Two seasons of racing the Belgian mud were the right preparation for Jonathan Page as he rode away and hid from the rest of the men's elite field to take the 2002 US national championships this afternoon.

Page knocked off dozens of pre-race favorites with a first-lap blast that took all the favorites by surprise.  Having spent much of the season racing in Belgium, Page showed up at the start line as an underdog.  All expected Mongoose/Hyundai stars Marc Gullickson and Todd Wells to roll away with the race.  Both had gone 1-2 in every cyclocross entered this season.

Page powered off the line from the start and racked up a 30-second advantage on the first lap, clearly aiming to build a margin in case the treacherous conditions inflicted on him one of the mechanicals that took out many riders over the course of the hour-long race.  But no margin was needed as Page left other US 'cross stars such as Travis Brown, Todd Wells and Marc Gullickson struggling unsuccessfully to close the gap.

After three laps in this 60-minute race, he had a lead of more than a minute, a canyon of time in cyclocross.  Gullickson and Wells, meanwhile, found themselves splashing in frustration.

"I thought he went out a little hard, but he never came back," said Gullickson, the 1999 National Champion.  "By halfway through the race it was over; he was out of sight."

"That was my whole plan, to put these guys on the defensive right away," said Page.  "And it worked for me today.  Luckily, I only made one mistake, eating it on one of the descents."

"I wasn't surprised by Page," said Wells, the defending national champion.  "He's been racing in Europe.  They have these conditions all the time.  I figured he would be one of the guys to beat, and he was."

By just after half-way point Page had a 1.10 lead.  His work was done and the coveted US team spot at the World's in Monopoli Italy was his. 

With Page gone, the race for second proved fascinating.  Gullickson and Wells had to contend with Travis Brown (Trek/Volkswagen), who followed their every move. 

"I've been in that position and several times this year, and it's not a good place to be," said Brown, a legend in mountain bike racing with strong cyclocross skills.  "Those guys are super strong, and they're super dialed tactically.  I was on the ropes the whole time covering them."

In the battle for second, Travis Brown was riding the 'cross race of his life while constant attacks from Gullickson and Wells kept the excitement high.

Page won with enough time to work the crowd of 5,000 spectators at the finish line.  In the dash for second, Wells pulled away and narrowly held off Brown in a photo finish.  Gullickson was fourth.  California's Andy Jacques-Maynes (Clif Bar) had a late surge to finish fifth.

Page's victory automatically qualifies him for a spot on the US National Team at the 2003 Cyclocross World Championships, set for February 1-2 in Monopili, Italy. 

Official Results

1. PAGE Jonathan (RICHARD SACHS/CYBC) - 1:01:29
2. WELLS Todd (MONGOOSE/HYUNDAI) @ 1:00
3. BROWN Travis (TREK/VOLKSWAGEN) @ 1:00
4. GULLICKSON Marc (MONGOOSE/HYUNDAI)
5. JACQUES-MAYNES Andy (CLIF BAR)
6. JOHNSON Tim (SATURN)
7. KNAPP Dale (KONA-KENWOOD)
8. STEWART Jackson (CLIF BAR)
9. MAPEL Frank (SPECIALIZED)
10. WICKS Barry (KONA)

Richard Sachs is a craftsman framebuilder who has been refining his skills for over a quarter-century.  For more information, please contact: