Compton solos to World Cup victory

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Katie Compton (Planet Bike) rode away from the women's field to win the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup's opening round in Treviso, Italy. The 30-year-old Compton and former world champion Daphny Van Den Brand gapped the field on the opening lap, but the Dutch rider could not handle the furious tempo set by Compton and was dropped from the race lead on the second lap.

While Compton's seemingly effortless riding at the head of the race left little doubt as to who would occupy the top step of the podium, the battle for second and third became a battle between Van Den Brand and France's Christel Ferrier-Bruneau. The French rider made contact with Van Den Brand on the second lap and the duo traded attacks throughout the rest of the race, each unable to crack the other.

On the final lap Van Den Brand finally managed to get some distance between herself and Ferrier-Bruneau and crossed the finish line in second place, 28 seconds behind Compton. Ferrier-Bruneau finished third, six seconds after Van Den Brand. The Netherlands' Sanne Van Paassen finished alone in fourth, 55 seconds behind Compton while the Czech Republic's Pavla Havlikova would finish fifth, 15 seconds later.

Today's victory marks Compton's fifth career World Cup win and the first time an American has worn the World Cup leader's jersey. The reigning American 'cross champion will defend her World Cup led in Nommay, France on November 11, the second of seven women's World Cup rounds in the 2009-2010 season.