November 1, 2009

November 1, 2009. Tim Johnson grabs two wins, Jeremy Powers takes two seconds, Jamey Driscoll snags two thirds in a big weekend for Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com. Head to www.cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com for more information.

Team Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com continued its string of strong results as the North American Cyclocross Trophy series turned its sights to Colorado for Saturday's Blue Sky Velo Cup and Sunday's Boulder Cup. Tim Johnson finished up the weekend with his sixth and seventh wins of the season and a stranglehold on the NACT overall leader board.

A thick covering of snow, dropped only days before Saturday's Blue Sky Velo Cup in Longmont, Colorado, did nothing to slow the team, who relished the loose, muddy conditions resulting from an early-season snowstorm. Johnson, who is a specialist in adverse conditions, quickly moved to the front. "Jeremy and I rode together for the about a lap then I ended up taking off a little bit. I was having fun out there," said Johnson. "It was one of those courses where you could get a good line going, so you could anticipate the corners a bit." Johnson's technical skills kept him off the front of the field, and he was able to grab his sixth win of the season, and the thirteenth victory of the season for the team.

Jeremy Powers was the next closest to Johnson, but found himself just off the pace of the captain. Jamey Driscoll, the final cog in the Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com machine, moved his way up from a slow start and joined Powers, and for a time it looked as if the team would sweep the podium with ease. Soon, Adam Craig (Giant) joined the party, and it was up to Powers and Driscoll to fend him off. According to Driscoll, "Craig got up to us, and that was a pretty impressive ride for him considering how far back he started, but for the two of us it was pretty nice to hold him off." Unfortunately, Craig suffered an untimely mechanical and allowed Powers and Driscoll to escape to the podium. Powers eventually dropped Driscoll to take second, leaving third to Driscoll. Powers was satisfied with the team's performance on the day: "We had a good race today, we had zero problems. Everything was straightforward for us and what we wanted it to be."

The riders found a dry and dusty course to tackle Sunday in Boulder, Colorado, the polar opposite of Saturday's conditions. Powers took the day's first initiative, using his first lap speed to build a gap over the rest of the field. "Jeremy took off like a bat out of hell and I was able to catch him, and I we rode together, trading blows with each other. We were definitely racing each other, not just riding around," said Johnson. Driscoll took a little longer to reach the front, but once there, he focused on holding off Geoff Kabush (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain). Driscoll managed to hang on to third despite a late fall. Driscoll said, "I hit a loose gravel section through a high speed corner and lost my front wheel. I'm sure he [Kabush] saw the blood in the water but thankfully I got my wits about me and held him off."

Ahead, Johnson opened a gap when Powers bobbled riding a dock that most riders had dismounted to negotiate. The small gap was all Johnson needed, as he escaped to take his second win of the weekend, his seventh personal victory and thirteen for the team.

"I would never have expected that we could pull off the one-two-threes; it's really unexpected considering who was here, so I'm super excited," said Johnson. Johnson also consolidated his hold on the NACT leader's jersey, which he initially earned on Saturday. The NACT overall victory is already assured to one of the members of the Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld.com team, but who takes the final jersey will be decided on November 22 and 23 at the Whitmore's Landscaping Supercross Cup in Southampton, New York.

With only two races remaining, here's how the NACT leader board looks: Tim Johnson 305 pts.
Jeremy Powers 234 pts.
Jamey Driscoll 229 pts.
Jonathan Page 190 pts.