Portland, OR, 12.07.09 – The fourth and final round of the 2009 U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclocross series was held in Portland, Oregon this weekend. Inclement weather both Saturday and Sunday saw temperatures in the low 20′s while strong wind gusts during Sunday’s race made conditions even tougher. Danny Summerhill, competing for the Garmin-Transitions Cyclocross Team, lined up amongst the nation’s best ‘cross racers in the mixed Elite/Under 23 category.
The Stanley Portland Cup was the final stop of the the ’09 cyclocross series which consisted of 8 races in four venues over the course of the Fall cyclocross season. Previous races had been held in Wisconsin, Kentucky, and New Jersey. Riders accumulate points for their finishing positions in each race which are then tallied for an overall series competition. Summerhill went into the Portland weekend sitting fourth in the series standing, despite having only contested 2 of the 6 previous races.
Summerhill rode strongly to take a pair of top ten positions, claiming the title for best Under 23 rider both days. Saturday saw the 20 year-old Summerhill besting Canadian National Champion Geoff Kabush (Rocky Mountain Bicycles) in a two man sprint to claim 7th in the Elite category. Danny found himself in a similar situation on Sunday when he was able to outkick former teammate Troy Wells (Clif-Bar) and Justin Robinson (Cal-Giant Strawberries) for 9th position. Saturday and Sundays races were won by Todd Wells (Specialized) and Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld), respectively.
Despite stamping his authority in the Under 23 competition, it was a statistical impossibility for Danny to take the overall title away from jersey holder David Hackworthy (Stevens Cycles) and would have to settle for 2nd place in the series. However, his dominate performances show that Summerhilll will be the odd-on favorite to claim his third national championship which will be held next weekend in Bend, OR.
The weekend saw similar success for Yannick and Robin Eckmenn who both compete for Garmin-Transitions’ junior team, 5280-Felt during the road season. Yannick and Robin would both ride to top-five positions in the last two rounds of the US Grand Prix series, clinching the overall junior title for Yannick Eckmenn and moving his older brother, Robin, into the 3rd position.
