Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) rode solo through the mud for the elite men’s victory at Trek CX Cup in Waterloo, Wisconsin on Friday afternoon. His Dutch compatriot and teammate David Haverdings trailed 1:44 for second place. Former US elite men’s national champion Eric Brunner (WTB Pivot) was third, close to another minute back.
A former U23 world champion in 2021, Ronhaar scored the second UCI C2 win of his career, and the first win on US soil for the 22-year-old.
It was the 10th edition for the Trek CX Cup, now a leadup of the opening round of the World Cup on Sunday. The final race of the day on Friday saw a field of 43 riders take on a muddy course that was battered by 13 races and two training sessions that took place earlier.
Ronhaar launched to the front of the race right away on the early corners of the course. Brunner and Haverdings gave chase and were soon 25 seconds back after the first lap, then 45 seconds back after another pass in the relentless rain.
Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) was one of the few riders to go quicker on the second lap and he caught up to Caleb Swartz (ENVE Composites-Industry Nine) as the two worked together in fourth and fifth place, respectively,, with 1:08 to make up. Tyler Clark (Hockley Valley Resort Armada) had them in his sights, riding in lone sixth place.
By the third of seven laps, Ronhaar was pounding through the puddles and gaining time, extending his lead to 1:08 on Haverdings, now in second place, and 1:18 on Brunner in third. Clark, Swartz and White worked as a trio in the chase.
Across the second half of the race the mud began to win the war of momentum, giving Ronhaar a chance for a parade lap on the final pass. Harverdings was able to distance himself on the sixth lap for a ride in solo second place, while Brunner never let the chasers grab his back wheel. White gained time on Swartz and Clark on the penultimate lap to move away into fourth.
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