Tim Johnson Fights Mechanical Issues to Squeeze To Squeeze Out Top-Ten Finishes
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Tim Johnson, US Cyclocross racing’s first superstar, failed to earn a victory at the recent Gloucester (MA) Gran Prix, but demonstrated remarkable power and poise confronting crucial equipment difficulties to squeeze out sixth and second place finishes in the two-day event. Clearly building to race-winning form, Johnson (Cannondale/LEER/ Cyclocrossworld.com) found himself chasing the pack both days in Gloucester as two minor, but time-wasting mechanical difficulties forced him to play the unfamiliar role of “catch-up.”
During the first-day run of the Gloucester Gran Prix, Johnson fell from the front to mid-twentieth place when he rolled a tire off the rim. After a quick bike change, he burned his way back through the field posting race-best lap times, and ending a respectable sixth.
On the second day of GP racing at Glouchester, a mid-race crash twisted Johnson’s handlebars and he sprinted back to the pits for his spare bike. The incident cost him a score of positions, but, once again, Tim’s power pushed him through the crowd, until he was just 10 lengths behind Chris Jones (Nerac), who was then in second place at the start of the last lap. Jones flatted on his sprint for the line, leaving second place to Johnson.
While the top spot on the podium wasn’t in the cards at Gloucester, cyclocross fans who saw Johnson work his way back through the field were convinced that he is clearly at a race-winning fitness level. Competitors, too, were sure to notice that no one, even the race winners, could power and finesse their way around the course as fast as Johnson.
