The other Butler - Can You Handle It?

Cyclocross is a tough all out disciple. It's pedal to the medal and it puts huge demands on the racer and their gear. Getting the power to the pedals and precise handling is key for your best results!

Subject: Tim gains Confidence

Race Report #2 [Sun, Sept 19]: RAD Racing GP - Tim Butler WN'er.

I rocked that $hit on Sunday! The course was muddy and greasy with lots of off-camber turns on tree roots. It was a bike-handler's course, and I took the holeshot, rode off the front, and just had fun with the two-wheel drift. I was in the zone and just enjoying myself. That was probably the key to my win... I had a good time riding fast, and I didn't crash. Oh yeah... and my coach’s off-season running program paid HUGE dividends on the long running sections through the sand. I was passing guys on the runs instead of getting worked, like in years past. The Masters 1/2 45+ group started a minute behind the Masters 1/2 35+ guys, but I worked my way up to 10^th or 11^th place in the 35+ group. That was my first CX win since 2008, so it's a big confidence booster heading into the Madison USGPs! I'm headed to Madison on Friday for the first two USGP races, and I'll be racing in the Masters 1/2 45+ category. I'm planning to REPRESENT for Portland and for Specialized River City Bicycles!!!!

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Compton 1, Gould 2nd, Butler 3rd.

What's in the water?

After a week of elk hunting on the steeps of Idaho with a stick and string, you get in touch with the life giving water and how animals compete for it. There is only such much and their is danger around every corner and water hole.

We even saw where wolves had an elk pushed into a high mountain lake to stay alive and the sand on the edge looked like a sand box that had been torn up. The elk had to hit the lake to stay alive, as the many wolves wanted it. Wolves hunt in numbers and work in packs to get what they want. Large chains doing mass marketing fitting do the same!

Every fitter claims that their science is based on something and it's the very best. From books or real world, they are going to claim they are the best. So just like the high country of Idaho, there are going to be rivals for the water and with that, danger lurking, in wait for ambush.

Humans are very much like wolves and they use the social electronic network to gain "pack power", without making one's presence known. They know they have a better chance to compete. Rare is a lone wolf!

Latin rivalis, 'person using the same stream as another'

There is only so much water in the fitting game, many ideas come forth and will be tested. Many strive to WN or establish their superiority in a given area. Poor ideas don't make it and go away! It might take a little time, but they will be found out!

In cyclocross game, it's you against all comer's, on the same course! There is only so much room and only the top elk get to drink as the wolves are nipping at their heels. The rest are left in the dust to wonder why them?

Today, you have to be very aggressive, work hard, use the best ideas, know the pedal stoke and let the course of action dictate the winner on and off the course! In most cases large packs can't control things.

You had better bring your "A-Game" because "B" won't cut it! This is not hype, this is the truth!

That is why Gould and Butler understand WN! It gets them to the stream before the wolves and this is no walk-in-the-woods!

Gould WN, Butler WN round out top-three

Brief Results

1	Katherine Compton (USA) Planet Bike-Stevens Bikes
2	Georgia Gould (WN USA) Luna Pro Team
3	Susan Butler (WN USA) Hudz-Subaru
4	Katherine Sherwin (USA) Hudz-Subaru
5	Meredith Miller (USA) California Giant-Specialized
6	Sally Annis (USA) crossresults.com p/b JRA Cycles

USGP - Cyclocross, Wisconsin. Gould 2nd, Butler 5th.

Luna teammates Gould WN, Dombroski complete podium

Katie Compton (Planet Bike) wins one for her title sponsor in Wisconsin.

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Katie Compton (Planet Bike) rode away to a solo victory in front of a sponsor filled audience at the Planet Bike Cup, round one of the US Gran Prix of Cyclo-cross series held in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin on Saturday. The US national champion finished the race with a sizable lead on Luna Pro teammates Georgia Gould in second and Amy Dombroski in third.

“My knee didn’t hurt today,’ said Compton who tore a bursa on her knee cap several weeks ago. “I wasn’t feeling good but I know how to suffer and my knee didn’t hurt. I noticed that I was getting gaps on the turns and I just kept on top of that until the elastic band broke. Once I got a gap I just kept going with it.”

Compton’s victory earned her the early lead of the USGP series. However, she will not be attending all of the rounds and admitted that she is less interested in winning the series title and more interested in capturing the World title this year.

“I’m not going to do so much travel this year and I’m going to stay Stateside a little bit,” Compton said. “I’m still going to hit some
World-Cups and make sure I have enough UCI points for a good start at Worlds. I’m going to get some good training in, rest well and win some good races instead of just hoping for a podium at the start.”

