Noble and White Double Up on Day 2 of Gran Prix of Gloucester

The 20th edition of the CRAFT Sportswear Gran Prix of Gloucester concluded on Sunday as the second race of the 2018 Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series presented by Clif Bar and Cycle-Smart. Held in Gloucester’s iconic Stage Fort Park, racers navigated the twists and turns of the course around the prominent granite boulder, overlooking Half Moon and Cressy’s beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. With vastly different course conditions from day one, which were wet and greasy, the course was dry and lightening fast.

Ellen Noble (Trek Factory Racing) took her second solo victory of the weekend in the elite women’s race and Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) put in a late-race attack to go clear for the double win for the elite men..

After a dominant win on Saturday, Noble took a more calculated approach to the Sunday race. “Today I went into it with a little bit more tactics. I wanted to get off the front with Erica (Zaveta) and kind of be able to work with her,” said Noble. “She’s up and coming in the UCI races, so it would have been a good opportunity for us to work together and go through some lines.”

But Noble’s plan would shift when Erica Zaveta (Garneau-Easton p/b TLC) crashed early in race. “I took a weird line, I think I threw her off, so it left me on the front. I wasn’t intending to go solo today. But that’s how it ended up happening. Once I got a gap, I just tried to keep it,” added Noble.

Zaveta, who finished second, had a strong start by following immediately behind Noble. “I took on Ellen’s wheel and I was following behind really closely,” said Zaveta. “But I slid out in the turns just before the pits. And it was a pretty fast crash, so she got away very quickly. I ended up with Crystal (Anthony) and the group behind me. I ended up riding with them a little until I settled down and figured out the lines again. I had to pit because of my hanger. Towards the end I was like ‘I need to go.’ My rhythm was different than Crystal’s, like where she could go hard was opposite for me. So it wasn’t good to follow her. I attacked then. It was definitely back and forth. She’s really strong. I just need to commit to try to go, and then see if it worked. And it did.”

Crystal Anthony (Liv Cycling) rode to a podium spot for a second day in a row. “Today was a battle,” said Anthony. “Erica and I were going back and forth. She got the last final punch, so she rode really strong. I was happy today to be in the fight. She was savvy. She sat on my wheel until she was ready to go, and then she went.”

The elite men’s race proved to be a punchy group race, with riders from Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com dictating the tactics. Cooper Willsey (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) would lead for several laps before setting things up for teammate White.

“The course, today, seemed like it played towards group racing, it was a bit tactical,” said White. “Cooper Willsey was off the front early, so that put pressure on guys like Tobin Ortenblad, Jamey Driscoll. Jamey got to the front (chase group) and closed the gap quick so that we were all together. He had started the attack and strung the field out. Jamey was putting in a good dig with, like, four (laps) to go, and then he unfortunately clipped a stake (fence). It was unfortunate for him, but I think it also worked to my benefit. That was something I had to capitalize on and that was the gap. Once I got the gap, I wanted to crank out some of the fastest lap times that I could, work on accelerations.”

The race for second place would continue in the chase group after White made his winning attack. It would be his teammate Lane Maher who would take the lead in the final turns of the race. “Curtis attacked really hard, so that was pretty much gone, that was the win,” said Maher. “Then it kind of became a race for second. I got to go out to the front of the race for the first time on the last lap. It made it a lot easier, just a lot less gaps for me to close. I felt really good, so I decided to attack with a few minutes to go and it stuck. I was happy. I just put my head down and went as hard as I could and hoped for the best.”

Anthony Clark (Squid Squad) sprinted for third, after making several attacks throughout the race to shake up the group. “Since it was day two, I was on the start and super chilled,” said Clark. “I was sitting sixth wheel, and I was like ‘no, I want to go to the front.’ After Curtis attacked, I went to the front. With three or four laps to go, Curtis had a gap, so I just led two of the laps trying to get him back. The Cannondale guys were racing as a team. I led the last lap. Then Lane did an attack, I had to cover it and I realized he (Maher) had too big of a gap. So I said ‘I have to lead out the sprint, and Tobin is fast!’ I didn’t even think about it, I just went on the pavement and (pounded it). I just went as hard as I could and didn’t look back. As soon as I crossed the line, I was like “I just got third at Gloucester!’ And that is how it happened.”

The Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series continues with races three and four at The Verge Northampton International in Northampton, Mass. at Look Park on November 10 and 11. Noble and White will wear the coveted Verge leader’s jerseys for the Vittoria Series.

Ellen Noble Takes Commanding Victory, Curtis White Claims the Top Step, Gran Prix of Gloucester Day 1

The 20th edition of the CRAFT Sportswear Gran Prix of Gloucester kicked off the 2018 Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series presented by Clif Bar and Cycle-Smart on Saturday in Gloucester’s iconic Stage Fort Park. A day of changing and unpredictable course conditions with rain early made for wet and greasy course conditions for the elite women, then became dry and fast for the elite men. Maine’s Ellen Noble (Trek Factory Racing) took a commanding win in the elite women’s field, riding away solo for her seventh podium finish this season for USA Cycling Pro Cyclocross (ProCX). Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) took the win in the elite men’s field for his first ProCX victory of the year.

In the elite women’s race, Noble was victorious in dominant fashion, leading the race from start to finish. “Starting the race, it was still really slick,” noted Noble. “It got super tacky by the end, but at the beginning it was really slippery. I wanted to be able to have my choice of lines and be able to dictate the pace, so I started hard. It just felt natural. It wasn’t like I was trying to do anything exceptional, I just wanted to ride hard at the start. I was able to get a small lead and it felt good to just know that I had some wiggle room. I just wanted to leave it all out there.”

Erica Zaveta (Garneau-Easton p/b TLC) raced to second place, 1 minute and 28 seconds behind Noble. She had to whittle down a small group of riders later in the race. “I just needed a moment to collect myself and relax,” said Zaveta. “I feel like sometimes before the start it’s so nervous, that you have to get into the race before you can actually relax. So about two laps, I calmed down and then I just attacked the group and just rode good lines. The key to this was not going too fast on just the fitness parts so you are focused and smooth through all the technical parts. That’s what helped.”

Local favorite from Beverly, Mass.,Crystal Anthony (Liv Cycling) hung in for third place 27 seconds behind second place Zaveta. “I had a good start off the line, and then sort of got swarmed on the hill. My legs were not great today. I ended up battling with Erica (Zaveta) and Cassie (Maximenko) for most of the race. Ellen had a really good jump on all of us. I was able to get a gap in the last lap. I almost stopped on those last stairs over there, but had enough of a gap to pull it off.”

With the course drying out for the men’s race, the fast conditions were prime for group racing dynamics. Winner White put the pressure on late in the race, taking Jack Kisseberth (Garneau Easton p/b Transitions) with him to the lead. But a late race effort from Cooper Willsey (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com) and Jamey Driscoll (Pivot-Maxxis p/b Stans-DNA Cycling) made the final half of a lap a four-up sprint to the line.

“I wanted to make sure the position was good, to watch the other guys, see where they were strong, where they were weak,” said White about the early laps of the race. “With three to go, I hit it over the climb and the pavement. Jack (Kisseberth) was the only one who could stay with me. Then for the last lap, lap and a half, it was pretty tactical. Spencer Petrov, and a couple of Devo riders behind. I put more pressure on Jack. It was his race to kind of drive. They bridged up to us, but I stayed ahead of the carnage and hit it going by the last pit section. That was it.”

The ride of the day came from Driscoll, who had a tough start and had to climb back to the front through over 30 riders. “It was one of the worst first minutes of a race I can remember,” said Driscoll with a laugh. “Off the line, feeling a little out-gunned on the pavement. And then once you got in the turns, loads of people botched it. I had to dab a foot and then unclipped with both feet. It was a hot mess for me out there. And then when I finally settled in through the zig-zags up here, it was single file and I was close to 30th. It was full gas, as hard as I could and trying to (chase) those guys. I was essentially at the mercy of them resting up, because it ended up being a fast day in terms of conditions for us. When I caught those guys, I knew that first and second (riders) were up the road, and so the best thing for me to do was rest up there and try to wait for the last podium spot, which I fortunately did get. I put that last dig in that last half lap and was barely able to get it. I was actually last over the steps (in group), but able to pick Cooper there in the final meters of the pavement.”

UCI Elite Class 2 races will be held again on Sunday for the professional women and men. These races will also provide points for ProCX national standings. Heading into tomorrow, Noble and White will wear the coveted Verge leader’s jerseys for the Vittoria Series.