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Driscoll, Van Gilder take Day 2 at Cycle-Smart International
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Jamey Driscoll (Cyclocrossworld.com-Cannondale) scored double wins at the Cycle-Smart International race in Northampton, Massachusetts, this weekend, while Laura Van Gilder took the win in Sunday's race.
Driscoll, in his first year aged out of the U23 category, has developed a formula for success in New England: a steady start on lap 1 and then turning on the pressure for each lap after that until he finds himself alone
After winning Saturday Driscoll adopted the same strategy on Day 2 on a different course at the same venue. Dan Timmerman (Reynolds/Swan Cycles) took a quick advantage but the chase group would have none of it and caught up to Timmerman on lap 4. The group included Andy Jacques-Maynes, Justin Lindine (Targetraining), Matt White (Bikereg.com/Joe's Garage), Driscoll, and Chris Jones (Jittery Joe’s/Sonic).
Once together, Driscoll turned on the gas again and within two laps the lead group was whittled for a familiar foursome, Driscoll, White, Jacques-Maynes, and Timmerman. As can happen, pressure by one can cause mistakes by another; and first to bobble was Timmerman, as a crash in the sand pit took him out of the group and held back White and Jacques-Maynes, giving Driscoll the margin he needed to walk away from the rest of the group and a ticket to win #2 on the weekend. A game Timmerman made it back to the chase group, but was out of gas as White managed to outsprint Jacques-Maynes for second on the day.
Wide open women's race
With women’s leader Amy Dombroski in Boulder to defend her North American Cyclocross Trophy series lead, it was a wide open women’s race on the weekend with the stage ready for another rider to shine. And the talent that came to Northampton this weekend mixed New England regulars Rebecca Wellons (Ridley), Maureen Bruno-Roy (MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles), and Sally Annis (NEBC/CycleLoft/Devonshire Dental) with mid-Atlantic veteran Diedre Winfield (Velo Bela/Kona), cross rookie Laura Van Gilder (C3-Sollay), and Ontario veteran Natasha Elliott (EMD Serono/Stevens). This combination of talents was sure to produce a couple of excellent races on the weekend, and they did not disappoint.
Winfield started out well on lap 1 on Saturday with all the regulars sans Wellons in tow chasing. Once together, Elliott showed she had the good form on the day regularly taking turns out front with Winfield, who prefers to take control of a field during the race. The 5 riders were eventually brought back to 3 as Bruno-Roy and Annis succumbed to stumbles, but meanwhile Elliott turned up the volume in the engine room leaving Winfield and Van Gilder in an unfamiliar position of chasing. The two eventually caught up, but simultaneous bobbles at the barriers by them was enough to send Elliot away for good and she took the win. Van Gilder sprinted away from Winfield to secure 2nd on the day.
Day 2 started out with Annis taking the hole shot and the lead going to the lower section, but after lap 2 it was the same group of 5 seeking the win on the day. Once again Elliott charged on the front to break up the group, but unlike yesterday only Annis was spit off the back; Bruno-Roy was able to hang on and the lead group of 4 kept it together until the end of the race. While Elliott appeared to be the dominant racer on the weekend, Van Gilder was able to run mistake free on day 2 and showed the group why she is the best sprinter in the women’s game, easily taking the win on the final 200 meters of the course. Elliott was able to hang on to second with Winfield rounding out the podium.
