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Hello one and all and welcome to our live coverage of the 2009 Mercer Cup, the third stop in the 2009 USGP series. The conditions are, once again, muddy as all get out, but not nearly to the extent that we saw in Mercer County Park last year

Currently, the Elite Masters race is underway, and had been led from the get go by Ali Goulet, but mechanical isses saw him passed by Roger Aspholm. Matt Kraus is rounding out the podium in third

Today is definitely a day for the Rhino and the Fango. Grip is fleeting, and the mud and grass is collecting easily on the bikes. It has been drying out some, however, so that may become less of an issue later in the race

It seems Goulet started way too hot, as now Kraus has passed him for second

We’re just waiting for Aspholm to cross the line. Goulet seemed to have been closing on Kraus but he was losing ground from the front, so it looks like he’s resigned to third

So that’s your confirmation, Aspholm takes the win with Kraus in second, with Ali Goulet taking third, holding on to his USGP series leader’s jersey

Everyone’s now off to take their warmups as we are still clearing the course of masters yet to finish up their day in the office. It’s, in a word, gnarly out there.

So let’s start talking about the women’s event shall we?

Leading this year’s charge is favorite, USGP leader, and Czech National Team member, Katerina Nash, riding for the Luna Pro Team

Nash, you would expect, will ride away with things today. She’s been going way faster than anyone else out there, except for Katie Compton

Georgia Gould, also of the Luna Pro Team, will hope to give her a run for her money and the conditions out there could even things out a bit

Amy Dombroski, riding for Shlam and Primus Mootry, should be able to hang with the big girls if her recent results are any indication

Sue Butler is back in the States and over on the East Coast and will hope to hold on to some of that form that got her within one position of a top 15 at a World Cup

Locals and teammates Laura Van Gilder and Diedre Winfield of C3 – Athletes Serving Athletes will mount a strong challenge

Natasha Elliot will also hope to continue a strong run of American results riding for Garneau – Club Chaussures – Ogilvy

Alison Dunlap is the third cog in the Luna Pro Team trifecta and will look to be on the podium

Alison Sydor, the reigning Canadian National Champion will be on the start line after some time off and will hope to fly the Maxxis-Rocky Mountain colors to a win

We’re under 15 minute from the start of the Elite Women’s race!

Also of note on the start list is Amanda Carey (Kenda/trainwitheric.com) who has had some strong results this season, especially in the mud, and Meredith Miller (Cal Giant Berry Farms/Specialized) who I’m pretty sure is the current, or former, US Road Champion (pending fact check)

That’s what I’m talking about, instant fact check

Word comes down from current Men’s USGP leader Jamey Driscoll: “It’s slow out there, dude”

We’re about 5 minutes to go time! Even through all this music I can hear Richard Fries calling Elite Women to staging. It’s go time!

I have taken my post, and the race can officially start!

The 1 minute mark has been hit, it’s countdown time

30 seconds!

Here we go!

Holeshot looks to be Alison Sydor and Amy Dombroski!

Nash is third

Sydor jumped out of the second row, that’s a flying start

Gould is now third, with Butler and Maureen Bruno Roy in fourth and fifth

Elliot is there as is Van Gilder, Gould doesn’t look so comfortable already

Sydor makes it through some of the off-camber excitement first, and there are some dismounts

Dunlap is in the front group with Nash, Butler, Bruno Roy, Elliot, Dunlap and Van Gilder

Gould is already behind a small gap

Nash is now at the front and here comes the move

Butler and co/ already are off Sydor’s wheel

Gould and Dombroski are back together about 8 back

Bobbles all over the place, it’s super slick

Nash is already extending, you’ve got to be perfect technically to keep any momentum

Sydor is next then comes Natasha Elliott then Bruno Roy, Dunlap, Butler, Gould, Dombroski who remounts too early and loses all her speed. Bruno Roy puts a foot down and is passed by all but Gould

Nash already has 12 seconds and they’re not even through a single lap!

