Wissahickon Cross - UCI C1
Granogue, Delaware Cross -Ryan  Trebon and Dee Dee Winfield Score Close wins.

Tim Johnson and Bishop Jostle for Third

Conshohocken, PA, USA: In a classic edition of the Cyclocross at Granogue klon Saturday saw a double dip of Kona as Ryan Trebon (Kona) and Dee Dee Winfield (Velo Bella – Kona) scored wins in the Autumn classic. Both wins came down to last lap moves in the UCI C1 event.

The Cyclocross at Granogue is one of America’s classic cyclocross races. Held on the property of the DuPont Family’s Estate, the course winds its way up and down steep hills, through gardens and forested paths. The Venue’s signature is the tower hill, where every year promoter Tom McDaniel lays out one of the fastest downhill, off-camber turns in the sport. Jeremy Powers echoed the opinion of many of the 500 plus entrants when he said, “Granogue is one of my favorite races. I love it here. You know, every year I come I’m always excited. I love the tower, I love this time of the year, and this is always for me one of the first races that I really, really enjoy racing. I love Granogue.”

In the preliminary races, two riders at opposite ends of the age spectrum kept their MAC Powered by SRAM unbeaten streaks intact. 15 year old Jeff “The Delaware Phenom” Bahnson (Henry’s Bikes/Van Dessel Factory Team) beat 107 other category 2/3/4 men. He did it the hard way, crashing on the last lap and losing 14 seconds, yet was still able to win by 20 seconds. It was Bahnson’s fourth win in 9 days as he also rode undefeated in the Men’s Intermediate/Category 3 Class at all three of last weeks’ races in Cincinnati. In the Elite Masters division, Roger Aspholm (Westwood Video) took another dominating win.

Elite Women’s
With two of the series’ three unbeaten riders taking victories, the pressure was on MAC Powered by SRAM Elite Women’s points leader Laura van Gilder (C3-Sollay.com) to keep the streak alive. But a first-lap flat front tire quickly eliminated her from contention. The start of the Women’s race up the half-mile long, curving driveway lacked the intensity of the usually mad scramble. But there was lots of jockeying for position with Dee Dee “The Grass Hopper” Winfield asserting herself on the outside. By the time the reached the top of the tower hill about two minutes later, there was a lead group of three: Winfield and her Velo Bella teammate Kathy Sherwin, and defending MAC Powered by SRAM Women’s Champ Maureen “Mo” Bruno-Roy wearing the new colors of MM Racing presented by Seven Cycles. For the rest of the race, a pattern emerged where Sherwin would get dropped in the technical sections only to bridge back up to the leaders on the long, slightly-uphill, wind swept start/finish “straight”. The fact that it wasn’t really straight would have implications later in the Men’s race.

Said Winfield afterwards, “Well, Mo would always run up this hill (the steep run-up), so we would get gapped a little bit - I had to run it. On the last lap I dropped my chain so I had to burn myself to get back to her. But I had to catch her a little and come back, and then ride conservatively in the whoop-de-loops so Kathy could catch back on. Then she would attack coming up the street. So we were just trying to work it the best we could.” The last time up the tower hill, Sherwin lost contact with the other two leaders and appeared out of contention. But amazingly, as they turned onto the long road finish, she was back with the lead trio. All three marked each other until Winfield jumped first and was able to old off the other two by a bike length, while Sherwin nipped Bruno-Roy on the line for second. “I know sprinting is my weak point,” said Bruno-Roy following the race.

Elite Men's
 In the Men’s race, Jeremiah Bishop (Trek/VW) took the holeshot in the 49 man field, with Jittery Joe’s Matt Shriver slotted in second and Jeremy Powers (Cyclocrossworld.com) in third. By the end of the first lap, the trio had a 7 second lead on Kona’s Ryan Trebon. Shriver faded as the duo of Trebon and Tim Johnson (Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com) bridged across the gap to Powers and Bishop. “For some reason, I couldn’t shift down into my 12,” said Trebon later, “so I didn’t have the gear to do an acceleration to get into the top five. So Tim (Johnson) and me paced ourselves up to those guys.”

Meanwhile, as a Blues/Funk band played in the awards area adjacent to the pits, Bishop was putting on a show in the woods as he bunny hopped the uphill barriers. But then in quick succession, Tim Johnson flatted and Jeremiah Bishop cracked. Fortunately for Johnson, he was near the pits and only lost about 15 seconds before he could get his spare bike, but he never saw the front of the race again. Up front, Trebon and Powers kept rolling, with neither making a move until the last lap when Trebon forced the pace until he gapped Powers at the top of the “run-up” (which most of the Elite Men were able to ride). Said Powers, “In the end, it was one little bobble in a corner and Ryan got a couple of seconds and was able to hold on for the win. No hard feelings, Ryan’s a great rider.”

