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Wendy Williams glued to Hall's wheel. © Cyclocross Magazine

Wendy Williams glued to Hall's wheel. © Cyclocross Magazine

For full Cyclocross National Championships coverage and information, visit our 2010 USA Cycling National Championships Page.

BEND, ORE. – Wendy Williams (River City Bicycles) came onto the finishing paved straightaway wheel-to-wheel with defending Masters champ Gina Hall (Cal Giant-Specialized) and was able to just edge out the California rider to claim her title. Williams, who repeated as the Elite overall champion of Oregon’s competitive Cross Crusades series, adds this jersey to a previous win in the 35-39 age group.

From the gun, Wendy took off and immediately grabbed a commanding lead, gaining nearly ten seconds halfway through the first lap; by the end of the lap, Hall had closed battled back to within five seconds. Local Bend resident Brenna Lopez-Otero showed early promise, holding on to second for much of the first lap before Hall overtook her, ultimately fading to eighth place.

Defending 40+ champ Gina Hall leading eventual winner Wendy Williams. © Cyclocross Magazine

Defending 40+ champ Gina Hall leading eventual winner Wendy Williams. © Cyclocross Magazine

By the third of four laps, second year racer Katrina Dowidchuk was looking to have a podium finish, hanging on to a strong third place position. It’s unsure whether a mechanical, crash, or simply tired legs were the cause of her dropping down, but she crossed the finish line in seventeenth place.

At the beginning of the final lap, it was a two-horse race, with Hall trying to drop a persistent Williams clinging to her wheel. “I knew if we got to the pavement together, I would be able to take her,” said Williams, “so I just sat on and let her lead the lap.”

Hall’s perspective was similar.”I knew Wendy had a strong sprint, so I was hoping to get a gap before the pavement,” she said.

Both were correct, though Hall’s bid was unsuccessful. She was unable to shake Williams off her wheel before the two stormed onto the pavement — after a strong surge, Williams came across the line with a smile; two seconds later Hall, head lowered, followed.

Christina Probert overcame a slow start to work herself up to third place, claiming the final position on the podium. Stella Carey and Helene Drumm both battled hard to round out the top five.

Brief Photo Gallery:

Place Points Name City, State Time Bib Team
1 150 Wendy Williams Portland, OR 0:37:06 263
2 135 Gina Hall Orinda, CA 37:08:00 251 California Giant Cycling/Califo
3 120 Christina Probert Murrieta, CA 40:03:00 289
4 105 Stella Carey Felton, CA 40:11:00 262 Velo Bella
5 90 Helene Drumm San Anselmo, CA 40:16:00 276 Peanut Butter & Co. Twenty 12
6 85 Rebecca (Becky) Bjork Bend, OR 40:37:00 253 Boise Cycling Club
7 80 Melanie Lewis Duvall, WA 40:38:00 279 Bikebooboos.Com
8 75 Brenna Lopez-Otero Bend, OR 40:52:00 288 Bend Memorial Clinic Total Care
9 70 Karen Oppenheimer Bend, OR 41:29:00 267
10 65 Jayne McLaughlin Valleyford, WA 41:32:00 285 Zuster Cycling
11 60 Erika Krumpelman Hayden, ID 41:47:00 281 Velo Bella
12 55 Sarah Tisdale Hillsboro, OR 42:11:00 295
13 50 Stephanie Uetrecht Bend, OR 42:34:00 271 Webcyclery Racing/Webcyclery.Co
14 45 Kelly Chang Oakland, CA 42:35:00 252
15 40 Kim Rueter Portland, OR 43:14:00 273
16 38 Kristin Drumm Novato, CA 43:20:00 280
17 36 Katrina Dowidchuk Wilmington, DE 43:34:00 268
18 34 Jill Hardiman Whitesalmon, WA 43:34:00 260
19 32 Jennifer Herrell-Rhoades Kansas City, MO 43:41:00 269 Bicycles Of Tulsa
20 30 Julie Robertson-Zivin Seattle, WA 43:49:00 286 Lake Washington Velo/Hagens Ber
21 28 Ann Kennedy Portland, OR 44:02:00 290
22 26 Virginie Calme Portland, OR 44:06:00 278
23 24 Mielle Blomberg Portland, OR 44:07:00 291
24 22 Joanne Stevens Bend, OR 44:07:00 277 All About Bikes Racing
25 20 Molly Martin Redmond, WA 44:52:00 293
26 19 Cynthia Engel Bend, OR 44:53:00 254 Webcyclery Racing/Webcyclery.Co
27 18 Michelle Bazemore Bend, OR 45:31:00 284
28 17 Elise Huggins Portland, OR 45:37:00 274 Veloforma
29 16 Asa Salas Orangevale, CA 45:47:00 257
30 15 Angela Mart Bend, OR 45:59:00 292
31 14 Catrena Sullivan Kirkland, WA 46:25:00 264 20/20 Fuel
32 13 Rachel McLain Puyallup, WA 47:27:00 287 Old Town Bicycle (Otb)/Old Town
33 12 Gina Garnero Portland, OR 47:55:00 297
34 11 Christine Leone San Diego, CA @1Lap 272
35 10 Kristen Crupi Seattle, WA @1Lap 282 Ragnarok Racing
36 9 Elaine Prause Portland, OR @1Lap 259
37 8 Janet Trubey Fletcher, NC @1Lap 270 North Carolina Cyclocross
38 7 Nancy Odle Boise, ID @1Lap 283
39 6 Debbie Driver Olympia, WA @1Lap 275 Ragnarok Racing
40 5 Kate Dunning Bend, OR @1Lap 296
41 4 Heather Price Boise, ID @1Lap 256
42 3 Jenny Feix Moss Beach, CA @1Lap 258 Peninsula Velo Cycling Club
43 2 Gina Miller Bend, OR @1Lap 298
44 0 Annette Padilla San Diego, CA @1Lap 294 Celo Pacific
DNS 0 Aimee Baker Menlo Park, CA DNS 255
DNS 0 Penny Collins Grass Valley, CA DNS 265 Alto Velo Racing Club/Webcor/Al
DNS 0 Tricia Sandstrom Seattle, WA DNS 261 Sound Velo Cycling Club/Team Gr
DNF 0 Laurie Tremor Encinitas, CA DNF 266 Celo Pacific