
Mo Bruno-Roy (Bob’s Red Mill/ Seven Cycles) had hoped to do more singlespeeding this year, but couldn’t quite make the SSCXWC in Philadelphia. Instead, she made her title race debut at the 2014 National Championships count, winning the women’s race by breaking away early and building a commanding lead. “It was really cold,” she laughed, covered in mud at the finish.

Bruno-Roy quickly moved to the front on lap one, with 18-year-old Ellen Noble (Trek Cyclocross Collective) following on the increasingly sloppy course. Behind, Ellen Sherrill (Rock Lobster / Bicycle Blue Book) chased, along with SDG’s Amanda Nauman (SDG Felt) and Jessica Cutler (Market Street Racing Club).

As Bruno-Roy continued to push the pace, it soon became a battle for second between the two Ellens, with Cutler leading Nauman for the final podium spots.

As the race went on, Noble took the low line on the main off camber section, Sherrill the high line, each testing the other to see would make a mistake first.

That fate came to Noble, whose skipping chain fell off and jammed going into the last lap.

“I was feeling pretty confident,” Noble explained to Cyclocross Magazine post-race. “It was a crapshoot the entire race, I was crashing everywhere. The last lap, I kind of put it together. I got a little bit, and I was getting a little more, a pretty good gap, but then my chain was off and she [Ellen Shirell] blew by me like I was standing still.” [Check out her full video interview here.]

The mechanical dropped Noble to fifth, and gave Sherrill enough daylight to claim silver behind Bruno-Roy, with Cutler claiming bronze over Nauman. This was Sherrill’s her second silver singlespeed title after finishing second at the SSCXWC behind Vicki Barclay earlier this year in Philly.

Post-race, we caught up with Sherrill as she wiped away blood—an early race mishap left her with a nosebleed that didn’t let up all throughout the race. “Just a little trip on the stairs, bar to the face,” she laughed. “It just felt numb at first. Then the spectators started cheering that the bloody nose was so badass. The announcers started making a big deal about my nose. When I crossed the line, a woman from the course gave me a tissue. That’s cyclocross racing, it’s awesome.”

As for her win over Noble, Shirrell explained what happened behind-the-scenes in the race: “She had a gap on me, and I didn’t think I could catch up to her. I knew we were both at our limit, I made up a little time before the off-camber, then there was a tricky off-camber where you could pull on some poles. She took the lower line, I made a good line up, and I thought I made some distance on her, but then I realized she was off her bike. She had dropped her chain, which is a bummer but that happens. It’s cyclocross!”

And the now two-time silver medalist this year—at SSCXWC and Nationals—says she’s happy with the season, adding, “I’m not going to complain. It was a fun race and there’s always room for improvement.”

Check out the men’s report here. Results follow gallery.

Singlespeed Women Photo Gallery – 2014 Cyclocross National Championships:

2014 Singlespeed Women's Cyclocross National Championship Results