2007 Capital Cross Classic - C2

Reston, Virginia, USA, December 2, 2007

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Race 2 - December 2: Elite Men, 60 minutes

White wins while an absent Frattini conquers series

Prior to the race, Matt White (FiordiFrutta) told announcer Joe Jefferson that getting an early lead would be important because of a narrow section at the start of the second half of the course that had to be changed considerably from past years because of a major construction project. White lived up to his prediction by charging into the barriers so fast on the first lap that he made the spectators gasp as he won the barrier prime and established a gap on the field.

Surprise entrant Jeremiah Bishop (Trek VW), in his first UCI cyclo-cross start in years, established himself as the engine in the chase group that formed on the second lap consisting of Bishop, championship contender Jon Hamblen (RGM Watches - Team Richard Sachs), Steve Tilford (KCCX/Verge/Eriksen Cycles), the previous day's winner Alec Donahue (Joes' Garage), Jonny Sundt (KBS/Medifast), Charles Pendry (Inland Construction/BTD) and Weston Schempf (C3-Sollay.com).

With White riding away, Bishop drilled the chase group but never got any help. Despite two long power sections where drafting came into play, and made even faster by the ground being so hard, nobody else pulled through. Several laps later, Hamblen disappeared from the group, the victim of an apparent mechanical problem that would have devastating consequences afterward. Donahue was the first rider to have difficulty holding on to the group, followed shortly afterward by Pendry and Schempf. Slowly the chase group closed the gap to White, cutting his lead nearly in half. By the final lap, Sundt had fallen back several times only to rejoin, Bishop appeared ready to use his last breath to catch the leader – and Tilford had not left Bishop's wheel for almost an hour. With half a lap to go, the chase was down to Bishop and Tilford.

White was looking vulnerable, but he had enough to secure the win in the final Verge MAC race of the season by just two seconds. "I used up Jeremiah," said Tilford after the race, "but I went too late." Bishop apparently concurred, as the cold rain began to fall and they got ready to get onto the podium, he turned to Tilford with a big smile and said, "You could have won that race – if you hadn't been so lazy." Winner White didn't say anything, he just smiled broadly.

The rider that nobody could beat wasn't even at the track, however. Entering the weekend, Italy's Davide Frattini (Colavita/Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light) had a solid points lead in the Verge MAC SRAM point chase as a result of his two victories in New Jersey. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to attend the race due to a personal commitment, Frattini tried to clinch the title at the previous day's round in Carlisle. But, after holding a commanding lead for much of that race, a pinch flat resulted in a disappointing fifth place finish. With Frattini unable to attend the Capital 'Cross Classic, the door was wide open for John Hamblen with the prestigious Verge MAC title for his RGM Watches Richard Sachs team. But his early race mechanical dropped him far enough out of the chase group that he was never able to rejoin. Hamblen, who has raced every edition of the Capital 'Cross Classic, finished a disappointing eighth and just one point shy of Frattini in the final standings.

Results

1 Matt White (USA) FiordiFrutta                                                                57.30
2 Steve Tilford (USA) KCCX/Verge/Eriksen Cycles                                                 0.02
3 Jeremiah Bishop (USA) Trek/Volkswagon                                                         0.04
4 Jonny Sundt (USA) KBS/Medifast                                                                0.32
5 Alec Donahue (USA) Joe's Garage                                                               0.43
6 Charles Pendry (USA) Inland Construction - BTD                                                0.46
7 Weston Schempf (USA) C3-Sollay.com                                                            1.14
8 Jon Hamblen (USA) RGM WATCHES - RICHARD SACHS                                                 2.00
9 Jacob Fetty (USA) Myogenesis/TheBikeGame dot Com/HAMBLEN RULES                                2.12
10 Nathan Wyatt (USA) Carolina Fatz/Sram/Santa Cruz Bicycles                                    2.15
11 Stephan Kincaid (USA) EKRacing/Rite Aid Pro Cycling                                          2.17
12 Jeff Buckles (USA) ALAN North America                                                        2.49
13 Keck Baker (USA) Battley Harley-Davidson                                                     3.22
14 Stephen Cummings (USA) Indiana Regional Medical Center / FUJI BIKES!                         3.23
15 Bill Elliston (USA) EK Racing / Indiana Regional Medical Center / Fuj                        3.57
16 Greg Wittwer (USA) FORT Factory Team                                                         4.18
17 Ernesto Marenchin (USA) asylum cycles                                                        4.52
18 Peter Rubijono (USA) Cambridge bike/Igleheart frames                                         6.00
19 Harlan Price (USA) Independent Fabrication                                                   7.36
One lap behind
20 Andrew Wulfkuhle (USA) C3/Sollay.com                                                             
DNF Nick Waite (USA) KBS / Medifast                                                                 
DNF Nicholas Shaffer (USA) Human Zoom/ Pabst Blue Ribbon                                            
DNF Stephen P De Lisle (USA) Fort Factory Team                                                      
DNS Ryan Leach (USA) GPOA-Cannondale                                                                
DNS Nathan Chown (Can) handlebars CC/kona Canada                                                    
DNS Michael Yozell (USA) FORT Factory Cyclocross Team                                               
DNS Chris Mcgill (USA) FORT Factory Team