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Johnson and Nash repeat at Providence
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Let the record show that upon crossing the finish line first Sunday in Rhode Island, Tim Johnson's first question was not about how his beloved Red Sox had fared in a playoff game that afternoon. Instead he asked how his Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com teammate Jeremy Powers had fared at the races in Ohio.
Johnson made the Red Sox query next.
As it turned out, Powers was still racing when Johnson finished, since the Ohio race started a half hour after Rhode Island's. But it turned out that while Johnson's favorite ball team had lost at Fenway Park, his three-man Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com team could not possibly have done any better this weekend. Johnson and teammate Jamey Driscoll went one-two both days at the Providence Festival of Cyclocross, and Powers won Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Cincinnati Cyclocross Festival. Katie Compton (Planet Bike) also did the triple in Cincinnati.
That might have been some consolation to Johnson, who had tickets to Monday's Red Sox game, made moot by the team's playoff elimination.
Repeat podiums
The men's and women's podiums at Sunday's race were identical to Saturday's, with Johnson and Driscoll again joined by Chris Jones (Champion System) on the steps. On the women's side Katerina Nash (Luna) was once again followed by Mary McConneloug (Seven-Kenda) and Amy Dombroski (Richard Sachs), with Meredith Miller (Cal Giant-Specialized) finishing fourth again.
The races came down a bit differently than the results would indicate, however. While the course once again wound around the Outdoor Demo East consumer expo and through the nooks and corners of the Roger Williams Park, course designer Tom Stevens found a new way to lay out the tape. He unveiled an even twistier route than Saturday, with perhaps fewer passing opportunities, keeping racers on their toes.
Nash charges
In the women's race, Nash took off even earlier than she had on Saturday, taking a gap into the first tight corner. But the race behind her was tight as McConneloug, Dombroski and Miller each rode separately, tantalizingly close all day.
Dombroski once again was one of the last women to try to follow Nash's wheel, but kept within herself, allowing herself to ride a steady pace.
How fast was Nash? "Good God, she's like a race car and I'm like a pickup truck or something," Dombroski said.
After the race Dombroski was satisfied with her performance, although she's itching to make improvements to climb up the podium. McConneloug said she had fun but felt a bit tired after Saturday's efforts. "Today was a little bumpier and I was maybe a little tired," she said.
Nash, however, said she was just getting rolling.
"I felt better than yesterday," she said. "Technically and physically, I think yesterday kind of opened me up, you know?"
Brothers in arms
In the men's race, neither Johnson or Driscoll got a great start, and sat behind the top 10 for much of the first lap. Davide Frattini (Fuji) led the charge, followed by Dan Timmerman (Richard Sachs) and Dylan McNichols (CCB International).
Johnson moved up on the paved start/finish hill and went off the front at the start of the second lap, chased by Jones and Timmerman.
Driscoll bridged up and attacked and got a gap while Johnson marked Jones' chase and Timmerman held tight.
Within a half lap, Johnson saw an opportunity to bridge to Driscoll and the two charged off for the next 40 minutes or so, building an enormous gap ahead of Timmerman, Jerome Townsend (Bikereg.com-Joe's Garage) and Jones.
The two traded pace, with Johnson typically leading through the serpentine "fish bowl" section and Driscoll taking some pulls on the power sections.
The pace caught up with Driscoll, however, and he bobbled in a corner with two laps to go, but managed to stay with Johnson. With a lap and a half to go, he made a more serious mistake coming into a set of barriers, and lost a few seconds.
Johnson was leading when Driscoll made his mistake but he noted with a smile that announcer Richard Fries let him — and everyone else — know that Driscoll had hit the deck. Johnson made the most of the opportunity. He quickly established a five-second gap, which grew to about 10 on the last lap as Driscoll chased furiously.
By the last hill, Driscoll was almost within shouting distance, and as Johnson slowed to celebrate, the two crossed the line at almost the same time.
Behind, the chasing trio traded blows until the last lap when Jones slipped off the front.
Timmerman took fourth and Townsend took fifth (and first U23).
Race notes
Race organizers GSD Productions hope to hold a UCI World Cup cyclocross race in Providence. They had secured a date on the calendar for the 2008-2009 season, but had to cancel when sponsorship fell through. The group hopes to combine the World Cup competition with a bike and wellness expo and amateur races, and is putting the pieces together by working with Interbike and cycling organizations like the U.S. Open Cycling Foundation.
This year's Outdoor Demo East was open to the trade only on Thursday and Friday, and to the public on the weekend. Exhibitors had mixed reports on weekend traffic and noted that local promotion was minimal and parking is a concern. But organizers fenced the expo area and charged admission. Combined with a venue and course that got stellar reviews, the steps are bringing GSD a few steps closer to producing the first-ever cyclocross World Cup in the U.S.
Related
| Day 1: Johnson and Nash solo to victory | Video: A chat with Mary McConneloug 