Nash just looks way smoother on the bike than second place – Sydor

If you’re familiar with the Mercer Cup course from years past, the big green stair-ramp flyover has been cannibalized to make a little mini stair climb on one of the off-camber sections

We now await Nash’s reemergence onto the final straight and to see what kind of carnage has erupted behind

Guess I have to learn this course a bit better, they’re pretty much right next to me, there’s a group behind with Sydor, Dunlap, Gould and Bruno Roy after they make their way through a long running section

Gould and Dunlap are on the move, dropping Sydor who’s already manhandling her bike

I’m gonna say it! Katerina Nash is on the rivet!

Georgia Gould has an issue with a bike change and is now on the back of the chase group

Sydor falls off the Luna duo again and is with Kelli Emmett and Bruno Roy

Meredith Miller is there then come Dombroski and what looks like Linda Sone of Planet Bike

Van Gilder is there too, Sydor started fast, but is slipping back.

Still on the first lap, this is ridiculous. They’re going to do 4 at the most.

I should be getting some photos sooner or later, and when they come, they’re courtesy of Tom Olesnevich

Looks like there’s a split in the chase group, with either Gould or Dunlap pulling away

Nash crosses for the first lap, and she’s miles ahead already

Here comes a time check, but it will be a long wait

Nash with the bike change

Second wheel is Georgia Gould, with Meredith Miller in third!

She’s got Dunlap for company

Nash has 50 seconds already, that’s only 1 lap in the books!

Gould is second, Miller is third then comes Dunlap

Emmett is fifth, then Bruno Roy and Dombroski

Van Gilder is next then comes Butler and Sydor

Nash is looping back and can see her foes now

Natasha Elliot is next through after Sydor

Van Gilder now comes through and then Kari Studley. Up ahead is Winfield not Van Gilder

There goes Rebecca Wellons in her fancy new Stevens Kit, but that’s out of order so she’s not behind Studley

There’s a couple Planet Bikes after Studley with Linda Sone leading Kaitlin Antonneau

There’s a lot of issues happening off that run up section, and everyone keeps having to put feet down

The order reshuffles there every lap

Miller is almost on Gould’s wheel. What a ride by her!

Nash is rocking the bike back and forth to get through the deep mud section that most are electing to run

Gould has shed miller for the most part, probably thanks to her better technical skills

The Luna’s are shouldering while Miller pushes, Dunlap is catching back up

Bruno Roy is running her way away from Emmett and Dombroski. Emmett is trying to ride and losing tons of ground and is passed by Dombroski

Sydor is next then Winfield who is shadowed by Butler

Gould has her hands full with Miller but she’s doing OK keeping her away

Emmett skips a bike change and makes up the ground she lost to Bruno Roy

The pits are a mad house, with guys running back and forth with bikes

There’s 2 races going on, the race for the win, and the race to the pressure washer

Nash crosses to put lap 2 in the books. Seriously, that’s 23 minutes for 2 laps. They’ve got 2 more to go

Man Nash could break every part of her bike, run, get a new bike, break that one, run and get a third one, and still get a steak dinner before she crossed the line

Gould has now entered the frame, with Miller still close by she’s at 1:09 with Miller at 1:12

There’s Dunlap in 4th, at 1:34

Emmett is next through, at 2:06 and she’s with Bruno Roy

Dombroski leads a group of 3 with Butler and Winfield at 2:15 or so

Sydor is alone at 2:42

And seriously, to the currently 13% of people who think I’m a surprise, I’ve been doing this forever yo!

Van Gilder is next at 3:13

Studley is 3 seconds behind her

Then is Linda Sone, then Amanda Carey

Natasha Elliott is a DNF for today. Conditions are not to her liking today

Kaitlin Antonneau is next, then its Amanda Smith

Smith has been riding well for a long time, especially in the east coast. She’s in a bigger ocean today though

Good one Larry. We should have added her.

