Bike World News

From Christopher Bagg at Cyclocross Magazine.

Unlike the women’s race, up to ten riders appeared to have a chance at taking the men’s Elite National Championship Sunday in Bend. The front line boasted last year’s (and 2006) champion Ryan Trebon (Kona/FSA), who has logged an up-and-down season this year with victories at the 2009 Mercer Cup Day One and the USGP title, set against disappointing weekends such as the one seven days ago in Portland; recently brilliant Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com); 14th UCI ranked Jonathan Page (Planet Bike); Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com), beginning to live up to his billing as the third executioner on Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com; Todd Wells (Specalized), looking as strong as he did in 2005 when he last captured the National Title; dark horse (and supremely confident) Chris Jones (Champion Systems); and the always resourceful Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com). Dan Timmerman (Richard Sachs – RGM Watches – Radix), winner of the VERGE/NECCS, Oregon hero Barry Wicks (Kona/FSA) and MTB Olympian Adam Craig (Giant) posed outside threats to sneak onto the top step of the podium.

The surge for the first turn easily put the other races of the weekend in perspective as all of the above mentioned riders stood out of their saddles, charging for the top of the hill beyond the start/finish. The pace of the elite field would dip under six minutes per lap on some laps, exposing just how far above the mortals the elites stand. Jeremy Powers took the holeshot, with Jonathan Page, Ryan Trebon and Tim Johnson close behind. The race strung out into single file quickly, with the back of the pack realizing their second-class status not sixty seconds deep into the event. One of the most aggressive, courageous rides of the day arrived courtesy of Team S&M rider Sean Babcock, who began the race behind 150 racers and eventually made his way far forward.

Powers, Johnson, Trebon and Page, however, traversed the backside of the course almost before poor Babcock cleared the first pit. That foursome stayed together for the first lap, when Page exchanged a bike, adding to Powers’s lead and creating a small gap that he never saw come back to him. As the Planet Bike rider entered the pits, fans feared the worse. Had he gone down? Did he flat?

But Page said his equipment worked beautifully and took responsibility. “I didnt have a mechanical, it was all my fauilt,” Page said. “I just wanted diferent tire pressure. I wasn’t happy with the pressure I had and I wasn’t closing so I switched again to hopefully get a bike that could go faster.”

Up front, Powers, riding brilliantly with Johnson, began putting a small gap into Trebon when the cooling afternoon brought an end to his title hopes: the grassy infield, deceptively slick all day, took down the Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com rider just as he seemed to draw away from this teammate and Trebon. Johnson, ever the scrappy opportunist, did his duty as the second teammate in the break and took over leader’s duties. “I was feeling great,” a dejected Powers said later. “I was trying to race my own race and just messed up. I’m so disappointed. This is going to take a few days to shake off.” Trebon and then Page went right by and hung just off Johnson’s wheel, about three seconds back.

The crowd, energized by the familiar thrum of the Last Syncopated Drumming Regiment (a Portland ‘cross fixture), thickened along the barriers almost five deep; imagine cloudy skies and cigarette smoke and you would have thought this was Belgium, not Oregon. They urged Trebon on and the Kona/FSA rider appeared to be biding his time, waiting for a moment to pounce. As the race’s announcer pointed out at the close of one lap, Trebon was “breathing through his nose.” Trebon made the ride look effortless, as he always does, flowing through lines behind the punchy, aggressive Johnson.

That aggressiveness, however, began to pay off. The numbers on the lap cards dwindled and Johnson’s advantage grew, albeit by seconds: five seconds, eight seconds, nine. Hoping to see a hometown win, the crowd began to forget about the coalescing race for third place, shaping up around thirty seconds behind Trebon. Powers, distraught with his error, seemed to be taking it out on Jonathan Page.

Page, though, bided his time and watched the emotional Powers begin to take on water. Todd Wells, too, sensed Powers’ weakness and soon the race stood with Johnson off the front, chased by Trebon; Page in third, marked by a gasping Todd Wells; Powers and a tiring Jamey Driscoll behind them. Adam Craig rode alone in seventh, with a group of Barry Wicks, Dan Timmerman, and Nick Weighall completing the top ten.

