Crystal Anthony, Adam Craig win day 2 at Downeast Cyclocross
Anthony sweeps the weekend as Craig sweeps from the back of his field to the top step of the podium
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NEW GLOUCESTER, Maine (VN) — Crystal Anthony (Cyclocrossworld.com) and Adam Craig (Giant-Rabobank) took day two of the Downeast Cyclocross weekend on Sunday.
The race at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester was the fourth in the 2012 Verge New England Cyclocross Series.
Early fields faced slick mud at every turn, but the course had dried significantly by the time the elite women lined up.
An early crash disrupted the field in the first section of the first lap, but Anthony moved forward as the field negotiated the twists and turns of the course.
By the time she emerged from the woods section, Anthony had built a 30-second lead on a chase group containing Frances Morrison (JAM Fund-NCC), Ellen Noble (Trek Cyclocross Collective), Britlee Bowman (Pedal Power Training) and Anna Barensfeld (Pedal Power Training).
Maghalie Rochette (Powerwatts-FT Time) caught and passed the group just as it was disintegrating. She and Noble rode away from Morrison and Bowman, and then Rochette did likewise to Noble.
Anthony took the victory, sweeping the weekend and building an insurmountable lead in the series. Rochette finished second, and Noble scored her first UCI podium finish with third place.
The elite men’s race saw the formation of an early lead group: Jeremy Durrin (JAM Fund-NCC); Saturday’s winner Justin Lindine (Redline); Dylan McNicholas (Cyclocrossworld.com); Raphael Gagne (Rocky Mountain Factory); and Jeremy Martin (Rocky Mountain Factory).
But Craig, a professional mountain bike racer who started in the back row, shot through the field and the lead group to build a half minute’s advantage.
Durrin and Lindine chased hard for the rest of the race, staying together until the last trip through the challenging woods section, when Durrin launched an attack that Lindine couldn’t match. He would take a narrow runner-up finish, but Craig was notching the victory, popping a wheelie through the finish line.
The Verge New England Cyclocross Series will conclude with the Bay State Cyclocross November 24-25 in Sterling, Massachusetts.