Since I was actually watching the Cyclocross Nationals in person, I didn’t really get a chance to see a lot of what was going on around the whole course. The course was great to ride, but not so good for overall spectating. I only saw snippets of the race. And since I am a student of the sport, I decided to go onto the internet and watch a rerun of the event.

There isn’t much to it. Jeremy Powers was just better than everyone. I loved the way he rode all out from the gun. That is how cyclocross “used” to be. Always at Nationals for sure. European cyclocross is more tactical at the front. But if Sven, or whoever, put the hammer down from the gun, it would look much like the Nationals in Boulder did last Sunday. Everyone was on the rivet from the start. That is the reason that there weren’t more groups riding around.

The course made it hard to ride close and get a draft. It was rock hard and bumpy. Following someone too closely created errors. Plus, the cornering and descending was technical enough that it was rare that two riders with the same handling skills and power would be riding together. You can see early on how smooth Powers was riding compared to Trebon. He was well within himself the whole day.

Anyway, if you didn’t have a chance to watch the Elite race and have some time, now or later, you should. It can only make you a better cross racer.

This is pretty unbelievable, it is Cody Kaiser, defining gravity, riding the stairs. Notice how he doesn’t pedal once.