Trebon, Gould are top in the slop in Granogue

by VeloNews.com

October 19, 2009
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Results

By Bruce Buckley

2009 Granogue CX: Georgia Gould on the way to her first win of the weekend.

Photo: Bruce Buckley

Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Georgia Gould (Luna Pro Team) came out on top in the slop at Granogue Cross on Sunday. Suburban Wilmington, Delaware, felt more like northern Europe as riders lined up in 40-degree temperatures and drizzle to tackle a thick slime of mud brought on by three days of steady rainfall. Since 2001, the Granogue course has gained a reputation for its relentless punchy climbs, tricky off-camber descents and searing run-ups, but the addition of greasy mud added a new level of challenge to the UCI Cat 2 event.

The course has become a sentimental favorite for Trebon, who has won each of his last four showings at Granogue since 2005. Trebon and Kona teammate Barry Wicks chose to skip the Toronto International Cyclocross UCI events to race Granogue and Sunday’s Wissahickon UCI-2 in Pennsylvania, where Trebon scored the first major win of his career in 2003. Trebon came up big again at Granogue, where the reigning U.S. national champion earned his first UCI win of the season.

2009 Granogue CX: Ryan Trebon leads Barry Wicks and Valentin Scherz on the run-up.

Photo: Bruce Buckley

“I’ve always really liked this course,” he said. “It’s a hard race even when it’s dry because there are enough hills to make it very technical. Add in conditions like today, it’s an even greater challenge just to ride sections cleanly.”

Trebon and Wicks set race tactics aside and jumped out of the fray early to escape the chaos caused by the slick conditions. Trebon took the holeshot, followed closely by Wicks and Adam Myerson (CycleSmart). Halfway through the first lap, Myerson fell off the pace as U23 Swiss rider Valentin Scherz (Pro Cycles Scott Newwork) moved into the mix with Trebon and Wicks. The trio hit the long run-up to the Granogue tower in quick succession, intensely searching for solid footholds.

Behind the leaders, much of the pack was stringing out as a steady stream of riders slid out on the steep off-camber sections, much to the satisfaction of the cowbell-ringing crowd.

As the Kona duo extended their lead in the early laps, Scherz, Davide Frattini (Fuji), Dan Timmerman (Richard Sachs – RGM Watches), Will Dugan (Richard Sachs – RGM Watches) and Adam McGrath (Thule/Van Dessel) were fighting it out for podium spots. By lap three, Scherz had pulled into third and continued to put time into his pursuers.

Trebon and Wicks may have gained some advantage thanks to frequent bike changes. The Kona crew was able to provide clean rides in the pit on every half lap.

2009 Granogue CX: Wicks cranked to second place.

Photo: Bruce Buckley

The top spots were sewn up by the bell lap, as Trebon ultimately crossed the finish 1:30 ahead of Wicks and more than 2 minutes up on Scherz. Frattini took fourth followed by Timmerman.

“This has been a very tactical race in the past when it’s dry, but on a day like this you’re just racing the course,” Wicks explained. “These are the hardest conditions I’ve seen here. When it’s heavy like this, it just separates the race even more.”

Thanks to his strong finish, Scherz grabbed first in the U23 field. The 19-year-old has caught a lot of top riders by surprise since he arrived on the scene this fall. Scherz is racing the U.S. circuit for two months before returning to Switzerland to enter the military. Scherz scored a second place finish in the U23 field at the Providence Cyclocross Festival the previous weekend.

“The muddy conditions today helped me a lot because in Switzerland we often have conditions like that,” he said. “I was feeling good in the mud sections. I may be smaller than the two from Kona, but I’m good in the mud.”

Gould seperates

The women’s event played out much like the men’s field, as Georgia Gould made the early decision to separate herself from the pack.

Gould rode with Mo Bruno Roy (MM Racing p/b/ Seven Cycles)) and Amanda Carey (Kenda/Trainwitheric.com) for the first few turns. “But they were braking in places where I wasn’t and making different decisions than I would,” she explained. “The course was hard already; it was easier to be out front where I could ride on my own.”

Unlike some of her competitors, Gould chose not to bring a pit bike and rode a bike that was soon bogged down in mud.

“I kept trying to pull mud out of my brakes, but all I’d get were a few pieces of grass,” she added. “By the end, that bike felt really heavy on the run ups.”

2009 Granogue CX: Mo Bruno Roy gets a little sideways.

Photo: Bruce Buckley

Bruno Roy and Carey continued to battle behind Gould with Dee Dee Winfield (C3-Athletes Serving Athletes) and her teammate Laura Van Gilder in the mix.

Bruno Roy pulled away on her own and held for second as Carey and VanGilder traded back and forth on the last lap. Heading into the final paved straightaway, Carey had opened a nearly 50-yard gap on Van Gilder, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the road-seasoned vet. Van Gilder turned on the jets and sprinted into third by a few bike lengths at the line.

2009 Granogue CX: Laura Van Gilder had another good day.

Photo: Bruce Buckley

After dragging around a mud-laden rig for 45 minutes, Gould decided to forego post-race recovery and headed over to the pit to help make sure Trebon always had a clean ride for the men’s race.

“I’m sure Ryan would do the same for me if the start times were reversed,” she quipped.