Maghalie Rochette (SRAM/Seeker) and Eric Brunner (Competitive Edge Racing) won the elite C2 races at Charm City Cross in Baltimore, Maryland, putting the duo at the top of the elite standings of the Trek US Cyclocross Series with two races remaining.
Baltimore's Druid Hill Park hosted the weekend of C1 and C2 UCI races, which was the third of four stops for USCX contenders. For Rochette, it was her fifth victory in six races in the series, keeping her atop the elite women's standings, 36 points ahead of second-placed Manon Bakker (Fenix-Deceuninck), and well ahead of third-placed Sidney McGill (Lastig Off-Road Racing).
The USCX elite women's leaderboard reflected the order of finish on Sunday as well, but it was a hard-fought battle for Rochette who punctured on the pavement at the end of the opening lap and had to lost time to Bakker and McGill for a bike change.
"I heard someone yell that Maghalie had to pit. I thought, ‘That’s tough, but I have to go fast now, sorry',” Bakker told organisers at the finish.
By the start of the third lap, Rochette had reconnected with fellow Canadian McGill, and two laps later made the catch of Bakker on Mansion Hill.
"I think the hill was a little bit more punchy going up. I could ride the same speed, but then she had an acceleration to go a little bit faster uphill," Bakker explained. "She had a gap of 13 seconds. That’s not a lot, but too much to close.”
Bakker would finish 15 seconds behind Rochette in second, and McGill down 51 seconds. Rochette struggled in previous years at the Baltimore race, but went two-for-two this time.
“In the first few years, it was not my favorite, but the crowds here are always awesome. People really get into the racing and they're loud and it's really fun. It really creates a good vibe and a good weekend. I'm charmed now,” the USCX leader said.
Men's C2 battle
Brunner had a clean ride on Sunday, a far different experience than his crash and broken BOA dial on one of his shoes on Saturday, and used the final climbs on Mansion Hill to distance rival and reigning US cyclocross national champion Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) for the win.
“Honestly, it was a bit of a mental victory for me today,” Brunner told organisers at the finish. “Yesterday, I really struggled mentally after my crash and I just never got back in it. So today, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do something.”
Brunner and Strohmeyer, who have split wins across six USCX races so far, attacked and counter-attacked each other on the fast, dry course for the first half of the race. With three circuits to go, Strohmeyer hit an extra gear to gain an edge on Mansion Hill, but Brunner reconnected on the tricky off-camber section along the top and moved away for good.
Strohmeyer finished 11 seconds back in second, which was enough to also hold off a charging Kerry Werner (Velo Mafia Racing p/b Bikeflights), who trailed another 9 seconds in third.
Like their battle in the races, the series lead went back to Brunner's advantage, now 12 points ahead of Strohmeyer. Werner was well back in third place, and held a 10-point margin over Tyler Clark (Caledon Hills Armada).
The series heads to Trek CX Cup in Waterloo, Wisconsin for the final pair of elite races taking place on the 3.2km course on the campus of Trek Bicycle world headquarters, C1 on Saturday and C2 on Sunday.
Results
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