Lindine solo-ed to victory for Providence Day 1, the UCI C1 race day. He was followed by Evan McNeely and Weston Schempf in second and third, respectively.
The weather was hot and the UCI points went deep on the first day of the Providence Cyclocross Festival in Rhode Island this weekend. Because the race was a C1, points went 15 deep for both the Men’s and Women’s field, and with racers like Trebon, Powers and Johnson attending the USGP in Fort Collins, this race was a chance for some lesser known racers to make their marks on the course. The extreme heat made officials allow feeding, excluding only the first and last lap, and the men’s field took full advantage, often carrying water bottles as well.
After a small “tangle” at the start of the race, Adam Myerson and Dylan McNicholas were the first two riders to get untangled and out in front. However, the two man “breakaway” in the first ten seconds of the race didn’t last long, and by the end of the second lap, while McNicholas was still off the front, there was a large group of chasers, including Justin Lindine, Myerson and SmartStop teammate Travis Livermon and several others, just a few seconds back.
On the pavement section, an uphill battle toward the finish line with several laps to go, Lindine (the Wolverine) made the jump to McNicholas, handily. Then, he proceeded to drop McNicholas and solo away with five laps to go, causing both the crowd and the announcers to go crazy. He crossed the finish line comfortably in first place, alone for his biggest career win to date: a C1 UCI race.
After crossing the line, Lindine commenting on his back-to-back wins at Night Weasels and then at Providence, saying, “The conditions were so different, compared to Wednesday night’s race you couldn’t have two more different races.” He also stressed that he didn’t start the race at Providence assuming the win would be his, rather, he added, “I was uncertain about how it would go.” But with his fitness dialed in, the “speed race” style of Providence clearly suited “The Wolverine.”
McNicholas flatted his rear tire, giving Canadian U23 rider Evan McNeely and Weston Schempf the chance to battle for second place and third place, rather than third and fourth. McNeely took second handily, leaving Schempf behind before the finishing stretch.
McNeely said after the race, about his bunnyhopping over the barriers, “It was a bit risky but I practiced a lot on the preride and decided it was faster and I out about five seconds on everyone doing it.”
A group of nearly 15 riders went into the last lap battling for fourth place, and McNicholas managed to win the field sprint for that honor.
IN THE COWBELL FORUMS:
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