Even with the youth movement taking over cyclocross, sometimes having nearly two decades of experience pays off.
Shortly before the raucous Mt. Krumpit run-up during Lap 2 of Friday night’s Jingle Cross C2, Helen Wyman (Zypex-Verge Sport) snapped her chain. Instead of panicking, she ran up the Mt. Krumpit climb, back down and quickly replaced her bike.
Wyman’s misfortune was to Lily Williams’ (The Pony Shop p/b KPMG) benefit, as the 2018 road standout staked out a lead on the cool, muddy evening.
Lily Williams led when Wyman had a mechanical and continued to chase for a second place. 2018 Jingle Cross Day 1. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine
Wyman, who won the Friday evening race before the 2016 Jingle Cross World Cup, calmly closed Williams’ lead in the first third of Lap 3, and when the two hit the Mt. Krumpit run-up in the third of six laps, they were side-by-side.
Wyman took the lead at the top of Mt. Krumpit and did not look back en route to the C2 win on the night before Saturday’s World Cup.
"I was like, okay, just ride how you ride and see what happens," Wyman said about her comeback win.
The Grinch Strikes on Friday Night
Wyman and Williams were the two women racing Saturday’s World Cup who took to the start line on Friday night, while a packed field of domestic racers took advantage of the opportunity to race for C2 points.
Wyman and Williams got off to a fast start on the long starting stretch, but Laurel Rathbun (Donnelly Cycling) ended up taking the holeshot.
The start of the 2018 Jingle Cross Day 1 women's race. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine
When the leaders hit Mt. Krumpit for the first time, the group included Wyman, Williams, Rathbun, Emily Werner (Amy D. Foundation), Raylyn Nuss (Maplewood Bicycles) and Beth Ann Orton (Team S&M CX).
The lead group was short-lived after the steep run-up and tacky, muddy descent off of the hill. After one lap, the riders left at the front was Wyman, Nuss and Williams. A group of riders chased behind them.
April Beard tackles Mt. Krumpit. 2018 Jingle Cross Day 1. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine
The mud at the Johnson County Fairgrounds was nowhere near as thick as it was during the Friday race in 2016, but the Grinch still lurked on the grounds Friday night.
Mt. Krumpit hosts the party. 2018 Jingle Cross Day 1. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine
Helen Wyman found out the hard way when she snapped her chain shortly before the Mt. Krumpit run-up. After the Grinch did his thing, Wyman stayed calm and ran to the top of the hill and back down and to the pits for a new bike.
Helen Wyman returns to her winning ways in Iowa City at 2018 Jingle Cross Day 1. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine
"Lily was riding really fast, so I thought I would have to play it tactically," Wyman said. "Then I snapped my chain on the ride up to the run-up on the hill, and I was like, Ohh, oops. Fortunately, you could run that last bit as fast as you could ride it, and it was a pretty quick downhill, so I only lost like 10 seconds."
Williams took the lead and accelerated away as she tried to put as much time as possible in on a rider who is more than comfortable racing in muddy conditions. When Williams crossed the line two laps in, her lead over Wyman was pushing 10 seconds.
Wyman Sleighs Away
Wyman quickly closed Williams’ gap during the first third of Lap 3, and the two women then hit the Mt. Krumpit run-up together. Wyman was first to the top and then added a few more seconds on a muddy descent that became tackier with each lap. When the third lap closed, Wyman’s lead was 18 seconds. Behind Williams, Nuss solidified her hold on third.
Helen Wyman leads the 2018 Jingle Cross Day 1. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine
The top three positions stayed static for the rest of the six-lap race. Wyman expanded her lead in the fourth lap, before finally taking it down a notch in the final trip around the course knowing she had to race again on Saturday.
When conditions get sloppy in Iowa, Wyman is hard to beat. 2018 Jingle Cross Day 1. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine
Williams finished a strong second and Nuss rounded out the podium in third.
See our photo gallery and full results below. Stay tuned throughout the weekend for full coverage from the 2018 Jingle Cross UCI Cyclocross weekend.
Watch the Telenet UCI Cyclocross World Cup racing live on Saturday at 2:30 PM CDT here.
