Curtis White was dressed in his new Steve Tilford Foundation kit at the start line of the Trek CX Cup. Despite the new jersey, Tilford, a three-time silver medalist at the national championships, set a familiar, demanding pace in Friday's elite men's C1 race.

He was selected in the lead group of 10 riders from a field of 56 for Friday's C1 contest, and his new colors shined at the front of the pack when White attacked with four laps remaining in the contested 10-lap race. The attack disrupted the pack and sent the riders falling back.

On the final lap, European champion Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) attacked, with Belgian Daan Soete (Deschacht-Hens-Maes) in second place. Caleb Swartz finished 11th.

"The race in the group was tactical and very fast. There were a lot of Euros looking to get rid of jet lag. This is their test day. They train together at a high level and can push each other in training and in the race over there," White told Cycling News after the fast finish.

"We've had a good start to the season here in the US. But racing against my European rivals will be a really good test for me. The last three races were in the mud, a little bit slower pace and lower cadence. So this race was very fast and responsive, which I felt my legs needed. So I was really happy to be able to keep up with the wheels. Technically I felt like I was running the bike. I just wish I could have positioned myself a little better on the last lap.

White has stood on the podium five times in his first six races in the US, including a win at the C2 Charm City Cross, his last race before Waterloo. He is currently second in the US Cyclocross Series (USCX), 50 points behind Vincent Vestance (Spitz CX Team), but with a chance to win the overall title at the Really Rad Festival of Cycling in November.

So what about Sunday, the first World Cup race of the 2022-2023 season?

"Yeah, it's a lot of Belgians, a lot of Dutch, and a lot of guys from today [Friday C1] plus some others. So I think (it is important) to learn from today's experience and to learn positioning from that. It was not about who was stronger, it was about positioning. It was very fast and technical, so there wasn't a lot of overtaking," White said of Friday's race.

After two C1/World Cup USA events in Waterloo and Fayetteville, White will not be chasing World Cup points in Europe and will remain in North America until the U.S. National Cyclocross Championships, December 6-11 in Hartford, Conn. December 6-11 in Hartford, Connecticut. After that, he will move to Europe to race.

The National Championships are always on his mind. He has competed in 10 consecutive cross nationals in junior, under-23, and elite races and has never finished lower than sixth. But now he is focused on Wisconsin.

"Overall I'm happy with the run and happy to represent my new team and new colors in the Trek Cup. There are some new courses coming up on Sunday. It will be a challenging day."