The Elite Girls prepped for a blistering begin because the snow flurries began to come back down. Defending nation champion Clara Honsinger (EF Training–Tibco–SVB) was the clear favourite, however the difficult course and situations favored probability.
Clara Honsinger was calm and completely happy earlier than the Elite Girls’s race at cyclocross Nationals. All Pictures: Jordan Villella
Because the lights switched from pink to inexperienced, the perfect within the nation sprinted to hit the slick-rooted course first to get the perfect strains. Honsinger wasn’t first off the road, however that’s not her model.
The entrance group was a decent mixture of riders, together with darkish horse Raylyn Nuss (Steve Tilford Basis), Austin Killips (Good Bikes), Caitlin Bernstein (Good Bikes), and Regina Legge (Comp Edge Racing).
After the treacherous off-camber, pro-only part, the lead group solidified as Nuss charged forward, with Honsinger only some seconds again and Jenna Lingwood (Level S Nokian) pursuing quick.
Nuss waited for nobody as she instantly began turning up the tempo making an attempt to place Honsinger on the again foot and pressure a mistake. Honsinger confirmed no indicators of urgency, pedaling easily gaining again time with each function.
As the primary lap concluded, Honsinger was a second behind Nuss, finally passing as they entered the course for lap two. Because the laps ticked away, Honsinger’s lead grew steadily. With two laps to go, Honsinger had almost a minute hole over Nuss, with third and fourth almost 30 seconds from her.
Honsinger would finally end 1:37″ in entrance of Nuss in a dominant efficiency much like her 2021 Nationwide Championship win, gaining her third Elite Cyclocross Nationwide Championship.
The Bike — Lil Clara
Clara Honsingers’ bike, dubbed Lil’ Clara, was greater than as much as the duty of muddy situations in Hartford. Honsinger has been in Europe racing a lot of the season and has equivalent bikes on the EF service course.
For the muddy situations, Honsinger went with Dugast Rhino tires, a trusted tread by the perfect on the earth. The Rhino is praised for its grip with out sacrificing pace and is likely one of the hottest tires on the European circuit for muddy races.
As for gearing, the EF Training–Tibco–SVB workforce runs full SRAM Pink AXS on their bikes, and Honsinger went with a normal 38T entrance and 10–33T rear. The gear is sufficient to climb the ultimate hill earlier than the end and maintain the ability on for the street and drag strip sections of the course.
The EF Training–Tibco–SVB crew had many custom-painted Cannondale SuperSix EVO CX bikes for Honsinger within the pits and across the workforce bus, however the stars and stripes was the one for battle.
The {custom} paint job is beautiful, mixing basic fades and coloration blocking to create a motorbike that stands out within the mud. As for elements, Honsingers Supersix Evo CX helps an FSA Ok-Pressure cockpit and Imaginative and prescient Metron 30 SL tubular wheels.
Clara Honsinger’s Cannondale SuperSix Evo CX
- Body/fork: Cannondale SuperSix Evo CX
- Groupset: SRAM Pink AXS (38T chainring, 10-33T 12-speed cassette)
- Stem: FSA Ok-Pressure
- Bars: FSA Vitality alloy, 42cm
- Wheels: Imaginative and prescient Metron 30SL Tubular
- Saddle: Prologo Dimension
- Tires: Dugast Rhino 33 tubular
- Pedals: Shimano XTR
- Pc: Wahoo
