European Invasion: Wyman, Bazin Win First UCI Races of the 2012 Season at Ellison Park in Rochester: Report, Results, Photos, Video Interviews

Page hopped the barriers while Bazin often ran them, but Page's bobble in a corner cost him the win. © Brian Boucheron

ROCHESTER, New York — The first UCI race of the Fall 2012 season was typical for cyclocross: muddy, rainy, with a healthy dose of potential for lightning. While conditions were dramatically different on Day 1 from the 2011 event, the results were the same, with a Brit and Frenchman taking the wins at Rohrbach’s Ellison Park UCI Cyclocross Race.

Report by Todd Scheske and Molly Hurford

Wyman Takes the Women

Wyman solos to the win. © Brian Boucheron

In the women’s race, Helen Wyman (Kona) continued her streak of strong starts to her cyclocross seasons, taking a win in front of Gabby Day (Rapha Focus) and Patricia Buerkle (Edlow p/b Bike Beat) to take her second straight win in Rochester. Wyman will aim to go three-for-three with Day 2 tomorrow.

Helen Wyman wasted no time stamping her authority on the race and with the hole shot out of the grid and coming through the finish the first time with a 32 second lead over Arley Kemmerer (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes), Patricia Buerkle (USA),  and Gabriella Day (GBR).   From that point forward it was a race for second as Wyman steadily grew her lead with text book technique and a powerful climb up the meadow climb.  Kemmerer held tough for the better part of 2 laps and then began to slide back as Day drove forward to try to real back Wyman.  The 7 time British National Champion would have none of it though and drove harder solidifying her grip on the race.  As the laps wound down any semblance of a group was dismantled and riders fought tooth and nail to maintain their places.  Wyman finished the demanding course with a comfortable margin over Day who held off the charge from third placed Buerkle.

‘Ze Frenchman’ Takes the First Men’s Win of the Season

In the men’s race, Frenchman Nicolas Bazin (Bigmat – Auber), like Wyman, continued his winning ways in Rochester, leading home Americans Jonathan Page (Blue) and Justin Lindine (Redline).

Over the course of the race, the men saw improving course conditions as the sun began to make a reappearance and they wasted no time making the most of the speedier course.   Jonathan Page fired the first warning shot as he came through the end of lap one with a 2 second advantage over Nicholas Bazin (TEAM BIGMAT AUBER) and Troy Wells, followed 3 seconds back by Dan Timmerman and Justin Lindine.  But Bazin came to race and he wasn’t going to go away without a fight.  By lap 2, Page held his gap with Wells and Bazin sticking close as they distanced Lindine, but soon it was Bazin who would claw his way alone back up to Page.  With the two powerful riders together, Page seemed content to have company and they quickly began to distance the others who would be sorting out third place soon.  Bazin wasn’t satisfied with just catching Page for a two-man TT though, and made a searing attack on the long grind up the meadow climb to put Page in danger.  A bobble in a switchback by Bazin looked like it might see Page back on terms though until Page overcooked the 180 before the finish sending him to the floor costing him a crucial three seconds. That three grew to 22 with one to go and kept spooling out and Bazin churned the pedals harder.  It was Bazin’s race now and Page seemed to pull the throttle back and hold some cards for tomorrow’s race on the same course run in reverse direction. “Bazin is a great racer, he places well at World Cups,” Page later said.

Honey Badger Justin Lindine had waged his own war on Wells and Craig Richey to solidify third place on the day, after a crash last weekend left him forced to use his drops rather than the hoods, because of a large wound on his hand. “I don’t like to complain,” he said, smiling and waving what appeared to be a partially blood-soaked bandage.

Scroll down for video interviews, full results and a photo gallery, with more to come!

 Interview with Helen Wyman:

[youtube x9u5CBJ3QWQ 580 380]

Interview with Jonathan Page:

[youtube o2uE4TTX_kU 580 380]

Interview with Justin Lindine:

[youtube q1NNFxC2D5k 580 380]

Full Women’s Results:

Full Men’s Results:

Elite Men’s Gallery from Cyclocross Magazine:

Gallery from Brian Boucheron: