Tim Johnson loves mud and snow. Rumor has it last night he was seen in a local Portland church deep in prayer. Whatever he did, it worked. Today, his prayers were answered with mud, snow, and a victory. Building on his 2006 USGP victory in Portland, he continued his winning ways in Oregon’s sloppy conditions by taking the first day of the USGP, beating Ryan Trebon and taking the leader’s jersey back. Todd Wells had a solid race, with his improving form earning him a strong third place. He caught a fading Trebon near the end of the race, but lost the ensuing battle for 2nd. Barry Wicks and Adam Craig resumed their rivalry from last month, when Wicks nipped Craig for the win at the Single Speed World Championships. Wicks again beat Craig, but this time only for fourth.
Georgia Gould dominated the previous weekend of the USGP, but many thought that was simply because Katie Compton was in Europe. Today, Compton was present, but bothered by a cold picked up in Belgium, wasn’t her normal crushing self. Gould picked up the win and gains a further buffer in her series point lead. Katerina Nash loved the mud and raced through the field after starting behind the favorites, and caught Compton near the race’s end, but eventually dropped back to finish third ahead of Canadians Lyne Bessette and Alison Sydor. Although the places were different, the riders were the same top 5 as on the podium in Cross Vegas.
In the espoir division, run with the elite men, Jamey Driscoll beat new espoirs Danny Sumerhill and Bjorn Selander while finished 6th among the elite men . Steve Fisher won the Masters race, and Steve Fisher took the Juniors race.
Stay tuned for more details and pics.
