The final day of the USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships was highlighted by the powerful performance put on by Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./Kona) on his way to the elite men’s national title. There were no surprises in the elite women’s race as Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike) rode to her fifth consecutive cyclo-cross national championship despite a talented field. A pair of North Carolina schools will take collegiate cyclo-cross team titles back to the Southeast, Lees-McRae College in division I and Appalachian State in division II.
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After an unfortunate crash removed him from last year’s race, Trebon seemed determined to wear the Stars-and-Stripes in 2008. The elite men’s contest was a heavyweight fight from the gun with most all of the big names positioning themselves in the front of the 94-rider field. Multiple leaders tried to take control in the early going, including Olympic mountain biker Todd Wells (Durango, Colo./GT) and three-time national cyclo-cross champion Jonathan Page (Northfield, N.H./Planet Bike). It wasn’t until about halfway through the eight-lap, 60-minute contest however that Trebon was able to push the front of the bike race and separate himself from youngsters Jamey Driscoll (Jericho, Vt./FiordiFrutta) and Jesse Anthony (Beverly, Mass./Jamis).
Seemingly in control after that, Trebon went on to ride alone to a nearly one-minute victory and earn the elite title for the second time in his career. Last year’s collegiate national champion, Driscoll won his bout with the surging Page to take the silver. The twenty-three-year-old Anthony crossed the line in fourth while last year’s champion Tim Johnson (Boston, Mass./Cyclocrossworlds.com) out sprinted Wells for the final podium spot.
“It was a hard win,” said Trebon. “Jamey rode so hard today. I just tried to keep it going up the hill. I think Page was a little slow to react so that gave me an opportunity. I was cracking pretty good on that last lap though. I didn’t believe I had the win until about the last 45 seconds.”
After winning one UCI World Cup event and finishing second in another in the month of November, Compton seemed poised to win her fifth straight elite women’s cyclo-cross national title and she did not disappoint. Although Rebecca Wellons (Woburn, Mass./Ridley), the winner of this year’s Verge Mid-Atlantic ‘Cross Series, grabbed the holeshot, it didn’t take long for Compton to move to the front of the 81-rider field. In hot pursuit however was Olympic mountain biker Georgia Gould (Fort Collins, Colo./Luna) and the U.S.G.P. series’ third-place finisher Rachel Lloyd (Fairfax, Calif./Giant Berry Farms). The three rode a steady pace throughout the remainder of the contest, leaving the excitement to the trio of Amy Dombrowski (Boulder, Colo./Velo Bella-Kona), Laura Van Gilder (Cresco, Pa./C3-Sollay) and Maureen Bruno-Roy (Arlington, Mass./MM Racing-Seven Cycles) who were in a fierce fight for the remaining podium spots. Ultimately veteran road rider Van Gilder won the sprint over yesterday’s U23 champion, Dombrowski, and the 30-34 master women’s winner, Bruno-Roy.
“Every championship feels good,” stated Compton. “Today was hard with that climb and I was happy to have a clean race. Georgia and Rachel are riding really well and the competition here continues to grow. We are definitely moving up and will give the Europeans a run for their money.”
Compton, who had already locked up an automatic nomination to the World Championship squad with her World Cup finishes, looks to be heading to the Netherlands to contest the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships on Feb. 1. Trebon also locked up a nomination with his win as did yesterday’s U23 champion Nick Weighall (Millcreek, Wash./Rad Racing), junior national champion Zach McDonald (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Classic Cycles) and junior Luke Keough (Sandwich, Mass./CL Noonan-KAM-Coast to Coast) by virtue of a top-five World Cup finish earlier this year. The remainder of the nominations, totaling five spots each for elite men, elite women, U23 men and junior men, will be announced later this week.
In the day’s earlier competition, the USA Cycling Collegiate Cyclo-cross team and individual titles were decided in both DI and DII. With a tie amongst the top two schools in DI, Fort Lewis College and Lees-McRae College, the team title came down to the highest placing of the day by an individual rider from that institution. That meant Carla Swart’s (Banner Elk, N.C./Lees-McRae) gold-medal performance in the women’s race broke the tie and handed the Bobcats the win over their Colorado rivals. Swart, now a collegiate national champion in all four disciplines, was closely shadowed by last year’s second-place-finisher Amanda Miller (Fort Collins, Colo./Colorado State University). Ultimately Miller had to settle for another silver, finishing in front of Lindsey Wilson’s Ashley James (Delafield, Wis.) who grabbed the bronze. Fort Lewis’ top finisher, Teal Stetson Lea (Durango, Colo.) was fourth.
The DI men’s race saw Will Dugan (Burlington, Mass./University of Vermont) surge from the back row to pull in his first Stars-and-Stripes. Dugan was able to hold off the reigning collegiate cross country mountain bike national champion, Benjamin Sonntag (Durango, Colo./Fort Lewis College) and his partner in an early race break, Eric Thompson (Shoreview, Minn./Lees-McRae College) to win the national title. The DI team podium wrapped up with Lindsey Wilson College in third, Colorado State University in fourth and Indiana’s Marian College in fifth.
In Division II, Appalachian State, with a balanced attack from both men and women, was able to take home the team title by just ten points over the United States Military Academy. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology finished third while Western Washington University was fourth.
USA Cycling Mountain Bike Development Team member and former collegiate mountain bike national champion Colin Cares (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado College) took home the DII men’s title over Mesa State’s Kevin Mullervy (Littleton, Colo.) and Steve Fisher of Western Washington University (Bellingham, Wash.). Former collegiate road champ Devon Haskell (Chicago, Ill./University of Chicago) earned the DII women’s title in commanding fashion while MIT’s Katherine Harris (Somerville, Mass.) grabbed the silver.
In the non-national championship single-speed race, James Lalonde (Madison, Wis./Ellis Cycles) rode to the win over a mixed field of more than 50 riders.
2008 USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships
Kansas City, Missouri
December 11-14
Day Four National Champions:
Elite Men: Ryan Trebon (Bend, Ore./Kona)
Elite Women: Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./Spike)
Collegiate Men Division I: Will Dugan (Burlington, Mass./University of Vermont)
Collegiate Women Division I: Carla Swart (Banner Elk, N.C./Lees-McRae College)
Collegiate Men Division II: Colin Cares (Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado College)
Collegiate Women Division II: Devon Haskell (Chicago, Ill./University of Chicago)
Singlespeed winner: James Lalonde (Madison, Wis./Ellis Cycles)
COMPLETE RESULTS can be viewed here.
To view images from the event, visit USA Cycling’s Photo Gallery, click here
