2016’s ECCC racing season was kicked off in Philadelphia
with the traditional two-day Philly Phlyer race series. The Penn State Club Cycling Team had a
massive turnout, with twenty riders racing for the Blue and White. Penn State partook in the TTT and road race
on Saturday, and the criterium on Sunday.
3/19, Team Time Trial
The Philly Phlyer TTT course was 11 miles. The highlight of the course were the multiple
hairpin turns which demanded excellent teamwork and handling to preserve
valuable seconds. The final lap of the
course finished up a hill, which put the riders deep into the pain cave.
Men’s A: James Read,
Drew Chidester, Greg Ratzell, Kevin Bernstein
The Penn State men’s A team witnessed a catastrophic crash
from the Queen’s collegiate team. As
Drew described it; “it looked like they ran over a landmine.” Carbon fiber and aero gear everywhere. Our boys nailed down 3rd place despite the
surrounding carnage.
Women’s A: Monica Volk, Jess Bunchek, Rebecca Storch, Kirsten Pearsons
The women’s A team finished 3rd overall. First time A racers Kirsten and Rebecca put
on a stellar performance in the early morning race.
Men’s C: Dan Kozar,
Sam Carroll, Lucas Buseck
The men’s C team successfully wound it up for a 12th
place finish.
Men’s D: Noah Smith, Cobie Arnold Jose Aguilar, Will Gowen,
Jacob Brown, Charlie Akerblom, Bill Wahl
The team of Cobie, Jose, Jacob, and Bill misjudged the speed
of entry on the first hairpin turn, which resulted in a minor crash. Despite this, they pulled together and
finished 3rd in the TTT, with a final time of 34:52. A very impressive recovery and a valuable
learning opportunity. Noah, Will, and
Charlie started out strong, but were accidentally led off course.
3/19, Schuylkill Scramble Road Race
The road race course was similar to the TTT course, but
nixed one of the hairpin turns in favor of an additional 1 mile climb for the
riders to navigate. Riders began next to
Memorial Hall, and then followed the course down a scenic route beside the
river.
Men’s A: Drew
Chidester, James Read, Greg Ratzell, Kevin Bernstein
At 39 miles long, the men’s A race was the most difficult of
the events at the Philly Phlyer. Three
riders broke away on the first lap of the race, leaving the rest of the riders in the peloton to duke it out for the remaining positions. Kevin broke away and jockeyed himself towards the center of the peloton, a position he would hold until the end of the race, with a 14th place finish. Greg
playfully attacked early in the race, pushing the other riders to catch up with
him before he was swallowed once again by the peloton. The final two laps of the course saw a sharp
uptick in pace, and the exhausted riders struggled to cement good finishing
positions. The final climb, while a
formidable obstacle for the majority of the riders, was taken advantage of by
Kevin and Greg, who attacked and passed multiple cyclists. Greg finished 13th, and Drew and
James cranked their way to a 22nd and 23rd place finish,
respectively.
Monica Volk sprints for the finish line
Women’s A/B: Monica Volk, Jess Bunchek, Kirsten Pearsons
Monica Volk and two non-collegiate professional riders
executed a speedy breakaway on the first lap, and remained in the front for the
remainder of the 32 mile race. The three
of them held an impressive one minute and thirty second lead off the
front. First place in collegiate already
secured, Monica played amongst the pros and crossed the line second. Jess duked it out in the center of the
peloton for ideal positioning, and finished 11th, with Kirsten right
behind at 19th.
Jess Bunchek scales the final climb while Noah Smith, Noah Stauffer, and Will Gowen provide moral support
Men’s C: Dan Kozar, Sam Carroll
A crash on the final turn of the course made for a difficult push towards the finish line. Sam
finished 59th out of the pack. Dan
ambitiously upgraded to category C for his first collegiate road race, and
although he put out a good effort, he couldn’t quite keep up with the
peloton. Technique comes with experience.
Women’s C: Sarah Rutledge
Sarah was reunited with a former Penn Stater, Kasinee. Rivalries die hard and Sarah beat Kasinee to
the line, 12th place over her 15th. A great result for both, but only Sarah
scored points.
Men’s D: Noah Smith, Cobie Arnold, Will Gowen, Jacob Brown, Jose Aguilar, Charlie Akerblom, Bill Wahl
A pothole on the first descent caused a minor crash,
thankfully with minimal injury. Cobie powered
his way to a 9th place finish, a solid performance for his first
collegiate road race. Bill finished 26th,
while Noah, Charlie, Will, Jacob, and Jose lost contact with the peloton but nonetheless put
out a good effort.
Women’s D: Rebecca Storch
Rebecca finished 37th, successfully scorching her way past 30 other riders in her first ever road race.
3/20, Criterium at Temple University
As temperatures dipped under 40 degrees and wind ripped down
the streets, the weather was a major hurdle for the criterium racers to
overcome. The final straightaway of the
course barreled into a headwind, which added another challenge to primes and
finishing sprints. The railroad tracks
which passed through the course added bones to the otherwise bare-bones
circuit.
Greg Ratzell (left) and Kevin
Bernstein (right) rip around a corner at the Men’s A Criterium
Men’s A: Greg Ratzell, James Read, Kevin Bernstein
Kevin found a good opening for the final sprint, and secured
a 10th place finish. Greg
attacked ferociously throughout the race, but couldn’t quite make the breakaway
stick against the tough competition. Greg
and James received 18th and 19th, respectively.
Women’s A: Monica Volk
Monica initiated another breakaway. This time she was joined by three other collegiate
racers. On the final lap, Monica
launched her sprint and created a massive gap, notching herself another 1st
place finish for the weekend.
Women’s B: Kirsten Pearsons
The women’s B field was
combined with the women’s A field, forcing Kirsten to race with the fastest
girls in the east. The pace was a bit
too fast for Kirsten to hold on to but she never quit, notching herself a 6th
place finish.
Esteemed President and Maverick
Sam Carroll begins a sprint (Image courtesy of Boston University Cycling)
Men’s C: Sam Carroll,
Dan Kozar, Charlie Li
The competition was tough in men’s C’s, and the Penn State
riders were eventually pulled after holding on for the first half of the
race.
Men’s D: Noah Smith, Cobie Arnold, Jose Aguilar, Will Gowen, Jacob Brown, Charlie Akerblom
The men’s D field sported 66 contestants total. The railroad tracks knocked a bottle out of
its cage, leading to a minor crash on the first lap. The field split up into two large groups by
lap 5, which spread out the riders.
Cobie held on to the first group, and landed a 17th place
finish. Charlie led the 2nd
pack throughout the latter part of the race, and finished 30th with Will in
pursuit at 34th. Will didn’t realize the
pack had split up, and began celebrating after crossing the finish line. There’s always next week. Jose, Jacob, and Noah held on strongly for
the majority of the race, but fell off the pace of the peloton.
The Philly Phlyer was a huge success for the Penn State Club Cycling Team. Thus far, Penn State riders have racked up a total of 177 points, placing 4th in the ECCC. With five more weekends remaining, the opportunity for new riders to improve and seasoned riders to dominate is all ahead.
