Top ‘cross racers from across the globe warmed their legs for this weekend’s opening round of the UCI World Cup at the men’s and women’s Trek XC Cup on Friday.
Clara Honsinger (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) and Lars van der Haar (Balois Trek Lions) scored mojo-boosting victories on the dry, fast course in Waterloo, Wisconsin and roll into the weekend as two of the favorites for UCI victory.
Also read: Preview: UCI World Cup cyclocross opener – Waterloo
Racing resumes in the backyard of Trek’s global headquarters Sunday as the U.S. raises the curtain on 14 rounds of World Cup action.
Midway through the second lap Clara Honsinger (EF Education-TIBCO-Svb) attacked solo and put distance between her and Caroline Mani (Alpha Groove Silverthorne) who lead the chase group.
With one lap to go Honsinger had a comfortable, but not insurmountable, lead. She had to continue racing strong and without mistakes for another 6 and a half minutes.
The elite men’s race during the early stages of the action.
Lars Van Der Haar (Balois Trek Lions) make a couple of strong efforts in the middle of the race to break away from the group, but was unable to shake the chase for very long.
Fans cheer on eventual 3rd place David Menut (AS Bike Racing) as he drops down towards the base of Factory Hill.
The Winners of the UCI races are awarded a commermorative jersey from the University of Wisconsin Madison hockey team with Waterloo and a number 1 on the back.
Caleb Swartz (Giant/ENVE), who grew up just down the road in Madison, WI, got some major air over a course feature.
Sunny Gilbert (Blue Competitive Cycling p/b Build) makes her way past The Secret Bar, which this year featured a bar, a barber, and a polka band.
Helene Clauzel (AS Bike Racing) lead the women’s field across the startline as the women’s UCI C1 race got underway at Trek HQ in Waterloo, WI.