U.S. Cyclocross Nationals 2009 Results & Photos

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Words and Photos: Colin Meagher

It seemed as if half of host city Bend, Oregon, turned out to cheer for the racers during the elite races. The droves of fans amassed along the course witnessed a blow-out in the women’s race as Katie Compton smashed the competition on a distinctly frosty course. Then they were treated to a battle royal in the men’s race as Tim Johnson held off all comers to take the title.

Conditions in Bend were milder than forecast. Yes, it was cold. Yes, there was snow on the ground, making for a treacherous lack of traction. But other than some clouds during the men’s U-23 race on Saturday, it was gorgeous sunshine raining down, not the snow flurries that the weather service had predicted. This, however, did not make the racing any easier; rather it made for a technically challenging icy glaze on many parts of the course.

The undercard races—juniors and the U-23 men—went by quickly, with no major upsets other than the heavily favored Zack McDonald of Stevens Cycles missing the podium entirely on Saturday after his rear wheel was pretzeled on the first lap at the farthest point from the pit. However, he avenged his loss on Sunday, taking the collegiate national title in fine fashion.

With the undercard races in the bag, that left only the main events: Elite Women and Elite Men, with the women’s collegiate race sandwiched in between.

For the Elite Women/U-23 race, things went more or less as predicted. Katie Compton was neither abducted by aliens, fell deathly ill, nor suffered a heart-breaking mechanical. As a matter of fact, other than one slip on an icy stair on the run-up, Compton had a flawless race. She drilled the hole shot and never looked back, leaving a battle for second in her wake.

Amy Dombroski looked to have a lock on that spot until a spill on an icy off-camber grass section allowed an opportunistic Meredith Miller take the ball and run. In only her second year of ’cross racing, Miller took second place in the battle for the Elite National title, no small feat. Dombroski, after a momentary panic, worked on damage control and then began working to reel in Miller but ran out of room. As it was, Dombroski put on one hell of a show for the fans. (Dombroski also signed with the Luna squad this weekend. Look for to race XC for the team next season, and make another run at ’cross nats 2010.)

The course had a distinctly European personality—technically demanding with lots of corners. After the women’s race, Compton said it had a distinct European feel to it. That would make the men’s race very interesting. With few straights, reigning champ Ryan Trebon would have few places to use his powerful legs and open the throttle. Instead, this course would reward technical prowess.

The conditions seemed perfect for Jonathan Page to claim a crown. However, Jeremy Powers of Cannondale was in no mood to roll over. From the gun he was full gas, claiming the hole-shot and pretty much putting the wood to the rest of the elites in a dominating show of force. Behind him formed group that included Page, Trebon, Tim Johnson, Jamey Driscoll, Todd Wells, Barry Wicks, and Adam Craig. If you weren’t in that group, you were nowhere near a podium. Then disaster struck in the off-camber grass that had claimed numerous racers during the day. Fellow Cannondale rider Tim Johnson, a two-time national ’cross champ, was quick to pounce and move to the front. Behind him, a determined Ryan Trebon worked hard to close with Johnson, but the constant accelerations out of the corners proved to be too much for him. The Kona rider was forced to settle for second as an exultant Johnson claimed his third U.S. National CX crown in front of a delirious crowd.

While many racers will take some time to relax in the off-season—Todd Wells has a hot date with a beach in Mexico for the next month—Johnson and Compton both plan to vie for the World Championship title in the Czech Republic. Look to see another battle royal across the pond in late January.

Final Results:

Elite Men

1 Timothy Johnson (Cannondale/cyclocrossworld.com) 1:02:39
2 Ryan Trebon (Kona-FSA) 0:00:25
3 Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) 0:00:51
4 Todd Wells (Todd Wells) 0:00:56
5 Jeremy Powers (Cannondale/cyclocrossworld.com) 0:01:02

Elite Women:

1 Katherine Compton (Planet Bike) 0:41:12
2 Meredith Miller (California Giant Berry Farms/s) 0:00:56
3 Amy Dombroski (Schlamm P/b Primus Mootry) 0:01:01
4 Alison Dunlap (Luna Pro Team) 0:01:56
5 Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom) 0:02:11

U-23 Men:

1 Daniel Summerhill (Garmin Felt) 0:53:29
2 Chance Noble (California Giant Berry Farms) 0:00:23
3 Luke Keough (Champion Systems) 0:01:08
4 Dave Hackworthy (Plan C) 0:01:09
5 Jeremy Ferguson (California Giant/specialized) 0:01:51

Junior Men:

1 Cody Kaiser (California Giant Berry Farms) 0:40:59
2 Jeffrey Bahnson (Thule/Van Dessel) 0:00:47
3 Skyler Trujillo (Black Sheep) 0:00:59
4 Chris Wallace (Kccx/ Verge) 0:01:55
5 John Burton (Joyride Bikes/ek Ekcessories) 0:02:00

Junior Women:

1 Coryn Rivera (Proman Hit Squad) 0:29:53
2 Kaitlin Antonneau (Planet Bike) 0:00:47
3 Kendall Ryan (Socalcross) 0:02:04
4 Emily Shields (Carolina Masters Cycling Club) 0:03:21
5 Clarissa Freeman (Team Cross) 0:03:59