2012 Colorado Cross Classic: a day to remember or forget

October 28, 2012

Summerhill takes the holeshot

[updated 11/7/12]

Like most cyclocross courses, racers win at the Colorado Cross Classic on Boulder Reservoir by making the least number of mistakes – as long as their luck and their legs hold out. Yesterday the 3.5 kilometer course built two men up, and tore two men down.

Ryan Trebon (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld) knows the venue; he said he’s raced it on and off since 2005 or 2006, and he won the elite men’s race there in 2011. “I had a good time last year,” he said before yesterday’s race.

On the Boulder Reservoir beach

Trebon’s luck changed yesterday when a series of small errors, like skidding out on an uphill curve and going wide on a turn after the log section, stole the first place lead he fought to maintain over Ben Berden (Raleigh-Clement) and Danny Summerhill (Chipotle-First Solar).

Summerhill started the race as a favorite based on good results so far this season. He led early, grabbing the holeshot, but steadily lost position early in the race due to several mechanical issues.

“I broke a bike, I had to pit a couple of times, which wasn’t so great,” he said after the race. “So that was just pretty depressing in general; that was terrible.” A brake broke after his bike switch. He continued racing, “pedaling around for a while with my brakes on.” He also felt he’d started with too much pressure in his tires, which caused him to sink in the muddy sections and made it tougher to keep up the pace with the leaders.

A little over halfway into the race Trebon led from early on, his teammate Jamey Driscoll and Berden had bridged up to him. Driscoll rode strongly, at times pacing Trebon at the front.

Jamey Driscoll aced the sand

Berden said he reached the duo as a result of a mistake by Trebon. He hadn’t expected to catch the defending leader, nor to win the day. “My legs weren’t that good, so half-way I was surprised when Trebon made a mistake, and then we were three together,” Berden said after he crossed the line first, outsprinting Driscoll with Trebon twenty seconds behind.

As for Driscoll, he soft-pedaled off the course after wrapping up an interview, happy to be racing at the front in a season he didn’t seem to feel terribly content about thus far. “I feel like a bike racer again,” he said.