Okey Gokey: Gokey-Smith Overcomes Slow Start to Dominate Masters 45-49 in Reno – Report

Adversity is part of cyclocross and overcoming it is a must for athletes to be successful in the sport. On Friday in the Women’s Masters 45-49 race, Christina Gokey-Smith showed the rewards that can come from not panicking and keeping a cool head on the cyclocross course.

Normally a fast starter, Gokey-Smith missed her pedal and got pinched in a group heading off the opening stretch. Twenty seconds in and she was not where she wanted to be. However, she did not panic and relied on the power and skill that made her one of the favorites heading into the race.

“I just waited and tried to get my speed up,” she said about her early recovery. “I tried to make a move before the first dismount, which I did. And then from that point I just stayed looking ahead.”

Once at the front, Gokey-Smith received a challenge from Kristin Weber (Boulder Cycle Sport) before riding away for a comfortable win and a second-straight Masters national championship.

“I know that things are going to happen and things are going to go wrong, so mentally I prepare for that,” she said about her championship preparation.

A Fast Recovery

After Gokey-Smith’s slow start, it did not take long for her to recover and get to the front. She continues to race professionally on the road, so the long false flat at the start of the lap gave her plenty of room to recover and make up spots. Thursday afternoon’s wind was gone, which meant their was no headwind to turn it into an energy-sucking grind either.

Within half a lap, Gokey-Smith was off the front, with Weber the closest chaser. Weber stayed close for a while, before Gokey-Smith opened up an insurmountable lead. Weber’s consolation was a large gap back to the chase for third.

Neither riders’ spot would be challenged the rest of the race. Gokey-Smith took home her second straight national title and Weber her second-straight second.

“I knew this course wasn’t going to be won on fitness, it was going to be won on basically not making mistakes,” said Gokey-Smith. “I just tried to ride clean and smooth; that was my only focus. Of course I don’t need to be told to go hard. Be as smooth as possible.”

The battle for third was an exciting one. Anne Perry, Jamie Dalton and Tanya Dalton (CX Nation) battled for position into the last lap. Dalton led the way into the last lap, but Perry took over the third spot in the second half of the laatste ronde to take the third podium spot.

Photos, interviews and results are below.

Women Masters 45-49 Results: 2018 Reno Cyclocross Nationals

Place	Bib	LAST	First	Team	City ST	Time	Gap
1	105	GOKEY-SMITH	Christina	RBM/Matrix Racing	Denton TX	35:03
2	95	WEBER	Kristin		Boulder CO	35:52	49
3	114	PERRY	Anne	Utah Cycling Association	Draper UT	36:15	1:12
4	119	DALTON	Janie		Kensington CA	36:23	1:20
5	102	GROSSMAN	Tanya	CX Nation	Castro Valley CA	36:30	1:27
6	116	ESTEP	Gina	Team Thrive p/b Kaiser Permane	Renton WA	36:32	1:29
7	91	DAY	Carrie	Deschutes Brewery	Bend OR	36:51	1:48
8	101	HUDSON	Lisa	Feedback Sports Racing	Golden CO	36:54	1:51
9	107	BETTIS	Tanya	Elevate PHW / Bikeworks ABQ	Albuquerque NM	36:56	1:53
10	93	WESCOTT	Erica		Bend OR	37:07	2:04
11	99	BALIKA	Karen		Littleton CO	37:47	2:44
12	98	MCGOVERN	Hollie	Top Club	Nevada City CA	38:11	3:08
13	111	ABEL	Margell	Team Kappius	Boulder CO	38:28	3:25
14	104	ALVARES	Marila	Dirt Birds	Sacramento CA	38:35	3:32
15	92	RAGAN-MARLOWE	Jennifer	Matrix/RBM	Dallas TX	39:59	4:56
16	113	UETRECHT	Stephanie	Bend Elite Cycling	Bend OR	40:19	5:16
17	100	ROCKSON	Jessica	US Military Endurance Sports	Alameda CA	41:40	6:37
18	94	BLOMBERG	Mielle		Portland OR	42:17	7:14
19	97	WEISS	Nicole	Team Thrive p/b Kaiser Permane	Seattle WA	42:21	7:18
20	117	CHATOWSKY	Amy	Northern California/Nevada Cycl	Reno NV	43:31	8:28
21	108	GALEOTO	A Paige		Reno NV	44:34	9:31
22	110	KENTERA	Shannon	Dirt Birds	Sacramento CA	46:29	11:26
23	109	PROUGH	Kristi	Soundpony Triad Bank	Tulsa OK	34:35	@1Lap
24	112	ISAAC	Mary	VELOSOPHY	Knoxville TN	37:30	@1Lap
25	106	SNOVEL	Mary	Dirt Birds	Sacramento CA	37:59	@1Lap
26	118	PATCH	Lori	Reno Wheelmen	Reno NV	46:17	@1Lap
DNF	96	AREND	Kristie	ALP Cycles Racing	Louisville CO

For more from Reno, see our continuing coverage of the 2018 Reno Cyclocross Nationals on our dedicated Nationals page.

Photos from the races and reports are available to license here, with more to be added throughout the next week.

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