Wells finishes second in Spooky 'Cross
Specialized Racing: XC MTB | October 17, 2011
Todd Wells (Specialized) raced to his second podium finish in two days when he crossed the line in second place at the Spooky 'Cross race in Irvine, California, on Sunday. The result added to his third place earned the previous day.
The cyclo-cross race proved to be a showdown between Wells and yesterday's race winner Ryan Trebon. The two quickly escaped from their challengers on the first lap.
"Right from the gun, we were together," said Wells. "I got the hole shot and he was on my wheel."
"We extended our lead through the first few laps. At first, Ryan was riding in the front, and I was just hanging on, but about mid-race, we started swapping pulls."
No one else was able to close the gap to the two leaders, and it was the final lap that decided the outcome.
"Going into the last lap, we were together," said Wells. "Ryan attacked with a half lap to go, and I couldn't follow. I finished second."
The men competed on the same course as during the 'Cross After Dark the previous night; however, conditions were much different. Daytime racing meant bright skies and dry and dusty conditions and with temperatures in the 80s, officials even allowed the 'cross racers to accept feeds from the pits.
"The course was dusty and totally dry, but the sand pit was harder today because there was less moisture in it." The previous night, dew had dampened the pit a bit. "I was drinking a lot out there."
"Last night, I was riding two thirds of the sand pit, and today, I was running about half of it. I felt like I was riding a little more of it than Trebon. He was jumping off pretty early each time."
The dry course meant it was a super fast race. "It was different than a wet 'cross race in that drafting played a role, but it was still technical. The speeds were much higher, and the corners got very slippery in the dry and dusty conditions."
Wells, who is the current US cyclo-cross national champion, ran the same equipment set-up as yesterday. He raced his Specialized Crux 'cross bike, outfitted with Trigger tires. "My bike worked perfectly. I needed no bike changes and wrapped up two days of solid racing on solid equipment."
He will race one more weekend of 'cross in Boulder, Colorado, on October 29-30 before heading to the La Ruta de los Conquistadores mountain bike stage race in Costa Rica. Wells noted that the hot and humid weather during today's race were helpful for preparing for expected similar (although likely muddier) conditions in Central America.