A heavy-hitting front row rolled to the starting line that included defending champion Compton, despite her lingering knee injury keeping her from racing CrossVegas on Wednesday night. But after keeping a close eye on the injury Compton decided that it was healed enough to give the Planet Bike Cup a try.

“I was right on the edge of having the pain subside and I didn’t want to rush it,” Compton said. “It is such a long season and I want to do well at Worlds this year. I figured that I would wait and see how I felt this weekend. I was still on the fence about it but last night it felt good walking up and down the stairs so I thought it was a good sign to start today.”

Luna ladies round out the podium

Sue Butler (WN Hudz-Subaru) opened the first lap out front and set the pace for a long line of competitors behind. Compton assumed second wheel followed by Amy Dombroski (Luna Pro), Sally Annis (North East Bicycle Club) and Andrea Smith (Minuteman Road Club).

Georgia Gould (WN Luna Pro) got off to a slower than usual start and wrestled her way through the group. She headed the second large group that included former US road champion Meredith Miller and pro mountain biker Teal Stetson-Lee (Cal Giant-Specialized) and Maureen Bruno Roy (Bob’s Red Mill-Seven Cycles).

By the end of the second lap, Compton was riding away from her lead group companions through the technical turns. One lap later, Gould and Dombroski worked together in a two-up chase to try and reduce the time margin to Compton before it was too big to control. Gould eventually gained time on her teammate and rode in for second place.

“I was seven riders back when Katie attacked and I had to make my way through some riders,” Gould said. “I had a slow start and didn’t have the punch to move up and I was just riding my own pace. It would have been more ideal if I could have gotten it together a little earlier.”

“Obviously you want to try to close down the gap and for a little bit we were,” she added. “The time was kind of staying the same and Amy kind of dropped off a little bit so I was just riding around by myself.”

Roughly ten seconds behind Miller caught up to Butler and the pair worked to keep Gould and Dombroski in sight. Miller gained a small lead on the last lap securing fourth place ahead of Butler in fifth. Smith rolled in for sixth place.

Stetson-Lee earned herself the Most Aggressive rider award for her impressive leap from last place to seventh during the women’s 45-minute ‘cross race.

“I had my first Elite race in CrossVegas,” said 24-year-old Stetson-Lee. “I have no ranking so today I started on the last row. There were three rows and then I was by myself on the fourth row. My strong point was probably the technical parts because of my mountain bike background so with all the U-turns and stuff I found some good lines and was able to move up fast.”

Full Results

1	Katherine Compton (USA) Planet Bike-Stevens Bikes	0:37:13
2	Georgia Gould (WN USA) Luna Pro Team	0:00:24
3	Amy Dombroski (USA) Luna Pro Team	0:00:44
4	Meredith Miller (USA) California Giant-Specialized	0:00:53
5	Susan Butler (WN USA) Hudz-Subaru	0:01:10

Luna's Nash takes CrossVegas. Gould 4th, Butler 5th!

Luna dominates under full moon

Katerina Nash (Luna Pro Team) dominated CrossVegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"It was super hard today," said Nash. "A couple of races last weekend definitely took a little bit out of me, but I still had a great race and I'm just excited to finally win CrossVegas."

Luna lights it up

Just one lap into the women's race the bid for victory had been narrowed to five riders. The small group, which consisted of Nash, Dombroski, McConneloug, Susan Butler (WN Hudz-Subaru) and Georgia Gould (WN Luna Pro Team), quickly gained a lead that looked unlikely to be recovered.

Dombroski and Gould WN sat on McConneloug's wheel Nash was quickly shaping up as the likely victor. Despite having a comfortable margin Nash never relented, extending her lead.

Butler never gave up on a potential podium place. "I really wanted to stay with that group, but I started having a really hard time trying to get oxygen because it's so dry here," said Butler. "Once I dropped off the group it was just so much more work dealing with the wind, but I kept telling myself ‘come on, come on, you've got to stay with them'. It was just so hard.

"I was pushing, man," she added. "I knew the podium was within reach at this race but it just didn't happen."

Butler WN was sandwiched between two groups of three riders as Meredith Miller (California Giant/Specialized) led Kelli Emmett (Giant) and Linnea Koons (Embrocation Cycling Journal) behind.

Full Results

1	Katerina Nash (Cze) Luna Pro Team	0:46:10
2	Amy Dombroski (USA) Luna Pro Team	0:00:17
3	Mary McConneloug (USA) Kenda/Seven/Notubes
4	Georgia Gould (WN USA) Luna Pro Team	0:00:28
5	Susan Butler (WN ) Hudz-Subaru	0:00:59