- HOT TOPICS:
- An American start for the Giro? •
- 2010 Routes: Giro | California | TdF •
- LA doc guilty on all counts
Bessette, McCormack prove mudders in Maine
- Article Extras
- Photos
Imagine escaping a weekend of cyclo-cross racing in the Pacific Northwest with nary a raindrop having fallen on your head. You’d feel pretty lucky, right? Well, that luck ran out, way out, for any racer that showed up for Saturday’s opener of the 2005 Verge New England Championships Cyclo-Cross Series, the Downeast Cyclo-Cross in New Gloucester, Maine.
Fields already sodden from a week of rain greeted racers, and the rain grew steadier and heavier as the day went on, peaking in intensity for the most anticipated events: elite men and women. But even the hub-deep puddles and wheel sucking muddy fields couldn’t detract from the thoroughly dominating performances turned in by Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau) and four-time defending New England series champion Mark McCormack (Team Clif Shot).
Bessette ran her 2005 winning streak to four with a relatively "easy" victory over a slightly diminished New England women’s field. But when you’re racing in the pouring rain and through deep mud, even a comfortable win can seem difficult. Bessette led the elite women’s race from start to finish, seemingly unfazed by the adverse conditions. She did succumb to a second-lap faceplant in the mud, but few, if any, racers finished without their own stories of calamity.
While no match for Bessette’s power through the slow, energy-sapping fields, Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication) grabbed second spot early on and never let up. Her superior running skills allowed the former Saturn soigneur to open a roomy gap back to the eventual third-place finisher, Anna Milkowski (Gearworks-SpinArts).
"These conditions reminded me a lot of the first NORBA this year in Texas," said Bessette. "Having done that really helped, I knew what to expect and how to handle it. In past years, without the mountain-biking background, I would definitely have struggled on this kind of course. You can never relax on something like this or you’ll crash, as I found out."
For her part, Bruno Roy admitted some awe at Bessette’s speed. "I’m not on her level at all, not even close," she said. "But I’m a good runner and with the running sections that helped. I’m also pretty light so maybe that helped me from sinking in to the mud as deep. But I’m nowhere near Lyne."
Rider on the storm
With two podiums, including a win, in last weekend’s USGP races, McCormack was clearly enjoying some of his best early season form in years. And with a course that rewarded raw power, he was the odds-on favorite to win coming into Maine. As expected, McCormack got his usual strong start, following Matt White (Fior di Frutta) through much of the first lap before dashing away on his own.
Behind McCormack, Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau), another double-podium guy from the first USGP weekend, struggled in the mid-20s after a third-row start and a bunch of early mistakes. It took Johnson nearly three laps to nail back McCormack’s teammate, Jesse Anthony, and Massachusetts rider Matt Kraus (Alan Factory) in the lead group. But by then, McCormack’s lead was up to a minute-plus, and the race was already one-third over.
Careful not to make any mistakes, McCormack rode a conservative second half, letting his lead settle in at 1:20. Johnson dropped Kraus, who in turn dropped Anthony, to fill out the eventual podium. McCormack said the conditions proved the biggest challenge, with trial-and-error proving the best tactic for the early laps.
"There were some places where I never found a really good line," said McCormack, who took no bike changes despite the bad conditions. "But when I did find a good line I rode it the same way every time. As the rain got heavier some of the little streams that formed, like only three inches wide, were the best line because you were riding on rocks and gravel and not mud. Once my lead got to a certain point, and with the laps winding down, I stopped taking any chances. Whatever I’d done to get the lead was obviously good enough, so I didn’t mess with it, I just rode the same every lap."
"I knew guys were going to freak out about the conditions, ride too hard, and then blow," said Johnson. "I rode really steady, pretty much the same speed the whole way. But my start was so bad, and Mark rides the same, steady way, that by the end of the second lap he was over a minute ahead and riding steady too. Not much you’re going to do about that when you spot him that kind of lead."
The 2005 Verge New England Championship Cyclo-Cross Series continues November 12-13 in Farmington, Connecticut, and Northampton, Massachusetts.
Verge New England Cyclo-Cross Series – Race 1
Downeast Cyclo-cross (UCI C2), New Gloucester, Maine
Elite men
1. Mark McCormack (Team Clif Shot)
2. Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau)
3. Matt Kraus (Alan Factory)
4. Jesse Anthony (Team Clif Shot)
5. Mike Cody (Fior di Frutta)
Elite women
1. Lyne Bessette (Cyclocrossworld.com-Louis Garneau)
2. Maureen Bruno Roy (Independent Fabrication)
3. Anna Milkowski (Gearworks-SpinArts)
