The towering Trebon, 25, and Wicks then took the first row at the starting line for the men's race and quickly shot to the front. Back in the pack, one rider went down on the opening straightaway, a gravel road, and was thumped in the back by a succession of front wheels. He climbed back in the saddle and chased down the pack.
At the start of the second lap, Tim Johnson, who was second in the series rankings, passed Trebon. Johnson, a compact rider from Middleton, Massachusetts, seemed to accelerate through the slop.
"Johnson is a mudder," said Richard Fries, the announcer, standing on the knoll at the center of the course with a remote microphone.
Sure enough, as Trebon's white leader jersey turned deeper shades of brown, Johnson grew stronger and stretched his lead. Trebon had problems with his pedals, and the brake pad for his back wheel jammed at one point. He exchanged his bike for a clean one in the race's pit area several more times than Johnson.
Wicks endured three flat tires and fell way off the lead. "It's a lot of fun riding over rocks on US$500 rims," he said dryly.
When Johnson had powered his way to the finish, completing the seven laps in a little more than an hour, Trebon had slipped to fifth. Beyond that, Fries had trouble identifying finishers because they were covered in mud.
Trebon, however, retained his overall lead and won the series championship. He will represent the United States at the world championships in January in Belgium.
The winner of the US championships, scheduled for Dec. 15 to Dec. 17 in Providence, Rhode Island, will also earn a spot in the world championships.
Johnson collected US$600 for his winning ride, along with US$200 for being voted the day's most aggressive rider. He was hosed off before stepping on the winner's podium.
"The conditions just made everything worse today — all these hidden holes," he said, smiling through chattering teeth.
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