Andrew Strohmeyer of the USA, riding for CXD Trek Bikes, claimed the men’s elite US Cyclocross Series (USCX) title with a dominant performance at the Trek CX Cup C2 men’s race in Waterloo, Wisconsin on Sunday. He finished seven seconds ahead of Kerry Werner (Groove Auto Off Road Racing) in second place, and 30 seconds ahead of Scott Funston (Cervelo Orange Living) in third.
Under sunny skies and cooler temperatures compared to Saturday’s C1 race, Caleb Swartz (ENVE/ Forward Endurance Coaching) took the early lead off the line. However, by pit one, Ben Frederick (The Small Monsters Project) took control and led the pack for most of the first lap. By the start of the next lap, a group of 10 riders had broken away, including Strohmeyer, Funston, Werner, Swartz, Frederick, Tyler Clark (Hockley Valley Resort Armada), Jules Van Kempen (Cervélo – OrangeLiving), Dylan Zakrajsek (Competitive Edge Racing), Cody Scott (Competitive edge Racing), and Owen Brenneman (CXD Trek Bikes).
Funston launched a strong attack to split the group, quickly pulling out Strohmeyer and Clark, with Swartz and Van Kempen trailing behind. As winds picked up, gaps began to form, and eventually Clark was dropped, leaving Funston and Strohmeyer at the front. Werner, who had to pit early due to a puncture, was leading the chase in third place, with Clark and Swartz falling behind.
While the chase group saw ongoing changes, a clear pattern emerged in the front pack with Funston taking charge. While Funston focused on maintaining his lead over Werner for second place in the series, Strohmeyer played strategically to secure his sixth win of the series.
With four laps remaining in the nine-lap race, Werner caught up to Funston and Strohmeyer. As they came together at the line, the pace eased, and the three riders rode side by side, with Strohmeyer looking confident. The race was shaping up to end just like it began in Roanoke, with these three riders battling it out.
Werner made a move just before three laps to go, but both Strohmeyer and Funston responded quickly. On the final lap, Strohmeyer launched another strong attack, pulling away from the others on a headwind rise out of pit one. With Funston unable to respond fast enough, Strohmeyer rode to a decisive victory.
In the end, Werner finished in second place, ahead of Funston in third, securing second place overall in the series. Strohmeyer stood on the podium in all eight races, with six wins and two second-place finishes, earning a total of 344 points. Werner finished second overall with one win and three runner-up positions, totaling 266 points. Funston took third place overall with five podium finishes, just six points behind Werner.
