Maghalie Rochette wins third-straight USCX race on Day 1 of Rochester CX

Maghalie Rochette earned her third-straight cyclocross win Saturday, on a fast, dry course in New York. The St.-Adele, Que. racer dominated Day 1 of Rochester Cyclocross, leading a very strong Canadian showing in the United States.

Behind Rochette, Sidney McGill and Isabella Holmgren dueled for podium positions, with Canucks taking three of the top four spots.

How the race unfolded

Off the line, it was Caroline Mani (Groove Off-Road) taking the hole shot. The veteran French racer wouldn’t lead for long, though, as Rochette (Canyon Cllctv) attacked up a steep embankment just two minutes into the women’s race to take over the lead.

Rochette quickly established a gap and never looked back. After separating herself from the field, Rochette would build her advantage all the way to the finish line.

Behind, Caroline Mane fell into a duel with Edmonton’s Sidney McGill (Cérvelo-Orange Living) for second. Mani attacked through the finish line with four laps to go moving clear of the Canadian and into second place. Behind, junior cyclocross and mountain bike world champion Isabella Holmgren (Stimulus Orbea) was keeping the pressure on in fourth. Last year’s dominant racer and Pan Am champ Raylyn Nuss, was holding fifth place.

At the finish line, Rochette would take the win with a 1:07 advantage to Mani. It is Rochette’s third win in three USCX starts after doubling up at the Go Cross season opener last weekend.

Sidney McGill held off Isabella Holmgren for third and the final podium spot, but couldn’t catch up to the French racer. Holmgren finished fourth, 1:39 back from Rochette.

Katelyn Walcroft also finished on the lead lap in 12th.

Men’s races

In the men’s race, Andrew Strohmeyer (CDX Trek) took the holeshot to lead off the start. A crash going into the fly-over on the first lap caused some chaos in the group, though the leaders made it through safely.

Loris Rouiller (Heizomat RadTeam) quickly took over the lead with Belgium’s Vincent Baestaens and Strohmeyer right on his wheel.

Michael van den Ham (Giant x Easton) was sitting fifth before attacking through the start/finish area to lead onto lap two. The attack wouldn’t last as Rouiller attacked and U.S. national champ Curtis White responded to van den Ham’s acceleration. The Canadian dropped back into the group. White was the next to struggle, tripping just after the barriers while in the lead group. That left Rouiller, Strohmeyer, Baestaens and Scott Funston alone off the front.

Funston would soon drop back, joining a small chse group with van den Ham. That selection would hold for the majority of the race, though both groups were throwing punches all race. Van den Ham looked to be doing the bulk of the work pushing the chase group, but the gap mostly stayed steady at around 25 seconds.

Curtis White did eventually separate himself from the chase group with three laps to go. By the final lap, the U.S. champ had pulled to within ten seconds and visual contact of the lead trio.

The front group sensed danger, though, and started battling for position. Strohmeyer rode the double set of Belgian stairs on the final lap, trying to earn an advantage, but the two Europeans ran past him. Baestaens, winner of the last four editions of Rochester CX, ran up the inside and was back on the bike in first position. Strohmeyer pulled close to the Belgian’s wheel but, after attacking for much of the race, couldn’t find pace to contest the sprint.

Vincent Baestaens wins a fifth-straight Rochester CX, with another chance to extend the streak on Sunday. Andrew Strohmeyer earns a very hard-fought second place with Loris Rouiller trailing across the line for third.

Curtis White takes fourth place with Michael van den Ham having a fantastic ride to finish fifth at 28 seconds back.

Ian Ackert (Stimulus Orbea also had a big day out. The 18-year-old placed ninth among the elite men in Rochester.

Junior racing

There were another three Canadians in the top five of the junior women’s race in Rochester. Lidia Cusack of the U.S.A. kept the win local. Raphaelle Carrier and Maude Ruelland flanked the American on the podium, finishing second and third. Lily Rose Marois followed close behind in fifth.

In the junior men’s race, Jayden McMullen was close to putting Canada on the podium but could not disrupt the U.S. sweep of David Thompson, Miles Mattern and Henry Coote.

Next weekend, USCX racing moves to Charm City CX in Baltimore.