Events: Grand Prix Of Cyclocross - Portland

Georgia Gould conquered inhospitable conditions to finish up the weekend with two top finishes. Colin Meagher

My bad in being a bit late in getting this report to the Bikemag.com masses—I had to go build an ark after the recent storms…

The city of Portland decided to channel the Belgium ‘Cross scene in all it’s hellacious glory during the 5th and 6th races of the Crank Brothers Grand Prix of Cyclocross held at the site of the 2004 CX nationals, Portland’s International Raceway. Throngs of racers, a drum corps, epic conditions, and hordes of hard-core cross fans made it a weekend to remember.

Saturday featured a mixed bag of sleet and cold rain that waxed and waned throughout the day’s races, never truly pounding for more than a few minutes, but then again, never truly stopping either. Conditions on the course were grim: racers were hitting straights that were solid-ish only to morph into something with a peanut butter-like consistency in the corners, resulting in more than one bobble amongst them.

For the ladies, it was Luna’s Georgia Gould taking top honors over Spike’s Katie Compton. Katie made a few critical mechanicals (a dropped chain from a bit of a Franken-crankset), losing her initial lead to Georgia, who eventually powered on to a 23 second win over Katie. Things got interesting near the end of the race when Georgia’s teammate, Katerina Nash, managed to power her way up from a second row start to vie briefly for the number two podium spot with Katie; but she couldn’t close the deal, eventually finishing third behind the Spike rider.

The men also saw perennial race favorite Ryan Trebon of Kona relegated to second place as Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld’s Tim Johnson, who excels in wet and slimy conditions, got out in front by lap 3 and stayed there, leaving Ryan Trebon and Todd Wells to chase 20 seconds back. Johnson eventually soloed in, but another interesting battle for second place took place behind him, with Wells and Trebon duking it out until the final sprint, where the Kona rider easily dispatched Todd.

Sunday morning, racers arrived only to discover that Mother Nature was in a full-blown North Sea-esque tantrum. Torrential rain soaked the course, the spectators, and the racers alike, while the occasional fierce gust of wind threatened to blow racers off course—and even managed to topple a tree during the men’s elite race.

During the women’s elite race, Katie Compton took off like a shot and quickly put a gap on the field, but a determined Georgia Gould caught her, and then launched her own attack—one that the US champ could not respond to—and was soon off on her own. Compton was definitely not her usual self. She was caught again by Georgia’s teammate, Katerina Nash, and forced to abandon soon after due to a combination of the conditions and a virus she’s been battling since her return from Europe. Nor was she the only elite to abandon; Lynn Bessette succumbed to hypothermia following a full body immersion in an icy puddle. Alison Sydor of Rocky Mountain took advantage of the grim conditions and finished 3rd.

In the men’s elite race, a resurgent Ryan Trebon hit the gas and tore apart the field, leaving Tim Johnson to finish a distant second. With the win, Trebon also locked up the series lead and an automatic berth to the World’s Team. Todd Wells, his eyes firmly focused on peaking for the Nationals in two weekends, finished 3rd for the second day in a row, despite snapping a derailleur mid way through the race.

The U23 race saw Jamey Driscoll take both the race win and the series.

R-L Barry Wick (3), Ryan Trebon (1) and Tim Johnson (2) - The Grand Prix Series top three final standings. Colin Meagher

Jamey Driscoll won Sunday's U23 race and the series. Colin Meagher

Tim Johnson, over the barriers. Colin Meagher