Held at San Rafael Regional Park in Reno, Nevada, the 2018 USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships featured 35 championship contests over six days, with more than 1,600 athletes taking to the start line. On the final day, sunny skies, mild temperatures and large crowds of cheering spectators greeted the competitors around the 3.3-kilometer course.
In the women’s race, Katie Compton (KFC Racing-Trek-Panache) won the same way she won the 13 previous years edition: solo. Second-place finisher Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing), making her elite championships debut, came closer to the 39-year-old than anyone has before, relentlessly reeling in the gap, second by second until crossing the line just seven seconds short.
“I was concerned the whole time,” Compton said. “Ellen has been riding really strong. I know she wants to win really badly too. She’s young, she’s got a ton of energy and technically she’s good so yeah, I knew she was always there and I knew I had to ride smooth and I tried to make as few mistakes as possible. I knew she was there and I wasn’t easing up.”
In the men’s race, Stephen Hyde (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) successfully defended his national cyclocross title, but only just, finishing 13 seconds ahead of four-time national champion Jeremy Powers (Aspire Racing) after a final-lap attack snapped the elastic that had held them together the entire race.
A six-man group formed on the first lap that included Hyde, Powers, Kerry Werner (Kona), Tobin Ortenblad (Santa Cruz-Donkey Label Racing), Curtis White (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) and Jack Kisseberth (JAM Fund-NCC). One by one the group thinned, with White and Kisseberth both suffering punctures while Powers drove the pace. With three laps remaining Powers launched an attack that saw Werner lose contact. Ortenblad was unable to respond, drawing out Hyde, who countered with his own attack. Powers clawed his way onto Hyde’s wheel, and from that point on it was a two-man battle for the stars-and-stripes jersey. A late pass by Hyde in the last half of the final lap proved to be the difference, with Powers finally relenting inside the last moments of the race.
“I have personally learned a lot from Jeremy about racing at altitude,” Hyde said. “Sit and sit and make your move as late as possible. But he was driving it from the beginning, and that’s rare. When I saw Tobin start to kind of wave around, I was like, ‘Okay, he can’t close the gap.’ So I attacked the both of them and got some separation. We dropped Tobin and I knew that was the nail in the coffin. It was up in the air if could drop Jeremy, and he came back super, super strong. It was a really big battle on that last lap. Both of us knew it was going to be who did this run-up on the last lap. He passed me really hard, and I passed him in that last one, and we were able to make it out of the big chicane without crashing, and I got the gap.”
- The single-speed championship race hosted 157 starters. Jake Wells (NoTubes) came out of the scrum to take the win.
- Tom Hopper put the final touches on Jeremy Powers’ race bike.
- Cannondale mechanic Gary Wolfe prepared Stephen Hyde’s race bike after switching the rear wheel to one with a file-tread tire.
- Emma White (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) cruised to her first U23 national title. The favorite to win, she carried a 33-second margin of victory at the line.
- The U23 Men’s race filled the front straight side-to-side after the start. Christopher Blevins (Specialized), second from left, had already worked his way to the front from the second row.
- Christopher Blevins (Specialized) used mountain-bike skills and road racing strength to take command of the U23 men’s race on a fast, open circuit.
- On the third lap, the front of the U23 men’s race remained crowded, with five riders all within striking distance of one another.
- Katie Compton was flanked on the front row by her two most frequently mentioned competitors.
- Ellen Noble (Aspire Racing) headed to staging in her final domestic race of the year following a long season.
- Katie Compton took the lead on the first lap with a dramatic pass of Ellen Noble that charged the crowd and set the tone for the rest of the race.
- The closest competition in the Elite Women’s race was just behind the lead trio, with four riders within close reach of the position. Courtenay McFadden proved she’s recovered from her hip surgery by claiming fourth place.
- Katie Compton won her 14th straight national championship Sunday in Reno, Nevada.
- Ellen Noble finished close enough behind Katie Compton that she was tangled in the winner’s confetti. The seven-second gap was the closest of Compton’s 14 straight wins.
- Katie Compton was left gasping for air after a last-lap bobble required her to put in a huge effort to ensure victory over Ellen Noble.
- Tobin Ortenblad rode the rollers during warm-up shortly before the men’s race. The Santa Cruz tent served as a center for Ortenblad supporters as much as a team base and mechanic’s station.
- Kerry Warner (Kona) brought the bling to staging.
- Stephen Hyde was vexed by knee problems in the days before cyclocross nationals, and compounded the problem by falling on the same knee during the midday practice session.
- Kerry Warner was first at the end of the start straight in the Elite Men’s race.
- Jeremy Powers was in hot pursuit of leader Tobin Ortenblad through the side-hill technical section.
- The select group was wheel-to-wheel for the first four laps, even through the technical downhill section.
- Stephen Hyde and Jeremy Powers separated themselves from the field with three laps to go, but in a race reminiscent of their competition of two seasons ago, the duo were close until near the end of the last lap.
- Four-time Elite National Champion Jonathan Page rode his last cyclocross race on Sunday. His career is notable for wins in tough winter conditions and for embracing life and competition in Europe.
- At the start of the last lap, Jeremy Powers was still trying to distance himself from Stephen Hyde. This effort by a flagging Powers lasted just the length of the pit and exposed his hand to Hyde, who took over the lead and the win.
- Stephen Hyde was unsure of how his national championship race would go after his pre-race preparations were problematic.
- Friends and champions Powers and Hyde congratulated one another after the finish.
- Stephen Hyde, Jeremy Powers, and Kerry Werner did the best they could with podium beers.