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On Thursday, Jake Wells turned in a dominant performance to win the Masters 40-44 race in solo fashion. He returned to the course at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno on Saturday and swapped his geared bike for a shot at the singlespeed championship.

The task would not be an easy one. The singlespeed race is popular with riders who can best be described as “fast,” and the field featured a number of riders who had already had success in Reno. Wells’ task was cut out for him.

The singlespeed race featured a number of high-flyers. Men’s Singlespeed. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine

With the course dried out and the sun shining, the track was tailor-made for a fast start in the singlespeed race. A number of the heavy hitters got to the front and kept the pace high in an effort to separate out the field. After one lap, Max Judelson and Wells were off the front, while a number of other riders gave chase.

The 150+ rider singlespeed field heads out onto the course. Men’s Singlespeed. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine

During the first half of the second lap, Wells got a gap on Judelson. During the second half of the second lap, Stephan Davoust, who finished second in Wednesday’s Collegiate Varsity race, moved up to join Judelson. The stage was set; Wells leading and Davoust and Judelson trying to chase him down.

Wells said the chase was tough because the riders had different strengths. “There definitely were some spots where those guys were closing it down, and there were places where I could extend the lead. Luckily the place where I was extending the lead was right before the finish. I seemed to be getting a little bit of time on the off-camber section.”

Max Judelson was one of the strong riders in the field. Men’s Singlespeed. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine

From there, the gap between Wells and his chasers stayed between five and ten seconds. Using his 42t front, 18t rear gear combination, Wells was able to ride the steep hill, while Judelson and Davoust were forced to dismount at least once. Still, with one to go, Wells’ advantage was only a few seconds.

“Coming through there with one to go, I got a time check of three seconds, so I was panicked there for a minute,” Wells said about the close race.

Jake Wells needed an extra kick in the last lap to get his win. Men’s Singlespeed. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine

Wells was able to find an extra kick in the last lap and hold off Davoust and Judelson to take his second title of the week.

After Davoust caught up with Judelson, he picked up time and eventually moved into a solo second. He would finish the race there for his second second of the week.

Photos, interviews and results are below.

A rider rips through the sand. Men’s Singlespeed. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine

Send it. Men’s Singlespeed. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine

Kevin Bradord finishes up. Men’s Singlespeed. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine

Chad Cheeney hopped up the stairs. Men’s Singlespeed. 2018 Cyclocross National Championships. © D. Mable/ Cyclocross Magazine

For more from Reno, see our continuing coverage of the 2018 Reno Cyclocross Nationals on our dedicated Nationals page.

Photos from the races and reports are available to license here, with more to be added throughout the next week.

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