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Canada’s Raphael Gagne slots into the top 10 after day one of the 2015 Gran Prix of Gloucester

Saturday's first day of the Gran Prix of Gloucester got the 2015 Verge New England Cyclocross series underway, with competition at the Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

September 27, 2015
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Image credit: Jean-Francois Fullum/Twitter
Image credit: Jean-Francois Fullum/Twitter

Saturday’s first day of the Gran Prix of Gloucester got the 2015 Verge New England Cyclocross series underway, with competition at the Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It’s a classic, well-known course on the U.S. eastern coastline, and under the skillful watch of director Paul Boudreau and course designer Tom Stevens, the terrain found itself infused with new life this year — and definitely a few new challenges for cyclists.

New pedaling stretches were one such new addition, using the loose, sandy terrain to its full, and fully precarious, potential. Another was a new run-up — one that tested competitors more intensely than any other seen at Gloucester. All together, the result was a race for not just the steadiest riders on the start list, but the most well-rounded, versatile athletes to claim.

Other new additions included a 45+ Category 3 division for women, as well as an Elite 35+ class.

The elites, from the outset, sped out en masse along that new, challenging course, leaving rooster tails of dust and sand behind them. Early on, Kona Factory Racing’s Helen Wyman and Ellen Noble, riding for JAM Fund/NCC/Vittoria, put some distance between themselves and what quickly became a huge, frenzied chase group. Just as quickly as Wyman and Noble poured on the speed, though, Caroline Mani — who won at the same event in 2014 — bridged the gap, leaving the main chase to Trek Factory Racing’s Katie Compton, Amanda Miller of Boulder Cycle Sport/YogaGlo, and Australia’s Lisa Jacobs. Compton would be the next to bridge, with the tricky course draining Wyman’s drive as the Kona rider dropped from the lead to fourth place.

The lead group became a three-rider dynamic, with Noble, Mani and Compton pouring it on, leaving the chase group to ride hard in an attempt to catch up. The other cyclists had clearly painted a target on Compton’s jersey, throwing attack after attack her way in an effort to grind her down. Still, the Trek rider held on, taking third with Mani and Noble claiming first place and second, respectively. Wyman, too, managed to hold on to her fourth-place position, despite a concerted effort by the chasing field to weaken her performance.

As the series’ first competition, day one for the women at the Gran Prix of Gloucester saw Mani take the overall jersey, Noble claim the lead in the U23 division, and Compton become the Series’ first 35+ Elite women’s leader. Canada’s Natasha Elliott, meanwhile, riding for Red Truck Garneau p/b Easton Cycling, took 18th place. Compatriot Siobhan Kelly riding for To Wheels/Epic Sports Performance, crossed the finish in 56th place.

Canada’s Raphael Gagne represents for the men in the top 10

The opening hole shot of the men’s competition saw Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com’s Curtis White leap into the day’s sandy fray, followed hard on his rear wheel by Stephen Hyde and Ryan Trebon, both White’s teammates. The three Cannondale riders were quickly joined by Jeremy Powers, whose win at Gloucester in the last two years running certainly made him one of the race’s competitors to watch — both for spectators and cyclists alike.

With the demonstrated strength that won him those competitions, Powers found himself gap the rest of the field with White, Hyde and Trebon, leaving the chase group struggling to keep up.

Between the four riders at the front, it was a battle the whole way. The Cannondale riders would trade off attacks, as in the women’s race, testing Powers’s drive as he tried to hold on to the lead. Each time, Powers would need to pour on yet another chase, closing the momentary gaps claimed by the other lead riders. Before long, the course itself proved to be an asset to Powers’s performance. Trebon hit a rock, flatting out, with Hyde sharing the same fate shortly thereafter. Before long, it was Curtis White and Jeremy Powers at the front, with Powers opening up a decisive gap as Hyde eventually caught up in third place. By the finish, Powers took the win — his fifth in a row at Gloucester — while White clung to second place and Hyde, bouncing back from that flat, rolled home in third.

Raleigh/Clement’s Jamey Driscoll, a diesel through the entire race, took fourth. Trebon, meanwhile, who had gradually worked up to 10th place before the competition’s closing stretch, bumped that standing up another few places and came in fifth.

Just over two minutes behind Powers’s first place finish, Canada’s Raphael Gagne took Trebon’s spot in 10th place, slotting into the top ten. Other Canadian riders included Mark McConnell, riding for Hot Sauce Cycling Club, whose 18th-place finish put him 4:07 behind Powers. Derrick St. John of Silber Pro Cycling finished 22nd, 4:40 back, while Red Truck – Garneau p/b Easton Cycling’s Michael Van Den Ham finished 25th.

Sunday’s competition on day two of the Gran Prix of Gloucester will officially decide the Series’ leaders.