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Tim Johnson and Natasha Elliott win tactical battles on Gloucester's sunny Sunday
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The sun shone on Massachusetts' Cape Ann on Sunday, as local boy Tim Johnson (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) and Canadian Natasha Elliott (Louis Garneau) won on the second day of the Great Brewers Gloucester Grand Prix of Cyclocross, in much different conditions than the first day.
Instead of the slick layer of mud, fog and rain that made Saturday's race a test of power and technique, day 2's faster conditions produced tactical battles in the men's and women's races. Both races thrilled the crowds — which were much larger than on Saturday — and produced a handful of crashes and some sore feelings.
Johnson shoulders his way to a win
Johnson dropped out of CrossVegas, skipped the Wisconsin USGP weekend, and finished a disappointed fourth on Gloucester's first day, all because of pain from a shoulder he partially dislocated at the Star Crossed race three weeks ago.
But on Sunday he said the conditions didn't hurt his shoulder as much as Saturday's mud. And once he got away on his own with four laps to go, he said the adrenaline masked any lingering pain. With a comfortable gap he had the luxury of picking lines carefully to avoid a crash that could hurt him more.
"On a course like this, where you are going 20 or 25 mph, you can get in a rut and go down like that. And I wanted to avoid that at all costs," he said.
Aggressive start
Johnson and teammates Jamey Driscoll and Jeremy Powers started the day off aggressively, with Powers getting a gap on the first lap, soon joined by Saturday's winner Jonathan Page (Planet Bike).
Johnson bridged to the pair, setting up a two-to-one advantage over Page for the green-and-black clad team. Page took on much of the burden of pace setting, throwing in some attacks that were usually marked by Powers. Meanwhile, Driscoll steamed his way through traffic and clawed his way up to the threesome a third of the way into the race.
When Driscoll latched on, on a grassy section just before a large ocean-side tree, Page sat up no-hands to clean his glasses; Powers sat up, too. .
From there, Johnson said, "it was like a whole 'nother phase of the race."
With a three-to-one advantage, Page's only option was to throw in a devastating attack and ride off alone, as he did Saturday. But on the faster course, Page didn't seem to have the legs to get away, and instead had to react to a series of attacks by Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com.
Page and Driscoll bumped as they each went for a line in an off-camber corner. "Jamey tried to attack and Jonathan kinda took him into the curb a little bit," Johnson said. Soon after that, Johnson attacked up the right side as Page was leading the group into a sandpit.
"There's almost a foot-deep trough in the sand," Johnson said. "I got in there first and I didn't see what happened to (Page)."
Page had a different take. "Johnson took my front wheel out," he told VeloNews before the podium ceremony.
Page tumbled to his left and had to get rolling again in heavy sand, with Driscoll and Powers marking him.
Johnson charged ahead, quickly opening a 12-second gap that grew steadily to nearly 30 seconds as Page chased — with Driscoll and Powers in tow.
Regardless of how Johnson got his gap, Powers said the growing margin showed who had the best legs. "The strongest man won today," he said.
Johnson occasionally rubbed his shoulder and sat up to stretch his back a few times, but kept the charge going, pacing himself with lap times from his pit crew.
"Gloucester is definitely a special race, because I've got friends and neighbors here, so it's pretty neat," Johnson said.
Page, who easily took the sprint for second ahead of Powers and Driscoll, was less pleased.
"It's not the way I would like to race. (Johnson) said, 'you did it to my teammate,' prior. It's unfortunate, he just has no respect."
The season enters a new phase this week as Page returns to Europe. He and Johnson, Driscoll and Powers will not line up together again until the national championships in December.
Elliott repeats
The women's race also was marked by tactical battles, as well as a few crashes and flat tires.
A group of five separated on the first lap, as Saturday's winner Natasha Elliott (Louis Garneau) took off with local Mo Bruno Roy (Seven), Laura Van Gilder (C3 Athletes), Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale) and Amy Dombroski (Richard Sachs).
Saturday's third place finisher, Lyne Bessette (October Factory) started in the second row and got a bad start. After digging herself into a hole trying to bridge up, she abandoned.
Up front Elliott rode tactically, throwing in attacks, especially on the off camber slopes were she had broken away to take the win Saturday. Bruno Roy, too, attacked several times, as Butler and then Dombroski fell off the pace.
Bruno Roy was hoping to shed Van Gilder, who is known for her sprint. "I thought if I could get away with Natasha we could stay ahead of Laura because we have a similar style," Bruno Roy said.
Van Gilder was content to follow wheels, usually in second position as Bruno Roy and Elliott exchanged attacks.
With two laps to go, however, Bruno Roy crashed on a paved turn, leaving Elliott to contend with Van Gilder in a sprint. It wasn't to be, however, as Van Gilder flatted with a half lap to go and then, riding the soft tire, dropped her chain in the barriers, allowing Elliott to ride in with a solo win.
Meanwhile Bruno Roy got up from her crash and was joined by a surging Sue Butler, eying the third spot on the podium. Butler, however, flatted a few meters before the pits on the last lap, letting Bruno Roy take third.
Butler was a close fourth and immediately after crossing the finish line filed a complaint with officials against Elliott, who she said T-boned her in a turn in the first lap. Butler later withdrew the complaint after talking with Elliott, officials said.
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