Nebraska Cycling News

Troy Krause (Lincoln Industries/Lemond) runs up the stairs section in the 40+ Mens race. Photo John Peterson

“A front row start didn’t hurt,” Krause said.

The Lincoln Industries-Lemond racer from Lincoln, Neb., finished second in Thursday morning’s Men’s B 40+ race. Krause was 37 seconds behind Patrick Morrissey (NM Team Cross) of Albuquerque, N.M., and more than a minute ahead of third-place finisher Darron Cheek (A Racers Edge) of Breckenridge, Colo.

Krause enjoyed great form in the closing weeks of the season, finishing first and second at the Jingle Cross races in Iowa City, Iowa, and in the top 10 both days at the Nebraska SOBE No Fear CX Weekend.

Although he got a good look at the nationals course at the Boulevard Cup (where he placed 11th), Krause said the course conditions Thursday were far from the same.

“Kansas had been in a drought most of the summer and the course was concrete hard. So this was a far cry from that,” he said. "The consistency of the mud today was like peanut butter.”

Chasing down Morrissey proved to be a challenge, Krause said, because he couldn’t immediately get around a pair of Team X racers.

“It was like they were almost blocking and slowing up the pace,” he said. “Until I got around them, I couldn’t catch up with him (Morrissey). He was gone. He rode a good race.”

Krause will race again on Saturday in the Men’s 40-44 age division championship.