Pow-wow! Powers doubles up in Lionhearts 'cross

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Jeremy Powers (CyclocrossWorld/Cannondale) continued his successful season with a second victory at the Cincinnati UCI3 Festival, this time in the pocket-sized Sunset Park in Middletown, Ohio for the Java Johnny’s – Lionhearts International today.

At the start Powers and Barry Wicks (Kona) outsprinted the field from opposite sides of the front row, with Wicks taking the front spot. Powers, though, would take the lead and make friends of the crowd when he unexpectedly bunny-hopped the barriers on the first lap gapping Wicks and the rest of the field. Ryan Trebon (Kona), Wicks and the season’s new revelation, Mark LaLonde of Planet bike, made up the first chase group, while Ryan Knapp (BikeReg.com), Brian Matter (Gear Grinder), Joachim Parbo (CCV Leopard Cycles) and Troy Wells (Clif Bar) comprised the second chase. Trebon tried to bridge the gap to Powers, then fell back through the chase groups before disappearing, literally, from the race.

Powers continued to extend his lead, bunny-hopping the barriers every lap. More subtle, but perhaps more important, were Powers’ cornering lines. On some of the tight hairpin corners, Powers was noticeably faster, and in some cases was able to pedal all the way around where every other racer was coasting.

Powers not only bunny-hopped the barriers on the last lap, he popped a wheelie to salute the crowd as he rolled another two-thirds of a lap to his second victory in two days. Wicks attacked LaLonde on the asphalt start straight to establish a gap that he held to the end. When LaLonde was asked what he thought when Wicks attacked, he smiled and said, “Ouch!”

The second chase group, now without Knapp, stayed together until the last minutes of the race when Joachim Parbo gutted out another race to finish fourth ahead of Matter.