As the race came down to two laps to go, a grueling nine laps proverbially history, Johnson’s reality coalesced: the race was his to lose. All Trebon could do was to hope for the kind of error that gave Johnson the victory two years ago in Kansas City. Johnson, though, rode cleanly, which he always seems to do with a race on the line, and the Massachusetts native claimed his third national title to go with his two Kansas City wins (2000 and 2007). Trebon finished solidly second, and Jonathan Page held off Todd Wells to take the third step of the podium. Jeremy Powers, deeply disappointed, came in fifth. “I’m flying to Europe on Thursday,” the man from Massachusetts, said. “I’ll just start focusing on Worlds and try to forget this disappointment.”

Elite Men Results:

1. Timothy JOHNSON – Cannondale/cyclocrossworld.com

2. Ryan TREBON – Kona-FSA

3. Jonathan PAGE – Planet Bike

4. Todd WELLS – Todd Wells

5. Jeremy POWERS – Cannondale/cyclocrossworld.com

6. James DRISCOLL – Cannondale/cyclocrossworld.com

7. Adam CRAIG – Giant Factory Racing

8. Dan TIMMERMAN – Richard Sachs – RGM Watches – R

9. Barry WICKS – Kona-FSA

10. Christopher JONES – Team Champion System

11. Carl DECKER -

12. Jake WELLS – Mafiaracing/pabst/felt

13. Troy WELLS – Team Clif Bar

14. Jesse ANTHONY – Jamis

15. Nicholas WEIGHALL – California Giant Berry Farms/s

16. Matt SHRIVER – Rocky Mountain Chocolate Facto

17. Jonathan BAKER – Vitamin Cottage P/b Xp Compani

18. Ryan IDDINGS – Lapierre

19. Brandon DWIGHT – Boulder Cycle Sport

20. William DUGAN – Richard Sachs – Rgm Watches -

21. Adam MYERSON – Cycle-smart

22. Peter WEBBER -

23. Sean BABCOCK – Team S&m

24. Braden KAPPIUS – Clif Bar

25. Adam MCGRATH – Thule/Van Dessel

26. Mark LALONDE – Planet Bike

27. Michael BRODERICK – Kenda-seven-notubes

28. Erik TONKIN -

29. Brett LUELLING – Capitol Subaru Cycling

30. Justin ROBINSON – California Giant Berry Farms/s

31. Davy YEATER – River City Bicycles

32. Matt PACOCHA – Hudz-subaru

33. Josh DILLON – Richard Sachs – Rgm Watches -

@1LAP. James LALONDE – Planet Bike

@1LAP. Joshua BERRY – Smith Optics

@1LAP. Gary DOUVILLE – Platinum Racing Team

@1LAP. Ryan KNAPP – Bikereg.com

@1LAP. Aaron BRADFORD – Onsite Ultrasound/enduro

@2LAP. Justin LINDINE – Bikereg.com / Joe’s Garage / I

@2LAP. Frank SPITERI – Peninsula Velo/pomodoro

@2LAP. Eric RASMUSSEN – Porcupine/specialized

@2LAP. Scott CHAPIN – Hrs/rocklobster

@2LAP. Shawn MITCHELL – Bode

@2LAP. Barton BOWEN -

@2LAP. John CURRY – Gas/intrinsik Architecture

@2LAP. Ben POPPER – Hrs / Rock Lobster

@2LAP. Scott MCLAUGHLIN – Sram Factory

@2LAP. Michael GALLAGHER – C3 Athletes Serving Athletes

@2LAP. Don MYRAH -

@2LAP. Molly CAMERON – Portland Bicycle Studio

@2LAP. Nathanael WYATT – Carolina Fatz P/b Santa Cruz B

@2LAP. Spencer PAXSON – Team S&m Young Guns

@2LAP. Damian SCHMITT – Sunnyside Sports

@2LAP. Nathaniel WARD – Bikereg.com / Joe’s Garage / I

