USGP Planet Bike Cup

The national racing scene went off with a bang this past weekend in Sun Prairie, WI just outside Madison and the Trek Midwest CX / Trek Cyclocross Collective riders played a big roll in the action.

Racing kicked off with the men's Masters 45+ event. Starting from the front row, Tom Price played it smart, slowly bringing back second place rider Jeff Wienert who'd escaped early on with eventually winner and Trek CXC rider Mark Legg-Compton. Tom caught Wienert with a few laps remaining but didn't quite have the punch to hold off the first year 45+ racer Wienert in the sprint.

Day 2 saw a much faster course layout and Tom fought it out in the front group. The more open layout didn't quite fall into Tom's strengths and he eventually rolled across the line in 6th place at the tail-end of the lead group.

Tom's results put him in 4th place in the overall standings heading into round three at the Smartwool Cup in Fort Collins, CO.

In the Masters 35+ race, Mark Savery donned the #1 bib number after finishing second in last years overall standings. He was joined by Matt Tillinghast on the second row and Jay Thomas on the third. All poised to make a big impact on the days proceeding.

Mark struck first taking the lead early on lap one, while Matt and Jay worked their way up after a poor start. With a lead group of four riders the decisive moment came with just over a lap remaining when Savery rode the technical hillside strangler stepped climb while the others dismounted and ran. Mark took over the lead and never looked back taking his second USGP victory by just over 4 seconds. Matt and Jay rolled across the line in 7th and 11th place, both recording their best ever USGP finishes.

Day twos race was cancelled due to a bad crash in the opening meters which almost claimed Matt. Not wanting to miss an excellent training opportunity, Mark jumped into the Elite race and put in a stellar performance. Starting from the back row, Savery sliced through the field climbing as high as 23rd place before suffering a flat tire just 3 laps from the finish. He would eventually finish 30th on the day.

With their results, Mark, Matt and Jay head to Fort Collins, CO in 1st, 7th, and 11th in the overall standings. The next race on the calendar is the Gateway Cross Cup where Tom will be racing in the Masters 40/50+ event.