Brian Matter (Team Wisconsin-Clif Bar) and Sunny Gilbert (Michelob Ultra-Big Shark) won the men’s and women’s events during day-two of this year’s Gateway Cross Cup in St. Louis yesterday.
The Men’s Race
The men’s race got underway with a fearsome pace that was set mainly by Cody Kaiser (LangeTwins-Specialized) – followed by Soundpony’s Jacob Lasley.
Once the race stabilized, Travis Livermon (Mock Orange Racing) took to the front, taking turns with Troy Wells (Team Clif Bar), while Brian Matter, along with fellow Raleigh teammates Ben Berden and Jamey Driscoll were content marking their moves – while the rest of the field fell off the pace.
At midpoint in the race, the 5 leaders were well off the front, with Wells seizing every opportunity to attack.
With 3 laps remaining, Berden countered Wells final attack, along with Matter in tow.
During the closing lap, Matter made his move on Berden, subsequently opening up a slight gap that would hold until the finish.
Driscoll would come to pass Berden in the waning moments to take second – relegating the Raleigh rider to third place.
photo credit @ Brian Matter Blog
The Women’s Race
The women’s race got underway with a blistering attack set by Courtenay McFadden.
As a result, McFadden’s fierce pace off the line, consequently split the field into several factions.
However, after two laps, Mcfadden was caught by a determined chase group that was led by Gilbert, to include Nicole Duke (Marin-Spy) and Caroline Mani (Raleigh-Clement).
With McFadden caught, there seemed to be a momentary lull in the race, until Gilbert decided to ride clear during the final 3 laps.
For a moment, Gilbert’s lead looked tenuous at best. However, enervating into the final lap, t McFadden began to fade, subsequently allowing Mani to slip her past her to take second place.
photo credit @ USA Cycling
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