Rutgers University Criterium, 3/19
Spring arrived in full force on Saturday. To celebrate the
weather at the second race of the season, the ECCC riders broke out their
finest jorts. The generous 10 am start
time allowed the lower category riders to sleep in and prepare for their races. The criterium course featured 3 turns, with
one rounded, sloping side which led into a tight turn and a small hill climb. Stereotypes about NJ infrastructure were
confirmed, and the roads on the course were precarious. Pocked with potholes, the sharp second turn
became a highway
to the Danger Zone for riders in all categories.
James whips around a corner (image courtesy of NYU Cycling)
Men’s A: James Read, Kevin Bernstein
A two man breakaway launched halfway into the race, and the peloton was unable to close the gap. James and Kevin worked together to draft off
of each other, and swapped positions throughout the course of the race. Kevin finished in the center of the peloton
at 20th, with James only seconds behind at 29th. Monica stretched her legs with the men’s
field, and completed 5 laps before pulling the plug.
Women’s A/B: Monica
Volk, Jess Bunchek, Kirsten Pearsons
The peloton held together on the first several laps, but
Monica “Breakaway” Volk rocketed ahead with five other riders. The peloton never saw the breakaway, and only
heard rumors of Monica’s dominant win in the final sprint. Jess sat in the peloton and sprinted hard on
the final lap, earning 8th place.
Kirsten, a B racer, fought hard alongside the women in A’s, and locked
down the first prime in her category.
Overall, Kirsten was 16th in the pack.
Men’s C: Dan Kozar
Dan asserted himself at the front of the speedy C peloton, a
position he held for the first two laps.
Wild cheers of “Damn Daniel” could be heard across the Rutgers
campus. Unfortunately, a pothole in the
road sent him sailing over the handlebars.
Although he was uninjured by the accident, his rim was damaged beyond
repair, and he was unable to continue with the race.
Will sprints to catch a draft (image courtesy of NYU Cycling)
Men’s D: Noah Smith, Will Gowen, Jose Aguilar
The men’s D race raised the bar for criterium carnage with a
whopping five crashes. All crashes occurred
on the precarious 2nd turn of the course; from a combination of
riders slowing down on the uphill and other riders sprinting through potholes
on the turn. Will hung with the pack
until the fifth lap, when a catastrophic pileup resulted in a bicycle being thrown
5 ft. into the air. Will avoided the
crash, but grabbing a handful of brake cost him the race. Noah navigated through the disaster, but
flatted on the final straightaway, in a hiss of broken dreams. Jose raced defensively,
and finished 54th.
Rebecca gears up for the women's D crit
Women’s D: Rebecca Storch
Rebecca advanced through the peloton during the first several
laps. Unfortunately, a crash KO’d
Rebecca’s derailleur hangar and front brake lever, shearing them both in
half. She rushed to the on-staff
mechanic, who managed to replace the hanger (with some convincing) in under a 1
lap. Ignoring her own scrapes from the
accident, she hopped back on the bike to chase down the peloton, and nailed
down 20th.
Rockland Lake Circuit Race, 3/20
Temperatures on Sunday took a dive into the low forties, and
the overcast weather threatened rain.
The 3.4 mile course led riders on a scenic loop around Rockland Lake,
and over serene country roads. Halfway
through the course, a series of small, rolling hills provided a 200 ft.
elevation gain, which gently challenged the cyclists. The final descent allowed riders to gather
speed for a straight shot to the finish line.
Similar to Saturday’s criterium, the course on Sunday also featured
unfavorable infrastructure, and the potholes once again plagued riders. To further complicate matters, the race was
conducted on open roads, which meant racers were only allotted one lane to
attack and maneuver.
Men’s A: James Read, Kevin Bernstein
The men’s A riders kept up a breakneck pace for the 44 mile
race. James stayed locked in with the
pack throughout, and crossed the line 18th. Kevin started out strong, but a pesky pothole
released the air from his tire, which caused him to lose serious ground and
left him unable to finish the race.
Women’s A/B: Jess Bunchek, Kirsten Pearsons
The race started out calmly, as riders wanted to save
energy and wait to see who would attack first.
A number of surges occurred on the first hillclimb, but all were
reabsorbed back into the peloton.
Kirsten propelled herself to the front on the climb, and led the peloton
for an entire lap before dropping back to catch a draft. Jess worked her way to
the front, bombing down the final hill and sprinting for 4th
place. Kirsten sat in close behind at 13th.
Men’s C: Dan Kozar
A serious crash on lap 2 resulted in a rider being medevacked
out, a process which spooked the remaining racers. The peloton became divided, and Dan found
himself in the 2nd pack for a 58th place finish.
Men’s D: Noah Smith, Will Gowen, Jose Aguilar
The first three laps of the Men’s D race bordered on a
leisurely ride, complete with brake checks and casual banter. Nonetheless, two accidents occurred as a
result of braking and potholes. Having
only 1 lane for a 48 man field made avoiding crashes and moving up in the
peloton difficult. The congestion caused
Noah and Will to end up stuck behind riders who were too tired to sprint for
the finish line, causing them to lose ground and place 27th and 17th. Jose faced similar adversity, and hung on at
42nd.
Women’s D: Rebecca Storch
Some last-minute starting line derailleur repair was
required to get Rebecca’s bike race ready.
Rebecca laid down so much power at the criterium that the replacement
hanger screws were knocked loose. She
secured an excellent position during the first mile of the race, but the
inability to shift gears on the hill cost her the position. The involuntary single speed left her
muscling her way to a 19th place finish.
The Penn State Cycling Team maintained their vice grip on
the ECCC leaderboards, holding down 4th place overall in the
conference. As temperatures and
experience levels increase throughout the spring season, the Team is set up for
a promising month of racing.
http://velocityresults.com/results/611/eccc-week-2-nyc-metro-showdown-rockland-lake-circuit-race-valley-cottage-ny
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