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Rochette gets revenge, Durrin dominates at Winnipeg International Grand Prix

Maghalie Rochette
October 25, 2015
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There was redemption for Maghalie Rochette (QC/Luna Pro Team) Sunday as she won the Winnipeg International Grand Prix elite women’s race the day after she was denied the podium at the Canadian Cyclocross Championships. American Jeremy Durrin made a strong move at the midway point of the men’s race to take the victory. Geoff Kabush (3Rox), runner-up in Saturday’s contest, was top Canadian on Sunday, also taking second.

The riders faced a greasy layer atop a hard base at the Forks in Winnipeg. Natasha Elliot (Red Truck-Garneau) took the hole shot with the new Canadian champion Mical Dyck (BC/Naked Factory Racing) right behind. Midway through the first lap Dyck nabbed the lead. Soon Dyck had a gap over Manitoban Anna Schappert (Dark Red Racing), but by the run-up American Meredith Miller (Noosa Yogurt) had assumed second spot.

Maghalie Rochette (Luna) found Saturday’s National Championship not to her liking, but on Sunday she became Dyck’s main pursuer on the second lap and was only in arrears by two-seconds at the end of Lap 2. Rochette seized the lead on the third lap and the two Canadians held 10-seconds over Miller.

Soon after the duo had pulled their gap out to 20-seconds, Rochette moved away from Dyck. At the start of the bell lap, the rider from Quebec was 10-seconds ahead of the Canadian champion. Rochette kept pouring it on and finished over 20-seconds faster than Dyck. Miller kept her third spot.

Durrin (Neon Velo) claimed the elite men’s race hole shot and pulled a long train over the old rail bridge. Allen Krughoff (USA/Noosa Yogurt) took over the lead in the second sand pit of the triple. By the second lap the Red Truck-Garneau duo of Michael van den Ham and Canadian champ Raphaël Gagné, along with Geoff Kabush (Scott-3Rox), moved closer to the front.

The quintet had a gap of seven seconds ahead of a chase group of three at the beginning of the third lap. Van den Ham took over the lead. Once Durrin retook the lead he attacked and van den Ham was his nearest pursuer, five-seconds back at the start of Lap 4. The trio of Gagné, Kabush and Krughoff was a further five-seconds in arrears.

The trio rejoined van den Ham. Durrin held an 11-second lead by the rail bridge. The chase began to splinter, with Kabush and van den Ham the closest to Durrin, while Krughoff and Gagné fell back to the next chase group.

Krughoff made it back to Kabush and van den Ham as Durrin pulled out even more time on Lap 5. Kabush pushed on alone looking for the silver, as Durrin created a veritable chasm back to Kabush. Van den Ham was leading the bronze competition by the seventh lap, but Krughoff got the better of him on the final lap. Derek Zandstra of Scott-2Rox posted the fastest lap of the day to eclipse van den Ham for fourth.

2015 Winnipeg International Grand Prix Elite Women
1) Maghalie Rochette (QC/Luna)
2) Mical Dyck (BC/Naked Factory Racing)
3) Meredith Miller (USA/Noosa Yogurt)

2015 Winnipeg International Grand Prix Elite Men
1) Jeremy Durrin (USA/Neon Velo)
2) Geoff Kabush (BC/Scott-3Rox)
3) Allen Krughoff (USA/Noosa Yogurt)

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