Photos by Todd Prekaski

By Cindy Brennan

The second weekend of racing in the 2012 Verge New England Pro Cyclocross Series started today in New Gloucester, Maine, where racers faced an exceptionally challenging course. The rain fell hard the night before the racers took to the course at Pineland Farms, ensuring Downeast Cyclocross would live up to its muddy reputation. On redesigned trail sections, racers spent half of their lap in the woods on this foggy autumn day in New England, the remainder of their lap shared between long but muddy power sections along straightaways and challenging off-camber looping turns. The most exceptional course feature today, however, was the mud - as it usually is at Downeast. 



Crystal Anthony (Cyclocrossworld.com) is on the top of her game this season, showing exceptional form and growing technical prowess. Her tactic today was similar to her tactic at the first weekend in the Verge Series, at Green Mountain Cyclocross weekend in Vermont: Anthony took a solid gap on the Elite Women's field within the first half lap of the race. When she re-emerged from the woods, her gap was already up to 30 seconds. Ellen Noble (Trek Cyclocross Collective), Anna Barensfeld (Pedal Power Training), Britlee Bowman (Pedal Power Training), Catherine Sterling (Bikeman), and Frances Morrison (JAM Fund/NCC/Vittoria) followed in a chase group, but the bunch soon began to break up. Barensfeld made a jump, gapping off the rest; while Sterling, and Bowman looked strong slogging through the mud, they were unable to match Morrison's power as she too rode away. The gaps in the field only grew, Anthony ultimately winning with an incredible lead of two minutes and thirty seconds. Barensfeld, also riding alone once she left her group, rode into a smooth second place, while Morrison motored to third, building an increasing gap on Sterling and Bowman in fourth and fifth.



The Elite Men's race took to the muddy, chewed-up course next, with mountain biker Mike Garrigan (Stage-Race/Blacksmith Cycle) taking the hole shot. However a shake-up occured in the woods from which Justin Lindine (Redline), Jeremy Durrin (JAM Fund/NCC/Vittoria), Dan Timmerman (RGM Watches - Richard Sachs), and Christian Favata (RGM Watches - Richard Sachs) emerged the leaders, and there they would remain. Timmerman and teammate Favata took the front of the race, riding together until Timmerman slipped away to build a solid solo gap for much of the race. Lindine found his legs, however, building speed to catch Timmerman in the penultimate lap. Lindine and Timmerman rode together until the second half of the last lap, when Lindine attacked on a long, soupy mud stretch to take the win, relegating Timmerman to second. Favata rode alone into a third place finish, Durrin with a great ride for fourth, and Shawn Milne (Cyclocrossworld.com) took fifth in a battle with Anthony Clark (JAM Fund/NCC/Vittoria) and Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory).

The action resumes tomorrow, with live results for all the day's races on CrossResults.com and live updates from the race from @VergeNECXS on Twitter.


WOMEN

1     Crystal     Anthony     CYCLOCROSSWORLD.COM     0:42:48        
2     Anna     Barensfeld     pedalpowertraining.com     0:02:32        
3     Frances     Morrison     JAM Fund / NCC / Vittoria     0:03:43        
4     Catherine     Sterling     Bikeman.com     0:04:04        
5     Brittlee     Bowman     pedalpowertraining.com     0:04:38        
6     Ellen     Noble     Trek Cyclocross Collective p/b Trk     0:04:43        
7     Maghalie     Rochette     Powerwatts-FTTIME     0:04:58        
8     Karin     Holmes     Riverside Racing     0:05:23        
9     Christina     Tamilio     LadiesFirst Racing     0:05:57        
10     Joanne     Grogan     Cyclocrossracing.com     0:06:11        
11     Vickie     Monahan     Expo Wheelmen     0:06:37        
12     Nancy     Labbe-giguere     LadiesFirst Racing     0:07:03        
13     Kerry     Litka         0:07:24        
14     Elizabeth     Lukowski     NYCROSS.com p/b VOmax     0:07:35        
15     Ana     Sirianni     HUP United     0:08:51        
16     Emily     Flynn     Tommy and Lefebvre Cycling     0:10:16


MEN

1     Justin     Lindine     Redline     1:02:14        
2     Dan     Timmerman     RGM WATCHES - RICHARD SACHS     1:02:24        
3     Christian     Favata     RGM WATCHES - RICHARD SACHS     1:04:05        
4     Jeremy     Durrin     JAM Fund / NCC / Vittoria     1:04:47        
5     Shawn     Milne     CyclocrossWorld.Com     1:04:59        
6     Anthony     Clark     JAM Fund / NCC / Vittoria     1:05:34        
7     Raphael     Gagne     Rocky Mountain Factory     1:06:22        
8     Jesse     Keough     www.keoughcyclocross.com     1:06:36        
9     Jeremy     Martin     Rocky Mountain Bicycles Factory tea     1:06:31        
10     Michael     Garrigan     Stage-Race/Blacksmith cycle     1:07:33        
11     Nicholas     Keough     www.keoughcyclocross.com     1:08:28        
12     Daniel     Chabanov     RGM WATCHES - RICHARD SACHS     1:09:04        
13     Adam     Myerson     Team SmartStop/Mountain Khakis     1:09:30        
14     Mitch     Bailey     Trek Canada     1:09:43        
15     Josh     Thornton     St. Pete Bike and Fitness     1:10:34        
16     Evan     Huff     BikeReg.com / Joe's Garage     1:12:00        
17     Mike     Wissell     B2C2 p/b Boloco     1:12:09        
18     Jean-philippe     Thibault-roberge     Trek-Bontrager     1L        
19     Joshua     Lehmann     Boston Bicycle School     1L        
20     David     Wilcox     MAD ALCHEMY / VERGE RIDER COOPERATI     1L        
21     Colin     Reuter     pedalpowertraining.com     1L        
22     John     Burns     Burns Racing     1L        
23     John     Herrick     UVM Cycling     2L        
24     Geoffrey     Bouchard     nbx bikes/narragansett beer PB : AP     2L        
25     Joshua     Friedman     The Devil's Gear Bike Shop/New Have     2L        
26     Cameron     Mccormack     Hot Tubes Development Team     3L        
27     John     Hanson     NBX/Narragansett Beer/Apex Tech. Cy     3L        
28     Brendan     Mccormack     Hot Tubes Development Team     3L        
29     Greg     Whitney     Pedalpowertraining.com     3L