Twenty seconds later Tim Johnson led Jeremiah Bishop for the sprint up the long, slightly curving finish road. Bishop appeared to be passing to the inside when a lapped rider on the side of the course became a moving pick and allowed Johnson to win the sprint and the final place on the podium, despite a protest by Bishop. Though both riders preferred not to be quoted for this report about the disagreement that followed, it is known that the conversation centered on the definition of “a straight line”. While Johnson rode the shortest distance between two points, Bishop felt that he had established a position to the inside of Johnson and that Johnson’s “straight line” took him off-course and into a collision course with the lapped rider who was already riding in the gutter and trying not to interfere. Neither rider gave any more ground in the discussion that followed than in the sprint itself, which should make for an interesting race when the MAC Powered by SRAM Series continues tomorrow in Ludwig’s Corner Pennsylvania with the Wissahickon Cyclocross.

Wissahickon Cross - UCI C1
Granogue, DE October 18, 2008
Category: Elite Men 49 starters
1 1:04:05 103 Trebon Ryan Kona
2 Tim Johnson
4 1:04:30 115 Bishop Jeremiah Trek/VW
5 1:05:14 107 Driscoll Jamey Cyclocrossworld.com/Cannondale
6 1:05:56 120 Jacques-Maynes Andy Specialized/KMC pb Cal Giant
7 1:06:07 104 Wicks Barry KONA
8 1:06:13 111 Shriver Matt Jittery Joe's Pro Cycling Team
9 1:06:44 108 Baker Jonathan Vitamin Cottage p/b XP Companies
10 1:06:56 105 Wells Troy Team Clif Bar
11 1:06:59 146 Timmerman Dan Team Race Pro
12 U23 1:07:13 114 McGrath Adam Van Dessel
13 1:07:36 109 frattini davide Colavita/sutter home presented by Cooking light
14 1:07:43 110 Spinelli Justin RGM WATCHES-RICHARD SACHS-BOATHOUSE INC
15 1:07:48 118 Dillon Josh Fiordifrutta / Cannondale
16 1:08:53 113 Schempf Weston C3-Sollay.com
17 1:09:18 140 Lindine Justin TARGETRAINING
18 1:09:23 142 DeWald Ryan Battley Harley Davidson
19 1:09:27 123 Wulfkuhle Andrew C3-Sollay.com
20 U23 1:10:22 124 Hammaker Kyle scott bicycles
21 1:10:35 112 Kraus Matt RGM WATCHES -Richard Sachs/Boathouse Inc.
22 1:10:41 147 Hines Justin handlebar CC
23 1:10:49 131 Elliston Bill Fuji
24 1:11:15 126 Hebe Michael VisitPA.com
25 1:11:21 122 Tisza Zoltan P-NIVO Beton Expressz 2000
26 1:11:53 128 Burns John Bikeman.com
27 1:12:18 117 Wittwer Greg ALAN North America Cycling Team
28 LAP-1 133 Wolfson Kevin Fitness Together/IF p/b Lionette's
29 LAP-1 121 yozell michael VisitPA.com

Elite Women Results
1 44:31 211 0 Deidre Velo Bella - Kona
2 35+ 44:32 208 0 Kathy Velo Bella - Kona
3 44:32 201 0 Maureen MM Racing p/b Seven Cycles
4 45:01 202 0 Rebecca Ridley Factory Team
5 45:40 205 0 Barbara Velo Bella
6 45:52 215 0 Josie Specialized/KMC pb Cal Giant
7 35+ 46:07 210 0 LAURA C3 Sollay
8 46:56 203 0 Anna Velo Bella-Kona
9 47:08 221 0 Kristin Human Zoom/Pabst Blue Ribbon
10 47:43 204 0 Amy RGM WATCHES -Richard Sachs/Boathouse Inc.
11 35+ 47:51 213 0 Lauri Secret Henry's Team
12 47:52 218 0 nikki Human Zoom Pabst Blue Ribbon
13 35+ 48:22 207 0 Libbey Tokyo Joe's
14 49:39 214 0 Heidi C3-Sollay.com
15 49:57 226 0 Julie ALAN North America Cycling
16 50:19 217 0 Kristine Human Zoom/ Pabst Blue Ribbon
17 35+ 50:32 209 0 BETH C3-Sollay.com
18 35+ 50:55 212 0 Elizabeth C3-Sollay.com
19 35+ 50:55 225 0 Jill Guy's Racing
20 51:12 220 0 Alie RGM Wathces -Richard Sachs/Boathouse Inc.
21 35+ 51:53 219 0 Diane C3-Sollay.com
22 35+ 52:16 216 0 Megan Hup United
23 35+ 52:31 222 0 Kristy EPS/CSS/Riptide Cycling
24 52:50 227 0 Kathleen CONNECTICUT COAST CYCLING
DNF 00:00 223 0 arley Hub Racing
DNF 00:00 224 0 Alicia RGM Wathces -Richard Sachs/Boathouse Inc.
DNS 35+ 00:00 206 0 JENNIFER team kenda tire