2018 Jingle Cross Day 1 Full Results: Pro Women - UCI C2 Cyclocross
| Rank | Bib | Name | Affiliation | Time | Split Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Helen WYMAN | Xypex - Verge Sport | 49:24:00 | 8:32 |
| 2 | 6 | Lily WILLIAMS | The Pony Shop p/b KPMG | 50:01:00 | 8:28 |
| 3 | 15 | Raylyn NUSS | Maplewood Bicycle | 51:07:00 | 8:34 |
| 4 | 7 | Erica ZAVETA | Renewed Cyclocross/ Garneau-Eas | 51:35:00 | 8:20 |
| 5 | 19 | Sarah STURM | Specialized/ Ten Speed Hero | 51:54:00 | 8:34 |
| 6 | 10 | Beth Ann ORTON | Point S Nokian | 51:55:00 | 8:39 |
| 7 | 54 | Sophie RUSSENBERGER | Point S Nokian | 52:08:00 | 8:42 |
| 8 | 12 | Emily WERNER | Amy D. Foundation | 52:33:00 | 9:04 |
| 9 | 18 | Corey COOGAN CISEK | Amy D Foundation | 52:53:00 | 8:54 |
| 10 | 14 | Laurel RATHBUN | Donnelly Sports | 53:02:00 | 8:54 |
| 11 | 17 | Katherine SANTOS | Amy D Foundation | 53:02:00 | 8:54 |
| 12 | 21 | Anne USHER | 53:26:00 | 8:40 | |
| 13 | 31 | Ellie MITCHELL | NWCX Project | 53:34:00 | 8:58 |
| 14 | 13 | Rebecca GROSS | Zero D Racing | 53:40:00 | 8:54 |
| 15 | 50 | Kelly LAWSON | Hardwood Next Wave Cycling Team | 53:43:00 | 8:57 |
| 16 | 20 | Natascha PICIGA | Giant toronto Pb Liv | 54:02:00 | 8:57 |
| 17 | 39 | Susan LIVINGSTON | Amy D Foundation | 54:17:00 | 9:13 |
| 18 | 30 | Sydney GUAGLIARDO | (un)ATTACHED | 54:24:00 | 9:47 |
| 19 | 37 | Alana HEISE | Terrascape Racing p/b SRI | 54:34:00 | 9:07 |
| 20 | 49 | Brittany PARFFREY | Bicycle Heaven / PVA | 54:38:00 | 9:13 |
| 21 | 23 | Carol SEIPP | Orion Racing p/b Borah Teamwear | 54:44:00 | 9:06 |
| 22 | 22 | Turner RAMSAY | Alpha Bicycle Co.- Groove Subar | 54:46:00 | 9:01 |
| 23 | 43 | Michelle HANCE | Team Handmade | 55:15:00 | 8:53 |
| 24 | 40 | Molly CLARK-OIEN | Parallel 44 Racing p/b Sanford | 55:17:00 | 8:55 |
| 25 | 48 | Caitlin NEUMAN | Brazen Dropouts | 55:33:00 | 9:09 |
| 26 | 35 | Natalie SMITH | Bicycle Heaven / PVA | 55:53:00 | 9:06 |
| 27 | 46 | Risa HUSTAD | TacoCat Racing | 55:53:00 | 9:10 |
| 28 | 41 | April BEARD | Trek Midwest | 56:25:00 | 9:10 |
| 29 | 44 | Emily PAYONK | Team NeighborLink | 56:27:00 | 9:13 |
| 30 | 55 | Eleanor DYAS | Midwest Devo | 57:14:00 | 9:47 |
| 31 | 9 | Dana GILLIGAN | Macogep-argon18-girondinsdebord | 48:20:00 | 9:41 |
| 32 | 52 | Katelyn WALCROFT | Hardwood Nextwave Cycling Team | 48:43:00 | 9:56 |
| 33 | 32 | Lindsay KNIGHT | Tenspeed Hero | 29:05:00 | 9:38 |
| 34 | 34 | Bridget TOOLEY | Renewed Cyclocross/ Garneau-Eas | 29:09:00 | 10:06 |
| 35 | 47 | Stacey RICHARDSON | pedalRacing | 29:17:00 | 9:45 |
| 36 | 51 | Leslie ETHRIDGE | ORNOT | 29:26:00 | 9:39 |
| 37 | 53 | Jennifer PARK | Bicycle Heaven | 29:29:00 | 9:38 |
| DNF | 11 | Siobhan KELLY | Black Dog Racing | 9:41 | |
| DNF | 38 | Marianna WILLIAMS | 10:05 | ||
| DNS | 2 | Elle ANDERSON | Milwaukee Alpha Motor Homes | ||
| DNS | 3 | Samantha RUNNELS | Squid Squad | ||
| DNS | 4 | Sunny GILBERT | Van Dessel Factory Team | ||
| DNS | 5 | Cassandra MAXIMENKO | Van Dessel Factory Team | ||
| DNS | 8 | Alicia FRANCK | Marlux - Bingoal Cycling Team | ||
| DNS | 16 | Rachel RUBINO | Fearless Femme Racing | ||
| DNS | 33 | Jodie PRESTINE | Bens Cycle/Milwaukee Bicycle C | ||
| DNS | 36 | Vanessa CURTIS | Iowa city cycling club | ||
| DNS | 42 | Abigail YATES | Matrix/RBM | ||
| DNS | 45 | Allison HUNT | Goldenrod Pastries CX |
2018 Jingle Cross Day 1 Women's Race Photo Gallery:
Helen Wyman returns to her winning ways in Iowa City at 2018 Jingle Cross Day 1. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine
