Advertisement

North Carolina hosted the final races on the East Coast for the 2016-17 USA Cycling Professional Cyclocross Calendar (ProCX) on Sunday with the Hunter Subaru North Carolina Grand Prix (NCGP). This was the 11th year for the NCGP at Jackson Park in Hendersonville, N.C.

Kemmerer Victorious in Elite Women’s C2 – NCGP Day 2

Day 2 of the Women’s Elite UCI C2 race was ruled by Arley Kemmerer (Fearless Femme Racing), taking the line unchallenged for her third Pro CX win of the season.

“I was surprised by the difficulty of the course today,” said Kemmerer, who came into NCGP weekend ranked 10th overall on the Pro CX Elite Women’s individual standings. “It had a lot of tight, twisting turns, but also a lot of power sections. The turns and run-ups were made much more challenging and decisive because of the freeze-thaw on the surface, which was great practice, because I expect to see similar conditions at Nationals in Hartford.”

Cassandra Maximenko (Van Dessel Factory Team) improved from her third-place performance on Saturday at Jackson Park to take the second step of the podium on Sunday. Third was secured by Rutherford College (N.C.) rider Hannah Arensmen.

It was a second podium finish in back-to-back events for Arensman, who placed third last weekend at Major Taylor ‘Cross Cup in Indianapolis. Arensman turned heads in January when she was the top junior in the inaugural USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championship event for Under-23 women.

NCGP Day 2 Elite Women's podium: Arley Kemmerer (first), Cassandra Maximenko (second), Hannah Arensman (third). © Laura Rice

NCGP Day 2 Elite Women’s podium: Arley Kemmerer (first), Cassandra Maximenko (second), Hannah Arensman (third). © Laura Rice

Under cloudy skies and chilly temperatures hovering around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it was Julie Wright (Team Averica) who took the holeshot. The field started to stretch out early, with Crystal Anthony (Boulder Cycle Sport/ YogaGlo) taking the lead coming through the pits on the second time at the flyover on the twisting course. She had opened a small gap over the 29-rider field on the second lap, with Rebecca Fahringer (Amy D. Foundation) and Kemmerer trying to close.

By the final lap, it was Kemmerer who had secured a sizeable lead, going uncontested with arms outstretched to the line. Anthony relinquished her early lead after a crash, but would finish 55 seconds back for a solid fourth place.

“(I am) very happy to end the regular season on such a high note,” Kemmerer added. “I am also very excited to carry that momentum to Nationals.”

Livermon Takes First Win Ahead of Werner

For the Elite Men, the final scrimmage in the Blue Ridge Mountains was led by Kerry Werner (KONA Factory) from the bell lap, taking charge at the signature climb at Jackson Park, The Wall. It came down to a duel on the final lap between Werner and Travis Livermon (Astellas Cycling Team), with Livermon making his move before the final pavement section and taking his first Pro CX win of the year.

NCGP Tristan Cowie leads over the flyover. © Laura Rice

NCGP Tristan Cowie leads over the flyover. © Laura Rice

After the first circuit, Werner had four riders nipping at his heels – Livermon, Saturday’s winner Tristan Cowie (Triple Oaks Racing), Dan Timmerman (Stan’s NoTubes Elite) and Byron Rice (Storm Racing Team). With three laps to go, Werner and Livermon began to distance themselves from Cowie and Rice, making the final selection. Cowie battled it out with Rice for the final podium spot, with the Brevard, N.C. native securing third.

The Pro CX concludes Dec. 11 with events at the Hunter Subaru North Carolina Grand Prix in Hendersonville, N.C. and the Resolution Cross Cup in Garland, Texas. This year’s Pro CX featured 42 scoring events across 16 states.

2016 NCGP - North Carolina Gran Prix Day 2 Results - Elite Women

PlaceBibNameTeamTime
13KEMMERER ArleyFearless Femme Racing0:46:52
24MAXIMENKO CassandraVan Dessel Factory Team0:47:13
312ARENSMAN HannahTWENTY20 Pro Cycling0:47:28
42ANTHONY CrystalBoulder Cycle Sport/ YogaGlo0:47:47
514SWARTZ EmmaTrek Cyclocross Collective0:47:52
61FAHRINGER RebeccaAmy D. Foundation0:47:53
713PATTON CourtneyFreddie Fu Cycling Team0:47:56
811RATHBUN LaurelRaleigh Clement0:48:11
99SHIELDS EmilyHearts Racing Club0:48:50
106ARENSMAN AllisonJ.A. King p/b BR'C0:49:04
117MALIK JenniferCincinnati Cyclocross0:49:15
1210SCHMITZ AvanellMermaid Winery0:49:58
138RUBINO RachelFearless Femme Racing0:50:20
1422SHIELDS KatherineHearts Racing Club0:51:13
1521LUPIEN LeslieGreen Line Velo0:51:27
1630COWIE NatashaSteed Cycles0:51:45
1715TUFANO AllysonSportif Coaching Group0:51:54
1816FACCONE ErinBack Bay Cycling Club0:52:09
1917LEWANDOWSKI RebeccaRare Disease Cycling0:52:31
2023WILLIAMS LilyBonkers Cycling0:53:36
2124DORINZI NicolePro Mountain Outfitters0:54:03
2227MANESS PaytenRenewed Cyclocross0:55:20
2329CARRELLI MariaThe 706 Project1 Lap
2425BRODE SamanthaVeloFemme1 Lap
2520KUYK-WHITE TaylorLaser Cats Feline All Stars1 Lap
2626HAUSLE LydiaBack Bay Cycling Club2 Lap
DNF5WRIGHT JulieTeam AvericaDNF
DNF18GROGAN JoanneNEXT-BMBDNF
DNF19KOROL MeghanTeam HandmadeDNF

2016 NCGP - North Carolina Gran Prix Day 2 Results - Elite Men

PlaceBibNameTeamTime
183LIVERMON TravisMaxxis Shimano1:04:06
251WERNER KerryKona Endurance Team1:04:18
356COWIE TristanTriple Oaks Cycling1:05:42
458RICE ByronStorm Racing Team1:05:47
555MARION RobertAmerican Classic Pro CX1:06:38
657RYAN AlexMOB p/b VP Components1:06:58
759DAVIS MerwinCyclus Sports1:08:58
876MORSE NathanielBikereg.com1:09:26
960REARDON AndrewSonic Cycling Team p/b Provision Sports Me USA0:05:34
1063MULLALY KeithR2 Endurance Coaching1:09:58
1161GAFFNEY LewisGiant Bicycles South1:10:03
1253TIMMERMAN DanStan's NoTubes Elite CX1:10:48
1362SHEFTALL WilliamDelta Racing1:10:55
1480PERLEY BradfordGiant Bicycles South1:11:25
1577BAILEY AndrewProvision PEAK Performance Team p/b Visi USA0:07:34
1666TRAVIESO FrankThe 706 Project1:11:49
1774MCGILL ScottBrevard College1:13:10
1865LIVERMON LucasCyclus Sports2 Lap
1967HOFFNER ScottCIC Racing2 Lap
2064VRAMBOUT OlivierWaffle Power Cycling Club2 Lap
2171BARNES WillBerger Hardware Bikes3 Lap
2272SCARANO AndrewThe 706 Project3 Lap
2368GOORSKEY AbeAmerican Classic Pro CX3 Lap
2482WIKOFF PhilSuper Squadra4 Lap
2584BROOKSHIRE GraysonOrganic Valley p/b Highball Energy4 Lap
DNF70HOUGH CharlieUCI CT: Holowesko | Citadel Racing Team USA
DNF81BROOKSHIRE JamesNCCF SpecializedDNF
DNS75PETROV SpencerCyclocross Alliance