Powlison Takes Muddy Masters Women 30-34 Race at the 2015 National Championships: Race Report, Full Results

Powlison all joy after the muddiest race so far at nationals. © Cyclocross Magazine

Austin, TX- Let there be mud! 30 minutes before the start of the Women’s 30-34 Race in Austin, turning the course into a slip-n-slide. Ellen Sherrill warned that rain would make the course feel like oil on concrete, and she couldn’t have been more right.

Leslie Timm (Unattached) took the holeshot and led the riders for the first half of the first lap. As the race played out, she looked like one of the strongest riders on the day, and could have seriously dominated this race had the conditions looked much like those of the last few days. The first time the riders came back to the front of the course, however, Timm slid off her bike through each of the four off-camber turns.

A wet start to the Women’s 30-34 race. © Brian Nelson

The women behind her also toppled in the first turn, but Jenna Blanford (VO2) and Kate Powlison (Evol Elite Racing) committed to a run, and then successfully handled themselves while riding. A lap later, Blanford had a gap on the field with Powlison trying to hunt behind her. Timm, meanwhile, fell back nearly ten places, and the next time she come around, her skinsuit was caked with mud.

Halfway through the race, the announcers reported that the power washers were down, and an audible groan could be heard as the riders were already racing with several pounds of mud on their bikes.

With each lap, Powlison gained on the leader as she risked more by riding as many sections as she could. When we asked her after the race how she managed to fall the least, she replied: “Oh, I don’t think I fell the least!”

Additional weight to the winner’s bike at Nationals. © Cyclocross Magazine

The laps were far longer today, at 11:30 minutes for the leader, and closer to a 14:00 minute average for many of the riders.

By the final lap Powlison had not only caught the leader, but passed Blanford and took off. She would go on to keep the Louisville rider off her wheel as she went on for the win.

Meanwhile, Timm found her bearings in the mud, and began picking off riders. Although she had some of the fastest laps of the day, it was too little too late to get back to the lead of the race. Timm did manage a great ride to third place however, getting close to second place Blanford at the finishing stretch.

2015 National Championships, Masters Women 30-34