

Compton soloed in for an obvious finish to the weekend, with wins in every USGP that she’s entered this year. Nash followed a minute back, holding on for the same spot as yesterday, and Gould took yet another bronze medal for third. Wyman again took fourth spot, and Day found redemption from Saturday’s race with a fifth place spot. The battle for sixth to ninth was between Mani, Krasniak, Antonneau and Stetson-Lee, with Mani taking sixth and Krasniak, Antonneau and Stetson-Lee behind.

Elite Men

Tim Johnson (Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld) surprised the crowds by taking the lead early on in the race, going into the runup in first spot, with the usual suspects thundering behind him, including a now-Garmin-clad Danny Summerhill. Rapha-Focus rider Chris Jones also surprised crowds by coming into the second lap at the head of the race, after successfully blocking an attack by Johnson. A lap in, the group was still together with much of the field, albeit strung out single file for over a minute.

Johnson and Jones traded off leading the race, possibly as a strategy to preserve the legs of their respective teammates Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus) and Ryan Trebon (Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld), who remained in the lead group along with Zach McDonald (Rapha-Focus), Ben Berden (Raleigh-Clement) and Danny Summerhill.

Raleigh Clement rider Allen Krughoff was close behind the group but an early mechanical set him far behind the lead group.

Behind them, Brian Matter, Justin Lindine (Redline), Tristan Schouten, Yannick Eckmann (Cal-Giant) and Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld) chased, and were followed by a group led by Adam Craig, who took fourth place yesterday. With six laps to go, the chase group connected with the leaders, forming a group of 12 men in the front as they rode into the flyover.

The leaders attacked over and over, attempting to form a separation from the large group, and Trebon went off of the front. Eckmann and Schouten fell back from the pace, though the other nine racers continued to pursue Trebon very quickly, as Powers, Trebon and Berden made contact in the sand and began to create a bigger gap on the rest of the lead group.

With five laps to go, the gap between the three and the rest of the chase group, which now included Schouten, had grown to 12 seconds by the time racers hit the flyover.

Minutes later, Johnson attacked and began to close the gap, as the rest of the group furiously tried to catch back onto the flying trio.

Four to go found Powers and Berden working together seconds ahead of the Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld teammates, with a sizable gap to the rest of the leaders, led by Summerhill. Eckmann furiously attempted to make contact with the chase, to no avail, and Craig and Krughoff followed close behind.

Powers wasn’t content to stay with Berden, however, and attacked before the duo hit the sand going into the tail end of the lap, with Trebon and Johnson closing fast. The chase group remained surprisingly intact, eight men deep.

With three to go, Driscoll started to break away from the chase group, working hard to join his teammates seconds ahead. The chase group refused to let up, and Summerhill led the charge to re-close the gap.

At the tail end of three to go, Trebon and Johnson caught Berden riding into the sand, with Driscoll about 10 seconds behind, and well clear of a rapidly deteriorating chase group.

Powers continued to grow his gap, riding smoothly through the corners and into the flyover as the group behind him worked to shed Johnson. Driscoll was slowly narrowing the margin between himself and his teammates, but with two laps to go it seemed to be a Herculean task. The chase group remained startlingly cohesive as the race wound down to the final minutes, and the sixth place spot was up for contention.

The bell sounded and Powers hit the final lap virtually unopposed, while Johnson made the incredible catch, riding up to Berden and Trebon, and the three began battling in earnest for second. Johnson was in the lead into the flyover, having his best ride of the season. Well behind them, the chase group began battling it out, with Schouten and Jones trying to separate from the group. Half a lap in, Johnson attacked, with Berden on his wheel and Trebon struggling to keep up the pace. Into the sand, Berden led Johnson and Trebon was several bike lengths behind, and continued to follow behind. Berden put in a huge effort to separate from Johnson, and in the final sprint, Berden took second and Johnson took third spot, with Trebon picking up fourth and Driscoll in fifth, a Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld straight flush.

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Elite Women’s Results:

Elite Men’s Results: