Conditions in Hartford, Conn. were more appropriate for a skiing competition than bicycle race at Sunday’s USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships.
However, Easthampton, Mass. rider Stephen Hyde overcame the tough conditions, a crash in the opening lap and a broken rear derailleur in the final stretch to become the 2017 USA Cycling Men’s Elite Cyclocross National Champion.
Hyde held off a fast approaching Jamey Driscoll on the last lap and ran to the finish line with pieces of his bike flying off in the middle of the confetti shower to post a time of 1:05:03.
Driscoll finished just two seconds behind for second place and Kerry Werner placed third.
Durango’s Todd Wells finished in eighth place with a time of 1:07:52. Fort Lewis College’s Skyler Trujillo came in 23rd, one spot ahead of last year’s champion Jeremy Powers.
“This is such a hard course,” Hyde said in a post-race interview. “I knew I was strong coming into it, but a course like this really limits how much you can pedal. It really brought out the best in all these guys, and it was some of the best biking I’ve ever seen.”
Snow, ice and mud had an impact early in the race as a first-lap pile up was just the start of what became a havoc-filled race. Hyde, a Cannondale Cyclocrossworld team member, recovered quickly to retake the lead and stayed there for the rest of the race.
The new champion built a 30-second gap, but ice buildup and a relentless Driscoll behind him made things interesting in a hurry.
Just as Hyde reached the pavement after the final turn and raised his arms in celebration, the bike’s rear derailleur busted. The leader looked back and saw Driscoll furiously working to catch him, but carried his bike over the line with only a couple seconds to spare.
In the Elite Women’s race, Colorado Springs’ Katie Compton won her 13th National Championship in a dominant performance. Compton’s 49:25 finishing time was 28 seconds better than Fort Collins’ Amanda Miller’s second-place time. Kaitlin Antonneau came in third in 50:05.
jfries@durangoherald.com