Nash only has to get through that long running section once more, she’s got this in the bag, but the big battle is between Miller and Gould. Miller refuses to go away

Gould is pulling away from Miller through the deeper mud

Nash is lapping traffic as she’s on her way to the bell

Gould continues to inch away from Miller. Even if Miller can’t catch her, she’s having easily the best ride of the day

Dunlap gets her bike change, its a long way to the next riders, who look like Bruno Roy and Emmett

Emmett won’t switch bikes, and gaps Bruno Roy in the process

Looks like Emmett might not have a spare

Dombroski is on the go, gapping Butler and Winfield

Sydor takes a smooth change and is away

Nash is on the pavement, we’ll get a lap time as she crosses

In the words of Richard Fries, she’s got the 8 pound sledge out

Since I can’t see the line, I’m going to say her lap time was around 11:30

She’s got the bell and we look farther down the list to the drama

Miller lost a bunch of time, she was off her bike for a bit, where Gould could ride

Gould is running well after there were some doubts about where her season was trending

Bruno Roy has shed Emmett!

That’s fifth place on the line there

Alison Dunlap rode that last lap with an SRM

I think…

Emmett has cracked, Bruno Roy is off

Dombroski, Butler and Winfield are waging battle behind, that’s going to be a great battle

I was wrong, Emmett does have bike spares. Bruno Roy and Emmet traded places that time through, with Bruno Roy skipping the bike change and Emmett taking one

Sydor is DEEP in the pain cave, but she’s hanging tough

Dunlap is fresh off her first victory since coming back from retirement at Iceman, granted it was on fat tires.

Kari Studley is having a great ride behind Sydor

Van Gilder does not love these conditions, and she’s behind Studley, both skip a bike swap while Linda Sone switches

Miller’s fight looks to be over, she’ll hang on to third

Nash takes her final change, she’s hoping everyone on that rig will stay together

Bruno Roy has extended her advantage over Emmett. That’s a great ride for both those riders

Emmett better turn those pedals over quick, Dombroski has dropped her group and is closing on the Giant rider

Winfield is behind her, chasing, then its Butler

Emmett should have enough of a cushion, however

At this rate, Nash could be a dark horse for Worlds, considering she’s a home rider

Dombroski skips a bike swap further extending over Winfield

Nash is on the pavement, taking the win and extending her USGP lead!

That was thoroughly dominant. She’s a class above for sure

There’s Gould, taking home second place!

No doubt Miller should get the Sram Most Aggressive Rider prize, but we’ll see

Miller is on the pavement and secures third

Miller came out of the second row to grab that finish

Now we wait for Dunlap and the rest of the top 5

There’s Dunlap and she’s in for fourth, the rennaisance continues

Luna goes 1-2-4. Not bad!

Bruno Roy looks to have finished off fifth place

Emmett cruises down the pavement, and Dombroski almost made it, but she wasn’t close enough

Diedre Winfield grabs seventh, with Butler now in for 8th

Excuse, 8th and 9th respectively

Alison Sydor had a super fast start but faded a bit and takes 10th

I’ll get everyone as far down as I can

Laura Van Gilder cruises home in 11th, then its a sprint between Studley and Sone, and Sone takes it for 12th

Antonneau now hits the pavement for 14th, with Amanda Carey cracking and falling to 15th

That’s your top 15, I’ve gotta go grab a jacket and I’ll be back shortly

There’s New England phenom Andrea Smith in 16th

So here’s your Sram Most Aggressive Rider: Merredith Miller!

