Tim Johnson (Cyclocrossworld/Cannondale) and Georgia Gould (Luna) slogged their way to victory in the first day of racing at the Mercer Cup in central New Jersey Saturday. While the non-stop rain showers  predicted held off, the course was a mudfest thanks to a thorough soaking the night before. Gould won a hard-fought battle against her Luna teammate Katerina Nash, taking the lead in the closing lap. In the elite men's race, Johnson stormed off the start line and never looked back, getting the best of the mud and the field behind him.

"I was either hoping for a torrential downpour or for it to stay sticky like that," race winner Johnson said of the conditions. "I figured the nastier it got, the better it would be, and if you could do a few mistake-free laps then you could probably pick up a couple of seconds each time."

"One thing I learned racing in Europe is that if you really can't ride that fast then it's so much easier to just get off and run," Johnson added. "It's OK to get on and off the bike three times in the same straightaway."

The 1-2 punch provided by the women's Luna team didn't dampen the excitement, as the more individual nature of cyclo-cross racing allowed Nash and Gould to duel with each other in friendly rivalry, leaving the rest of the field to fight for the third step on the podium. Nash looked to be in command for most of the 50 minute race, but Gould found the strength on the bell lap to rejoin her teammate (and USGP series leader) with a powerful run.

"Out there today there's a lot of luck, too, in the line that you take and where it takes you," Gould commented, acknowledging the role that the tricky conditions played for the riders. "It was definitely a hard-fought battle and I definitely had some luck on that last climb."

"We don't take it easy on each other; we both want to win," Nash said after the finish. "But I think that makes us better."

Meanwhile, national champion Johnson showed why he deserves his stars and stripes, dominating the men's field thanks to his ever-improving form and renowned skills in the muck and mire. After duking out the first lap with series leader Jesse Anthony, Johnson put the pedal to the mud and opened up a gap that nobody could answer.

A fierce race raged behind as big Ryan Trebon (Kona) tried to stick to Todd Wells (Team GT), but in the end Trebon found himself stuck to the course more than his rival. Wells may not have had the conditions to show off his trademark bunny hops over the barriers, but he put in a solid ride nonetheless and came out a worthy second behind the runaway Johnson.

The Mercer Cup resumes Sunday with a second day of racing. Conditions are expected to be cooler but faster for the fourth round of the USGP series.

Crank Brothers U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross #3

1 Tim Johnson, Cannondale/cyclocrossworld.com
2 Todd Wells, Team GT

3 Ryan Trebon, Kona

1 Georgia, Gould Luna
2 Katerina Nash, Luna
3 Maureen Bruno Roy, MM Racing