A week ago, if I told you that it was almost time for the USGP (United States Gran Prix) finale for Cyclocross, you probably would’ve said, “But the weather is so nice!” However, in Portland, that cold chill of winter is only a day away. Huge windstorms days before the race gave the Gran Prix the weather it was accustomed to having, but it also seemed to cause a change in fortunes.
Heavy favorite Ryan Trebon came into the race with a huge lead in this year’s Cyclocross series, and was expected to place high, if not win, the event. But Todd Wells, named most aggressive racer for the men’s division, and New Englanders Jeremy Powers and Tim Johnson had a game plan that could not be stopped.
Wells took the lead early in the race with team Cannondale (Powers and Johnson) staying close behind. The trio would fight for supremacy the entire length, but in the end Jeremy Powers would steal the victory away from Wells which made the top three Powers, Wells, and Johnson. Trebon placed an unexpected 5th overall, but was still ahead enough in points to be named season series champion.
The real story of this race isn’t with Wells and Powers, but Katerina Nash in the women’s division race. The race began, and the usual suspects started to separate themselves from the rest of the pack with Nash in the lead followed by Meredith Miller, Amy Dombroski, and Alison Dunlap. This is how it started and it seemed this is how it would finish. And then she fell.
Katerina Nash toppled over and the rest of the pack took full advantage. Miller took the lead, followed by Dombroski and Dunlap not far behind. It seemed that Nash’s chances of winning were next to none, but seconds later she was back on with twice the effort. Her determination earned her the “aggressive rider” award, but even better she overcame the odds and won the race. At the last lap it was Nash taking the win with Miller second and Dombroski third.