Katerina Nash repeats at CrossVegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (VN) — Katerina Nash scored a repeat victory at Wednesday evening’s CrossVegas race here, riding solo for most of the race after joining Luna teammate Georgia Gould in an attack on the first lap.

Gould attacked first and opened a five-second lead before Nash was able to bridge up to her. The two worked together and expanded their lead to over 10 seconds in the next two laps.

Nash pulled away from Gould with three laps to go when Gould struggled “made a couple little mistakes,” as Gould said.

“I wasn’t feeling super strong anyway,” Gould said. “If I was having a good night I could have overcome those little mistakes.”

Nash rode smoothly, spinning a fast cadence as she bounced over the lumpy grass at the soccer complex, where thousands of fans, many of them in town for the Interbike trade show this week, crowded around the course.

“I always look forward to this race,” Nash, who has finished on the podium of every edition, told VeloNews afterwards.. “The spectators make this place .. it’s such a great setting and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.”

Rain the last two days left the grassy course slicker than in prior editions and some riders struggled getting back on their bikes with wet shoes. The moisture did not seem to slow the riding much as a groove wore into the course in many sections as the race continued.

Nash expanded her gap to near 30 seconds with a lap to go.

While Nash is known for her technical skills, she also clearly has the power necessary to slog through the heavy grass in Vegas. “It’s a power course and I fit into that category,” she said.

Amy Dombroski (Crank Brothers) attacked a chase group with a half lap to go and took second for the second consecutive year. Kelli Emmett (Giant) was third, followed by Meredith Miller (Specialized) and Gould.

French national champion Caroline Mani, a front row starter, never seemed to hit her groove and fell back to finish in the top 30.

The men’s race was set to start at 9:30 p.m.