Belgian Annemarie Worst won Sunday at C2 race of 2022 Rochester Cyclocross in the rain(Image credit: Bruce Buckley)
Annemarie Worst wins back-to-back races at 2022 Rochester Cyclocross(Image credit: Bruce Buckley)
Maddie Munro finished second on Sunday at C2 race of 2022 Rochester Cyclocross(Image credit: Bruce Buckley)
Caroline Mani worked her way through the field to finish third at C2 race 2022 Rochester Cyclocross(Image credit: Bruce Buckley)
Elite women's podium for C2 race at 2022 Rochester Cyclocross: second-placed Maddie Munro, winner Annemarie Worst, third-placed Caroline Mani(Image credit: Bruce Buckley)
Annemarie Worst (777 CX) won for a second consecutive day at Rochester Cyclocross taking the C2 victory in the rain and mud on Sunday. Maddie Munro (Trek Factory Racing) finished second, 42 seconds behind Worst's time of 49:46, and held off a late charge by third-placed Caroline Mani (Alpha Groove Silverthorne), who finished 48 seconds off the winning time.
Sidney McGill (OneBike Racing) struggled on the last lap but held on to fourth, while Raylyn Nuss (Steve Tilford Foundation) was fifth.
“It started raining and raining, so everything changed. It was really slippery,” Worst said after the finish about how the course changed in one day.
The Belgian dominated the C1 race on Saturday with sunny and dusty conditions. In 24 hours the Rochester Cyclocross became more of Rochester ‘Mudcross’ as heavy rains turned the dusty dirt trail into slippery mud and puddles.
Caroline Mani (Alpha Groove Silverthorne) took the holeshot, with Worst in fourth position, just behind Sidney McGill (OneBike Racing) and Hannah Arensman (Ignition p/b Rigd-Leitner). The speed was noticeably slower as the riders picked their way across the mud to find new lines.
Worst then took the lead in the first series of turns, leading the bunch up the Belgian stairs, Lizzie Gunsalus (Steve Tilford Foundation) tagging directly on her wheel. Mani had slipped back in the main group.
The steep embankment near the Erie Canal at The Wall Run-Up proved extremely challenging, only Worst digging her shoes into the mud to make the climb cleanly, and the majority of the peloton slided backwards, literally, not able to get traction. A huge bottleneck formed with riders grasping trees and course tape to pull themselves up the climb.
Worst continued to ride on with only McGill and Maddie Munro (Trek Factory Racing) in tow. They completed the first lap in a little more than 9 minutes, which was two minutes slower than Saturday. Emily Werner (Ken’s Bike Shop) rode 15 seconds in lone fourth after the first lap, while Mani with Lauren Zoerner (Alpha Bicycle Co - Groove Silverthorne) trailed as a tandem.
On the second brutal climb up ‘mud hill’ at The Wall, Worst again dug in the mud on the right side of the hill to come out in front, Munro and McGill taking the left side near the trees to stay in touch. Well behind, almost a minute back, Gunsalus and the others had more success on the climb and continued forward momentum this time around.
Worst began to crank up the pace on a flat section, as she and her companions all made bike changes in the pits. From there, Worst began to gain space, Munro hanging tough in second to start the third lap, McGill in third another 11 seconds behind Munro, and Mani 39 seconds back in fourth.
On that third lap Munro fell in a downhill corner, but was quickly back to the chase. The leaders passed the pits and did not stop as the rain continued to fall.
“To be honest, these are my favourite kind of conditions. Every ‘cross race I show up to I hope it is pouring rain. I love playing around in the mud. I really felt like I was in my element today,” Munro said after the race.
Worst was in full control, with three laps remaining. The Belgian rider seemed to glide up the muddy, steep climb, while McGill made up some time in that area to get closer to Munro. Meanwhile, Mani was making a move to catch McGill, now just nine seconds out of third.
On the bell lap, Worst changed bikes while Munro pushed on, 42 seconds back, still in second place. McGill and Mani battled for the final podium spot another 10 seconds down, and they were able to catch Munro when the young American crashed before the Bridge Ridge Run-Up. On the twisty north section of the course, Mani made her move but could not drop Munro.
‘It took me time to get in the groove. I was just terrible. I had to change tyre pressure and I was all over the place. It took me a while.” Mani said in a post-race interview with GCN. “In the end I could have gotten second place, but I was a little fried. I had to pay for my effort to come back. I have the first muddy race under us and now I am good to go.”
Rochester Cyclocross was the second weekend of races for the eight-event USCX series. The series continues October 1-2 at Charm City Cross in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast). Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France), and some mtb rides in Park City, Utah (USA).
