Blues skies and a light breeze greeted the morning racers, who soon found that everything from puddles to the bike wash hoses remained frozen after overnight temperatures had again dipped into the mid 20s. Day two of the Carousel Volkswagen Jingle Cross Rock offered different lighting, temperatures and course conditions from yesterday’s cold night race, and at the end of the day, the result was two new winners.
Amanda Miller (Hudz-Subaru) took revenge after yesterday’s ill-timed mechanical and escaped for the win over her teammate Nicole Duke and Devon Haskell (Bike Station-Aptos). Yesterday’s winner, Meredith Miller (Cal Giant) finished in fourth.
Miller attacked on the Mt. Krumpit climb on the first lap to open up a gap – which she held for the rest of the race. Meredith Miller hung tough in second place until a mechanical in the waning laps would eventually knock her back. The Cal Giant rider would battle back to Haskell for a final dig at getting on the podium, but a crash on the last lap would leave her in fourth.
In the men’s race, Kona’s Ryan Trebon and Barry Wicks took to the front early again, but this time it was Trebon who lasted, not Wicks. Trebon would battle Todd Wells (Specialized-Cal Giant) for the lead, while Chris Jones (Rapha-Focus) once again overcame a slower start to reconnect with the leaders. That quartet would separate itself from the rest of the field and battle for the spoils. Jones would later crash, and Trebon would open up the gas to win by 30 seconds.
The Mt Krumpit run-up proved to be the decisive course feature, and Trebon was able to add precious seconds each time he made the ascent. Todd Wells would remain with the Kona rider the longest, but a swift run up the climb by Trebon with three laps to go just after a crash by Chris Jones would give him a gap he could hold for the remainder.
Last night’s winner Jamey Driscoll (Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld.com) did not take the start. Still an undergrad at University of Vermont, Driscoll told Cyclocross Magazine that he was “working on papers as well as resting up for tomorrow.” But he knows after skipping today’s race, that “the pressure’s on” for the C1 on Sunday.
Most of the boisterous crowd were sunning themselves along the muddy run-up, as well as lining the course, at the summit of Mt. Krumpit. The long, chopped up run-up certainly confused some of the men’s Elite riders who actually rode the bottom half, despite being passed by their running counterparts. Once cresting Mt. Krumpit, the racers were treated to a reverse of a portion Friday’s course and rocketed down yesterday’s climb, getting their revenge on the narrow rutted section punctuated at the bottom by the first of several muddy drainage crossings. The course extended to the southern reaches of the fairgrounds, enabling the course to cross the muddy drainage four more times. Beginners to Elites mixed riding with running the deepest of the crossings, which became more soupy and challenging as the temps warmed into the upper 30s.
Elite Men on Lap 1:
The course again included trips through agricultural barns of the Johnson County Fairgrounds, including the Grinch’s Lair which was again mysteriously filled with sand. Although the gravel corners near the SRAM pit became more treacherous after being worked by numerous races, the grassy loops and straights of the Whoville Whirly yielded superior traction due to dry conditions leading to the synthetic turf covered flyover.
Racing action concludes with the event’s third day on Sunday, with the men’s UCI C1 race offering maximum UCI points. Also benefiting is the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, the charity recipient of Jingle Cross Rock.
IN THE COWBELL FORUMS:
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