Pan-American champion Eric Brunner (WTB/Pivot Endurance) won his second elite USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championship title, coming back from some potentially race-ruining mechanicals mid-race in an impressive display of strength and determination.
"I really thought my race was over there on I think lap three and was just riding in the biggest gear for for a minute... I just wanted to keep trying," Brunner said. "I think once I was able to get my derailleur moving again, I started going and I saw that they only had maybe 20 seconds on me."
Brunner dedicated his win to Magnus White, the junior rider who was killed by a reckless driver in the lead up to the UCI World Championships in Glasgow.
"I was thinking of Magnus today and I wanted to do this one for him. It's just pretty unbelievable still and I think about him a lot - I'm thinking of his family today and we miss him."
Scott Funston (WTB/Pivot Endurance) and Andrew Strohmeyer (CXD Trek Bikes) got a small gap on the opening lap after Strohmeyer took the hole shot, but Funston soon got on their wheel along with defending champion Curtis White (Steve Tilford Foundation).
The foursome became three on the third lap when Brunner had a problem with his drivetrain and got stuck in a huge gear, losing touch with the leading group.
"I ran into Strohmeyer after the barriers, he came inside me and I tried to give him a hard time and I ran into him. I thought it was OK but he ended up hitting my derailleur and it went into crash mode and I stuck in the biggest gear for a couple of corners.
"It wasn't a big deal, I was just back to fourth wheel which was okay, but then about a lap later, I went down and the same exact thing happened. I don't think I've ever had that happen twice in a race, let alone more than once in a season."
Kerry Werner (Bikeflights p/b Kona Adventure Team) passed Brunner and set off in pursuit of the three leaders but had more than a 10-second gap to make up.
White bobbled on the steps on the fourth lap and lost contact with Funston and Strohmeyer, while Brunner nullified his deficit, powered past Werner and White and started closing in on the two leaders.
Strohmeyer was off the front alone as Brunner made it to Funston on lap five, then to Strohmeyer before the end of the lap, then off the front solo in an impressive display of power.
By the end of the lap, Brunner had opened up a seven-second lead but Strohmeyer began clawing his way across, halving the gap but ran out of time and energy.
The stars and stripes jersey won't be seen when Brunner heads to Europe for the World Cups in January, however.
"I still am wearing the Pan American champion jersey, which is good and bad. I love the stars and tried too, and I'm proud to have it even if I'm not showing it."
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