ECCC Conference Championships - Nittany Cycling Classic

ECCC Conference Championships - Nittany Cycling Classic

The Penn State Cycling Club gathers for a photo after the Frat Row Crit. Photo from Wes Kline

Saturday:

Nestled high above the town of Julian, hidden from State College by a small ridge lies Lake Black Moshannon. “Black Mo” is known to every Penn State rider as one of the toughest routes in town.  Getting into the park is a long 5 mile climb along rattlesnake pike. And just when you think you are done the monstrous rollers come snapping at your heels.  It is a deceiving route, you think you are done working early, you eek out the last bit of energy from your legs to crest the hill, but the effort never ends.  At the end of all of this riding, you’ve earned your descent.  Beaver road tilts downhill sharply for multiple miles over rough pavement.  Penn State racers have grown to know and love this descent, hugging every turn and navigating every imperfection. 

Many of the races were paced by Kia Sorrento on loan from our sponsor, Lion Country Kia. Our pace car driver, Andrew Artz (junior-recreation and tourism management), loved its quiet and roomy interior. Additional sponsors included food provided by Subway and Honey Baked Ham and our championship race t-shirts printed by The Family Clothesline.

Team Time Trial: The TTT consisted of a triangular course along Lake Black Moshannon totally 9.5 miles.

No Penn Staters competed in the TTT.

Black Mo Road Race:  The road race starts at Lake Black Moshannon. The racers take off down the fast decent to the bottom of Black Mo where they then have to take the long grinding climb back to the top of the mountain. One loop of the full course totaled 21 miles.

A lone Women's C rider on the Black Mo Road Race. Photo by: Ginny Tory

Men’s D (1 lap):

Unfortunately many of our volunteers ended up sick, forcing some riders to become marshals guiding their teammates through.  Paul Girgis placed 5^th on the day while Marc Geiller placed 23^rd.

Women’s C (2 lap):

Kasinee Gehring set out with the women ready to do two laps of the course. However, she fell off the pace and finished one lap, placing 15^th.

         

Mitch Ernst waves as the Men's C field reaches the bottom of the Black Mo Road Race course. Photo by: Ginny Tory

            It is easy to forget that the love for this mountain comes from the respect it demands.  Racers were warned at the beginning of the race, to keep the first descent slow and that they won’t win the race down the initial descent.  Unfortunately, the aggressiveness of cyclists took its toll during the day’s second wave of races.  Two separate crashes landed riders in the hospital.  One rider lost control of his bike, found himself on the other side of the road and collided with a stopped car.  The rider was Life Flighted to a hospital in Altoona where he received stitches, treatment for two broken cheek bones and other resulting injuries.  Fortunately there was no permanent damage done and he was able to return home with his team on Sunday.  In the second crash, riders flew over a guard rail on the descent and piled up on down bikes.  Riders were taken by Ambulance to the local hospital and were released the same day.

             Because of the serious nature of these crashes, the road was closed and all following races canceled.

Sunday:

Sunday morning, the sun greeted the races with a warm morning in downtown state college.  Shortly after fraternity row was closed off and cars towed to make way for the race.

Frat Row Criterium: The course is short, with 6 sharp turns including a chicane.  It rewards the riders in front who are skilled at cornering but those stuck in the back will find themselves sprinting out of the turns to fight the accordion effect.

Andrew Artz comes through the chicane of the Frat Row Crit. Photo by: Ginny Tory

Men’s D (30 mins):

Penn State made up 8 out of 25 of the racers in the D1 field today.  Half of them would find the accordion effect of the 20+ mph pace too much and eventually off the back.  Connor, Jose, Kevin and Ryan were pulled and placed.  Marc stayed with the pack through a face of pain, but missed the split driven by Paul and Andrew.  Paul, Andrew and Billy made up 3 out of 8 riders in the breakaway.  Feeling fast, Paul broke away from the breakaway and was joined by a rider from UNH.  Knowing Penn State rider Andrew could win a sprint, Paul was able to force his companion to work.  Paul casually jumped around the rider from UNH and took the win.  The first breakaway was 20 seconds behind and Andrew cruised in for 3^rd taking the field sprint.  Billy and Marc rounded out the Team placing 7^th and 16^th respectively.  Primes were also scored by riders Paul and Andrew.

Paul Girgis comes through the chicane of the Frat Row Crit. Photo by: Ginny Tory

Men’s C (40 mins):

Three Penn Staters joined the 45 starters.  Sam took an early lead, the hole shot, but red-lined to get there and couldn't find a spot near the front.  Hurting, Sam was unable to keep pace.  Lucas and Mitch were all that was left of the Penn State team.  Both were in the top 10 in the final lap, but a crash in the chicane forced them to slow and ripped the chances of victory from their hands.

Men’s B (50 mins):

James was the sole starter today, and sick.  His sickness caught up with him so he pulled early to heal up to fight again.

Monica Volk celebrates her win at the Frat Row Crit. Photo by: Zach Wilczynski

Women’s A (50 mins):

Monica Volk of Penn State Lehigh Valley continued her domination of the ECCC.  She was sitting confident after winning all but one intermediate sprint.  Having wrapped up the leader’s and the sprinter’s jerseys, she wanted to make one final statement.  The last lap, she came screaming out of the last corner and dusted her competition!  Monica will be joining Penn State University Park next year.  We are looking forward to having her on the team!

Greg Ratzell breaks off the front of the Men's A Frat Row Crit race. Photo by: Zach Wilczynski

Men’s A (60 mins):

A salute to the graduating riders - Joe, Brett and Wes - this being their final collegiate race.  Joining them at the start line were Greg (sophomore) and Kevin (1^st year Masters).  The race started fast and 10 minutes in Greg crashed.  Kevin was behind the crash and never caught back on.  Greg rejoined the field and shot straight through, stuck in the big ring.  He was chased by a rider from Brown University who got close but unable to join.  Greg’s gap grew large and right before he was closing down on the pack a chase group started with Brett.  The chase group never got near Greg who kept his pace up.  With one lap to go, Greg lapped the field!  He cruised in his last lap knowing he had won the race, allowing the field some room.  Wes won the field sprint (10^th) followed by Joe (16^th).  Brett finished towards the back of the chase group at 8^th.  Because of Greg’s gut wrenching 50 minutes solo, he ended up as the de facto leader in all but one of the Primes.

Greg Ratzell is handed his gold medal. Photo by: Sam Carroll

Monica Volk walks away with her new gold medal. Photo by: Sam Carroll

The Penn State Cycling Club members celebrate. Photo by: Sam Carroll

THANK YOU to our team of race directors and race volunteers for ensuring this event went smoothly.  We would also like to thank our sponsors: Moshannon Valley Radio Club, The Bicycle Shop Inc., University Health Services, and of course LION COUNTRY KIA!!!

The Penn State Cycling Club sponsor, The Bicycle Shop Inc., ran the pit for the races Courtesy art from: The Bicycle Shop Inc.

The Penn State Cycling Club sponsor, Lion Country Kia, provided pace vehicles for the races. Photo by: Sam Carroll

Race report written by: Kevin Bertstein

4 days to D-day - What to pack for an ECCC Weekend

4 days until Joe Kopena sends off the first rider at the Rutgers ITT. What's in your race bag?

Keep this in mind: If you are going this weekend, expect it to be cold. It might rain. It shouldn't snow, but you never know. And if it's a warm sunny day on race day, you simply managed to get really freakin' lucky.

Here are a few things that I would recommend packing for this coming weekend. Feel free to comment and make suggestions!

• USA Cycling license (or a printed authorization to ride)
• Photo ID (If at a military establishment, your college ID won't cut it. Bring your drivers license.)
• Health insurance card
• Printed copy of the race flyer. Don't miss your start time or lose the address of the race.
  
• Small first aid kit. Band aids, alcohol, peroxide, neosporin, gauze. Man up and shave your legs now or you'll be crying like a baby later when you pull those bandages off.
• Any speciality tools needed for working on your bike. We will have work stands and tools on hand for minor fixes, but if your bike needs something special... bring it.
• Helmet. When on your bike at any time at a race location do NOT forget to wear a helmet. Points can and will be docked if you are caught riding a bike without a helmet around the race site. Don't ride around the course backwards, either.
• A Penn State Cycling Jersey. This is required to race. Either buy one, or borrow one from a fellow club member.
• A pair of cycling shorts or bibs (either PSU Cycling attire, or plain black shorts will do)
• Gloves that will keep your hands warm but not hinder motion. Latex gloves work as a great insulator from the cold and the wet when worn underneath lighter gloves if you don't have a pair of waterproof or cold weather gloves.
• Baselayer material. Cotton t-shirts work just fine if you don't have Under Armor or anything similar. Remember, it's better to be a little too warm, than too cold when racing in cold weather. However, remember when cotton gets wet, it will not keep you warm. Wool or synthetic is best in this case.
• Armwarmers and legwarmers (easy to make out of a pair of black women's leggings for less than 10 bucks)
• Toe covers or booties for your shoes
• Warm clothing to wear when warming up (sweatpants, sweatshirt, jacket)
• Warm clothing to wear when not racing
• Safety pins (used for pinning race numbers on)
• Zip ties (no longer needed for holding Vanya's earth-orbiting techno-blasting Mazda together when re-entering the atmosphere, but they will be used for attaching the race number to your frame).
• Spare tubes, tires, and chain. And if you're Keith Groshans, a spare frame.
• Water bottles. And whatever you prefer to drink while riding (water, gatorade, accelerade, etc.)
• Food to snack on between races. Food is fuel. No fuel? You won't be crushing any souls. Granola bars, cereal, bagels, peanut butter and jelly, bananas, shot bloks, gummi bears, etc. They're all great. Think protein and carbs.
• Sunglasses are good. Ones with replaceable lenses, even better. Perfect for keeping the sun, wind, road grit, and rain out of your eyes.
• A towel big enough for you to wrap around you so that you may change into your chamois. Otherwise you'll be crouching behind a car door hoping that nobody sneaks a peek.
• A roll of toilet paper. Either have your own stash, or you'll be making friends with those who do. Or you could even sell it to those who don't. You just never know when the porta-johns will run out.
• A proper amount of insanity.
• Oh, and please don't forget your bike.

Other things to bring:

• Money. You will need to eat, be sure to chip in for gas money, etc.
• Sleeping bag. You just might be sleeping on a floor somewhere.
• Towel. Your host is not expected to provide you with a towel.
• Toiletries. Nor should they be expected to provide toiletries, either.