So now let’s take a look at the men’s competition

Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) has to be the overwhelming favorite for victory today but he’ll be matched closely by Kona’s American Champion – Ryan Trebon

Jamey Driscoll will be in Johnson’s corner while Trebon will have Barry Wicks on his side for help

Chris Jones (Champion Systems) will hope that the mud wont slow him down too badly

Canadian Champion Geoff Kabush should be able to hang with the leaders, but he’s been battling the flu for some time now, so his fitness is a question mark

Nick Weighall is over on the East Coast and has been riding well, riding for Cal Giant Berry Farms/Specialized. He’s the reigning U23 National Champion

Jesse Anthony (Jamis Bikes) will look to go a little better than his last few weekends

Danny Summerhill (Felt-Holowesko) will be the strong man for the Espoirs competition

The front row is as follows ranked by UCI points:
1) Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com)
2) Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com)
4) Ryan Trebon (Kona)
5) Chris Jones (Champion Systems)
6) Dan Timmerman (RGM Watches – Richard Sachs – Radix)
7) Geoff Kabush (Maxxis – Rocky Mountain)
8) Barry Wicks (Kona)
9) Davide Frattini (Team Fuji)

But he should expect challenges from the likes of Valentin Scherz (Pro Cycles-Scott), Luke Keough (Corner Cycle), Jerome Townsend (Bikereg.com/Joe’s Garage/IF) and Zach McDonald (Classic Cycles), your current Junior Champion

Scherz has certainly established his presence here on the East Coast.

Powers is sick this weekend

Keep me posted!

We’re getting staged up and it’s time for a throwdown

This race is turning more and more into a boxing match.

Dan Timmerman has officially usurped the nickname “Caveman” from Erik Tonkin on the East Coast

I swear I saw Adam Craig wandering around before, but I don’t see him on the start list.

Oh, duh, and Todd Wells is here too. Obviously he’s at the back since he’s low on points and he’s coming back from that nasty cyst

There they go!

Frattini grabs the holdeshot, and there goes Kabush to the front!

I think that was former Canadian Champ Mike Garrigan on the front!

Kabush leads things with Scherz second then comes Trebon moving up. Jones is there, then Frattini, Johnson, Weighall and Wicks

Adam Myerson just shouldered Jesse Anthony into the fence

I’m sure there wasn’t any malice there, but it looked ugly

No sign of Driscoll, he’s maybe 20 back!

As things string out I’ll go as far deep as I can!

Kabush continues to lead Scherz, Weighall has moved to third, then Jones, Trebon stumbles up the stairs in fifth, then Wicks, Frattini, Johnson, Jones, Townsend, Summerhill then Mark LaLonde

Driscoll is moving up but he’s got a long way to go

Burried down there is Adam Craig and Carl Decker as well asJesse Anthony

Weighall just ran his way past Scherz and it looks likeJones ia about to make contact with them. There’s a gap forming to Trebon

Johnson is coming too

Remember that long mud section, well Kabush is running, and of the top 4 only Jones made an attempt but gave up

Jones is towing Weighall up to Kabush. Trebon is in nomans land as Johnson goes past Wicks and heads off after Trebon

He’s a slow starter, his one weakness

Kabush continues to lead as Jones is trying to grab his wheel. Weighall has fallen off the pace, with Trebon fourth and Johnson closing

Kabush leads onto the pavement, and Jones has faded a bit. Trebon and Johnson are with Weighall, as the heads of state begin to move up

Trebon and Johnson are almost to Jones. Kabush’s lead seems to be in jeopardy

There’s a group behind Weighall of Summerhill, Scherz and Tyler Trace I believe

Just behind them it’s Frattini, then Troy Wells

Jones took a bike while Trebon and Johnson skipped, as they move forward

Driscoll is moving as he’s almost up Wicks, who’s behind Troy Wells. With Driscoll is Luke Keough and Gavin Mannion

Todd Wells makes an appearance next with Mark LaLonde

Yannick Eckmann over Cody Kaiser, I think

Kabush continues to lead, and Trebon may be building mini-gaps over Johnson

Trebon, Jones and Johnson have caught Kabush. This is a hell of a ride from Jones

Weighall is holding on to fifth, as Frattini moves into sixth, then comes Wells, Trace and Summerhill

Frattini is feeling it, he rode the mud section where everyone else ran and he made up a bunch of time

Driscoll is moving up he’s in the next group with Scherz and Mannion

Even if he doesn’t win, Trebon will come away with the USGP jersey, assuming he finishes

Trebon has attacked the front and he’s got a couple seconds!

