Jeremy Powers doesn't win every race he starts in North American cyclo-cross, but he has been the dominant force in the sport here for several years. This past weekend in Louisville, the unthinkable happened: Powers was twice outsprinted by Stephen Hyde of Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld. Who is this upstart racer and how has he come so far up the pro racing ladder? Cyclingnews spoke to both riders to find out.
Hyde, 28, has always been into bikes, whether it was BMX in his younger years, mountain biking as he grew older, or road racing. He had his first eye-opening 'cross experience when in Portland, when he saw his first Cross Crusade event at the Alpenrose Velodrome, and ever since then he's been hooked.
In 2012, Hyde moved to New England and joined Powers' JAM Fund program, slowly working his way up the elite ranks. By 2013, he was winning some of the smaller UCI C2 races, and in 2014 he was consistently in the top 10. But this season he's been on or near the podium nearly every race, and in the Derby City Cup he bested his mentor twice in a row, winning his first C1 event and Sunday's C2 race.
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"It's definitely a nice result," Hyde said to Cyclingnews. "I've won quite a few C2s now, but it feels pretty good to get the monkey off my back. It's hard to not focus on just beating Jeremy. That's what everybody brings it down to. I've tried to just focus on being there to win the race. It's a big deal for me. He's been a big part of my career, and it's a huge thing to be able to best America's best 'cross racer in his prime. I've always wanted to beat him when he's good."
While Powers wasn't thrilled to be beaten, he had only good things to say about seeing his prodigy win. "I don't want to lose to anyone. I'm not pumped about losing. But I am proud of how far he's come ... It's incredible because we [the JAM Fund] have changed a lot of people's lives and allowed them to chase their passion. When I'm in the grave, that's what it's going to be about."
The race has never been kind to Powers, he says. "It's always been a course where I've gone to the line and haven't been able to finish it off. It's the Louisville curse. I went to the line with [Ryan] Trebon in 2013, and he outsprinted me, I went last year to the line with [Danny] Summerhill, and he outsprinted me, and this year I went to the line with Stephen, and he outsprinted me. This particular day I felt great, but man I had a lot of bike problems and burned a lot of matches. I was definitely trying to win, but a couple flats and a crash at the start put me in the back. In the end, it came down to Stephen and me battling it out."
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