@2LAP. Shadd SMITH – Kccx / Verge

@2LAP. Donald REEB – Santa Cruz/wtb/giro

@2LAP. Anastasio FLORES – Calfornia Giant

@2LAP. Nathan BANNERMAN – Rad Racing Nw

@2LAP. Gabriel KECK – Scott/ritchey

@3LAP. Troy BARRY – Hammer Nutrition

@3LAP. Dave WEAVER – Kelly Benefit Strategies/lsv

@3LAP. Patrick JACKSON – Web Cycle

@3LAP. Mitchell PETERSON – Mona Vie Cannondale

@3LAP. Alex WORK – Hrs Rocklobster

@3LAP. John BAILEY – Bailey Bikes

@3LAP. Reed WYCOFF -

@3LAP. James BIRKENBUEL – Alki Rubicon Racing

@3LAP. Anton PETROV – Bike Religion

@3LAP. Michael BENNO – Veloce Racing

@3LAP. Scott FREDERICK – Inland Construction/back To Di

@3LAP. Tj WOODRUFF – Pioneer Racing

@3LAP. Michael HEMME – Courage

@3LAP. Matt FOX – Sunnyside Sports

@3LAP. Kevin SMALLMAN -

@3LAP. Chad CHEENEY – Durango Devo

@3LAP. Craig FOWLER – Ubrdo Team Project

@3LAP. Cody PETERSON – Cole Sport

@3LAP. Josh SNEAD – Hrs/rocklobster

@3LAP. John-christian FLACK – Valley Athletic Club

@3LAP. Geoff HUBER – Team Lost Coast/Marin

@4LAP. Josh WHITMORE – Team Globalbike

@4LAP. Richard HULIT – Recycled Cycles Racing

@4LAP. Jesse RIENTS – Nature Valley/penn Cycle

@4LAP. Darian FOUNDS – Unattached

@4LAP. Jeremy KIMMEL – S. Camel

@4LAP. William BUTCHER – Magnus

@4LAP. Kevin HULICK – Vanilla Workshop – Speedvagon

@4LAP. John BEHRENS – Bailey Bikes

@4LAP. Jason LOWETZ – Team Bearclaw

@4LAP. Luke WINGER – Lees Mcrae College/loon State

@4LAP. David THOMAS -

@4LAP. Robert JAMESON – Vo2 Sports

@4LAP. David MEYER – Freewheel

@4LAP. Jason SIEGLE – Bike Religion

@4LAP. John FREY – Team Squirt Lover

@4LAP. Benjamin KUBAS – Therapeutic Associates

@4LAP. Eric HIGHLANDER – Hrs/rock Lobster

@4LAP. Andrew BOONE -

@4LAP. Eric COLTON – Team Cicle

@4LAP. Ryan O’CONNOR – Carlos Obriens Racing

@4LAP. Weston SCHEMPF – C3-athletes Serving Athletes

@5LAP. David SHEEK – Rock N Road

@5LAP. Daniel LANGLOIS – Embracation Cycling Journal

@5LAP. Kat STATMAN – Pioneer Racing

@5LAP. Lawrence LEONARD – Successfulliving.com

@5LAP. Lane MILLER – Louisville Cyclery

@6LAP. Brandon GRITTERS – Rock N Road

@6LAP. Jonathan BAXLEY – Scenic City Velo Chattanooga/k

DNF. Kirt FITZPATRICK – S. Camel

DNF. Shannon SKERRITT – The Vanilla Workshop-speedvage

DNF. Dean POSHARD – Rock Lobster

DNF. Chuck COYLE – Hudz-subaru Cycling Team

DNF. Frederick BOTTGER – Vitamix/sixtufit

DNF. Frank GONZALEZ – Montana Velo

Tags: cyclocross, Jeremy Powers, Jonathan Page, ryan trebon, Tim Johnson, Todd Wells, US National Championship

Related Posts:

• USGP Stanley Portland Cup Races into Portland International Raceway this weekend (1)
• Wells Upsets And Nash Dominates At USGP Stanley Portland Cup (1)
• USA Cycling News Update – December 2008 (0)
• U.S Gran Prix of Cyclocross Mercer Cup Races Back into New Jersey (1)
• U.S Gran Prix of Cyclocross Derby City Cup presented by Papa John’s Races Back into Louisville (2)