There goes Johnson after him, with Jones on his wheel. Kabush looks cooked

Frattini just steamrolled through Weighall

Johnson is closing and closing

This is an amaing race for Tyler Trace, who’s attacked his group and only brought along Summerhill

Johnson is up to Trebon. Trebon burned a match to attack, but Johnson burned a match to get back

Something happened to Jones, he’s now behind Kabush

Fifth is Frattini followed by Weighall

Trebon’s extending out over Trebon, Johnson will have to dig dep to get back on

Troy Wells and Summerhill are with Trace now, then comes Driscoll

There’s 4 laps to go in teh race already

No bike for either Trebon or Johnson

Behind Driscoll is Scherz, then Mannion, then Wicks

There’s a big gap back to the next rider, Todd Wells!

That’s a solid ride following that layoff

Summerhill, Trace and Wells are up to Frattini and Weighall

Summerhill is riding like a man on a misison

Trebon bobbles and Johnson is on terms

Driscoll is closing on that group with Wells and Summerhill

This is just how you want it, Trebon vs. Johnson, East vs. West

Driscoll is now past Trace and on the wheel of Troy Wells! That’s 8th, I think

So you know down to Todd Wells, let’s see who’s after that

That goes to Adam Craig!

Adam Myerson is after Craig then Luke Keough, Derrick St. John and Mark LaLonde. Behind them is Carl Decker and Brian Matter

Justin Lindine muscles things through next

Trebon continues to lead Johnson, taking the initiative. Johnson looks to be sitting on

Even, smooth bike switches through the pits, Johnson has a small gap to close

Jones leads Kabush as Kabush finally tosses the glasses

Summerhill has attacked his group, and Weighall is gone, as is rattini. Only Troy Wells is along for the ride. Just behind him is USGP leader Driscoll!

Well! I take it back, all the times I’ve been mentioning Tyler Trace, it’s actually been Zach McDonald!

Their numbers are super close togeter, forgive my misreading of the start list

Adam Craig moves through the pits, ohhhh how embarassing, his bib number is missing a pin!

Trebon hits the pavement with a couple seconds over Johnson, they get 3 to go

That couple seconds is actually 10 seconds.

Jones and Kabush are now together in third

Johnson skips a pit to get some ground back on Trebon, who did swap

Kabush moves ahead of Jones, as Jones snags a bike

Summerhill and Frattini are now together. Wells either cracked or crashed (probably crashed), as he’s now behind Driscoll too

Driscoll is closing in on fifth place, currently held by Summerhill

Trebon is digging, extending his lead

McDonald leads Scherz behind Troy Wells

Weighall and Wicks are together behind McDonald

Mannion is next then Todd Wells

Trebon has a bobble and a mechanical and Johnson is back!

I take it back, Johnson isn’t back, but he’s closer

This race is Trebon’s to lose, he just looks the faster of the two

It’s 14 seconds to Johnson now

Johnson loses further time as he makes a bike change that Trebon skipped

Jones has pulled away from Kabush

Trebon and Johnson will get 2 to go next time by

Frattini has taken his turn to gap Summerhill and he’s alone in 5th

It looks like taking it easy at the SSCXWC has paid off for trebon.

Seventh is nowWells, Troy, then McDonald and then Scherz then Wicks. Either I missed Driscoll or he’s had an incident

Todd Wells through the pits now, then Weighall, still no Driscoll

Trebon down the pavement, and he gets 2 to go

I definitely missed Driscoll, he passed Frattini and Summerhill!

