Maghalie Rochette (SRAM/Seeker) and Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing) soloed on final laps at Genesee Valley Park in upstate New York and won the UCI C2 elite races at Rochester Cyclocross.
Rochette reversed her fortunes on the second day of racing at Rochester Cyclocross to take the top step ahead of Manon Bakker (Crelan-Corendon), who won the C1 contest on Saturday. Sydney McGill (Lastig Off-Road Racing) took third place for a second day in a row.
Brunner dominated the elite men’s contest for a second day in a row, with Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) repeating in second place. Kerry Werner (VeloMafia) secured the final spot on Sunday’s podium in a three-rider sprint against Jules Van Kempen, who took fourth, and Tyler Clark in fifth.
Reaching the mid-point of the US Cyclocross Series (USCX) after Rochester races, Rochette extends her lead in the elite women’s division on Bakker by 20 points. McGill is third in the standings, 48 points back, while Caroline Mani holds fourth place, 58 points back.
Brunner and Strohmeyer are tied at the top of the elite men’s leaderboard at 164 points each. Clark holds third, 42 points back, while Werner is in fourth, just two points behind the Canadian.
How it unfolded
Sunday’s UCI C2 races reversed the same course used for C1 contests the day before, sending riders straight to the stairs before diving into a twisting, technical back half.
Through the first half of the elite women’s race, Rochette held a 10-second gap on Bakker, then added time every lap with clean handling and powerful accelerations on the flat grass straights. By the second half, she had more than 30 seconds to her advantage.
On the bell lap, Rochette sealed the solo victory, finishing 43 seconds ahead of Bakker and earning her third win in the USCX across four races. McGill held off a late charge by Raylyn Nuss (Steve Tilford Foundation Racing) for third, the two separated by 15 seconds. Ellen Noble (JAM Fund), a former two-time U23 US cyclocross champion who is making a return to racing after several years, finished 10th in the C1 race, went two spots better on Sunday.
The…
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