Johnson gets 2 to go now. Trebon will have to stay clean but he should get this one

Jones now gets 2 to go, and Kabush has fallen way off

Trebon takes a bike through the pits, Johnson is out of the running

Johnson almost skips a bike but elects to grab it at the last minute

Kabush is scootering!

He’s got a long way to go to the pit!

Driscoll will get him, as will Summerhill and Frattini

Or, should I say, already have!

Jones clips the fence and Jones is down!

Long way to go to Driscoll,but Jones has a derailleuur issue!

He’s still working, dead in the middle of teh track

He’s fiddling with the wheel, obviously thinking he can get it working

Driscoll is now back to third, Jones is moving again. He lost a ton of time there!

Frattini has him now

Summerhill is not far behind

Kabush is about to hit the pits, he’s been passed by McDonald, Wells and Scherz, but holds off Wicks into the pits

Todd Wells is in the pits now, not far behind

Weighall has fallen way off, he’s been caught by Mannion and now is going to be caught by Craig

Trebon makes his way to the pits, with Johnson nowhere in sight

McDonald is no longer a junior

Trebon was a bit clunky through the pits, but he’s off, with plenty of space to work with

Driscoll is now in the pits, gets a switch and he’s off. Not bad work on his part to get back to third

Frattini has dropped Summerhill hard, but he’s still got to catch Jones who dropped him equally hard

Especially when you only have 2 riders!

Wicks and Scherz are next through, Wicks takes a bike but Scherz skips

McDonald is close behind

Trebon gets the bell!

Todd Wells is next having passed Kabush and Troy Wells!

Johnson now gets the bell. This one’s Trebons barring disaster

Adam Craig is next through the pits

Trebon is taking careful lines, making sure he doesn’t lose this race

Behind Craig is Myerson, then Weighall, St. John,Decker and Matter

Driscoll now gets the bell

Jones is on the pavement now too

Rotten luck for what looks like Justin Lindine, wearing number 13, he’s got his running shoes on

Frattini is past the finish line in fifth

Summerhill, your top U23 is next

Scherz, your next U23 is through ahead of Wicks, then comes Todd Wells, then Zach McDonald, your 3rd U23

Wicks closed to Scherz, that’s going to be a good battle

Wicks eats up Scherz and is off on his own

Wells and McDonald are now together

Trebon rides through that long mud bog and he’s off again, Johnson isn’t even at it yet

Trebon is headed to the pits for the final time. Race, meet bag

Trebon just passed U23 USGP Leader David Hackworthy, not a good day for him

Trebon takes his final bike, and he’s off to victory

Johnson is in cruise control now, he’s hemoraging time

Johnson now heads through the pits, no sign of Driscoll yet

There he is, he’s a long way back, but doesn’t look to be in danger of getting caught by Jones

Over to the finish we go and Trebon takes it!

Now we wait for Johnson to come home

Johnson gives it a wave and that’s second for him

Driscoll will come across now, he’ll lose the USGP jersey, but methinks he’ll get the Sram Most Aggressive prize

Now Driscoll comes across, a great ride for him

Despite the mechanical issues, Jones hangs on for Fourth

Frattini gets fifth as Summerhill gets sixth and the top U23

Now it’s Barry Wicks, then Valentin Scherz and Zach McDonald – U23 2 and 3

Kabush is in now, rough day for him

Todd Wells is next then Troy Wells

Something tells me I missed Todd Wells and he was ahead of Kabush

So there you have it. That’s one round of the USGP’s Mercer Cup in the books

The Sram Most Aggressive Rider for today, who dropped all the way down to 27th before climbing back to 3rd is Jamey Driscoll!

So, Trebon takes the USGP jersey for the day, who knows what tomorrow will bring! It should dry out a bit for tomorrow, so the dynamic may be entirely different

David Hackworthy holds on to the U23 leader’s jersey, despite a howler of a day

Well folks, that does it for me! Thanks for tuning in! See you tomorrow, same bat time, same bat station!