avondale criterium #1
24/January/2010 13:53
The first crit of the season is over and Strada had a great day....and a lot of fun! It may have been cold at the early morning start but the clear skies were a welcome relief to the stormy weather we had this last week. We apologize if we missed anyone in our results...pls check the AZCycling.com website in a few days for complete details.
RACE RESULTS
The first race of the day at the chilly hour of 7:30 am was the Masters Women who were followed one minute later by the Junior Men. Congratulations to Mary Jane Colson on a very strong ride in her first bike race. She had a small but tough field of very experienced women who rode hard enough to outlast her for the finish but Mary Jane's cycling skills were great and she showed a whole new level of toughness. Nice ride Mary Jane!
Hot on the heels of the Masters Women was a junior field of unprecedented size and quality...29 riders! Strada was represented by Michael Hemmerlin who just moved into the 10-12 age group and he had to race against much older and more experienced riders, to a formidable batch of riders up to 18 years of age. As the race started, Strada riders were spread throughout the pack until about the halfway point where our elite team of juniors took over the front of the group and dictated how the race was to run. How did we do? First, second, third and fifth places! And all were in the 15-16 age group! Congratulations to Sean Biever who rode a superb race and lead out a super strong technical sprint to take first place OVERALL. Nick Thorpe was close behind to get a great second place. Just a bike length back, Don Henley clinched a great fifth place finish. Yes, all of these 15-16 Juniors beat all comers up to 18 years old! APPLAUSE!
Jerri Manley entered her first race in the tough and larger-than-usual pack of Cat 3 and Cat 4 women...not the easiest way to start a bike career! In spite of only a few short months of training, Jerri showed remarkable poise and aggression. She fought hard but lost contact with the main bunch after a series of attacks. Her bike skills clearly showed she could compete with these women and more training will deliver the results in the future.
Chris Colson entered the Cat 5 men's race in a huge and aggressive group. In spite of the fact that Chris' work schedule does not leave much time for training and that this was only his second race, he looked like a pro throughout the race. He danced through the corners like a seasoned racer and only lost ground at the very end of the race because he ran out of road and had to take to the desert. He caught back up to the group but could not contest the sprint after the delay. Great ride for Chris...congrats.
One of the biggest stories of the day is Drew Albert's race in the combined Cat 2/Cat 3 field. In spite of his short racing career and relatively recent upgrade to a Cat 3, Drew rode the race like he had a lifetime of experience. In spite of a huge pack that included some of the best riders in the state, Drew kept his calm, planned his race to the last detail and, in an exciting photo finish, placed second! A super, super race that previews what his future races will hold. Congratulations, Drew!
Next up was Jeff Biever in the Cat 4/5 men's race. Jeff started very well and rode at the front like he owned the pace. Mid way though, the race became challenging... although he finished with the pack, he was unable to rustle up his sprint for the finish. Jeff, we all thank you for your support throughout our training sessions and the day of races.
Rick Giordano took on the 40+ men's field. Rick showed a new tactical sense in the race and finished in a very good 10th place. Again, this race was far larger than in previous years. Congratulations, Rick!
Not content with one great race in the day, Drew entered the Cat 3/4 men's race which had over 60 riders. Once again, it was a very aggressive race. Also, again, Drew showed remarkable composure and maturity. He calmly moved through the pack as it suited him and.....yes, he fulfilled his goal today as he won his first Senior Men's event (he was a junior last year)! It was a wonderful effort and a carefully calculated sprint that brought him to the top of the podium...in spite of the fact that he had just completed a tough one hour race before this event. Drew: All of Strada is proud of you. Congratulations.
For some reason, the promoters held the Masters Men's 50+ race until the second from last event of the day. Nine hours after the start of the day, Lionel Space lined up to take on another record size field. Consistent with Lionel's focus and preparation, he demolished the competition to earn yet another first place finish. Yes, he did it again (he won the combined cat 4/5 race last year at this venue) AND he is now competing in the 55-59 year class but still won overall. Congratulations Lionel on another perfectly executed race.
WHEW, what a day.....and this is just the beginning of the season.
RACE RESULTS
The first race of the day at the chilly hour of 7:30 am was the Masters Women who were followed one minute later by the Junior Men. Congratulations to Mary Jane Colson on a very strong ride in her first bike race. She had a small but tough field of very experienced women who rode hard enough to outlast her for the finish but Mary Jane's cycling skills were great and she showed a whole new level of toughness. Nice ride Mary Jane!
Hot on the heels of the Masters Women was a junior field of unprecedented size and quality...29 riders! Strada was represented by Michael Hemmerlin who just moved into the 10-12 age group and he had to race against much older and more experienced riders, to a formidable batch of riders up to 18 years of age. As the race started, Strada riders were spread throughout the pack until about the halfway point where our elite team of juniors took over the front of the group and dictated how the race was to run. How did we do? First, second, third and fifth places! And all were in the 15-16 age group! Congratulations to Sean Biever who rode a superb race and lead out a super strong technical sprint to take first place OVERALL. Nick Thorpe was close behind to get a great second place. Just a bike length back, Don Henley clinched a great fifth place finish. Yes, all of these 15-16 Juniors beat all comers up to 18 years old! APPLAUSE!
Jerri Manley entered her first race in the tough and larger-than-usual pack of Cat 3 and Cat 4 women...not the easiest way to start a bike career! In spite of only a few short months of training, Jerri showed remarkable poise and aggression. She fought hard but lost contact with the main bunch after a series of attacks. Her bike skills clearly showed she could compete with these women and more training will deliver the results in the future.
Chris Colson entered the Cat 5 men's race in a huge and aggressive group. In spite of the fact that Chris' work schedule does not leave much time for training and that this was only his second race, he looked like a pro throughout the race. He danced through the corners like a seasoned racer and only lost ground at the very end of the race because he ran out of road and had to take to the desert. He caught back up to the group but could not contest the sprint after the delay. Great ride for Chris...congrats.
One of the biggest stories of the day is Drew Albert's race in the combined Cat 2/Cat 3 field. In spite of his short racing career and relatively recent upgrade to a Cat 3, Drew rode the race like he had a lifetime of experience. In spite of a huge pack that included some of the best riders in the state, Drew kept his calm, planned his race to the last detail and, in an exciting photo finish, placed second! A super, super race that previews what his future races will hold. Congratulations, Drew!
Next up was Jeff Biever in the Cat 4/5 men's race. Jeff started very well and rode at the front like he owned the pace. Mid way though, the race became challenging... although he finished with the pack, he was unable to rustle up his sprint for the finish. Jeff, we all thank you for your support throughout our training sessions and the day of races.
Rick Giordano took on the 40+ men's field. Rick showed a new tactical sense in the race and finished in a very good 10th place. Again, this race was far larger than in previous years. Congratulations, Rick!
Not content with one great race in the day, Drew entered the Cat 3/4 men's race which had over 60 riders. Once again, it was a very aggressive race. Also, again, Drew showed remarkable composure and maturity. He calmly moved through the pack as it suited him and.....yes, he fulfilled his goal today as he won his first Senior Men's event (he was a junior last year)! It was a wonderful effort and a carefully calculated sprint that brought him to the top of the podium...in spite of the fact that he had just completed a tough one hour race before this event. Drew: All of Strada is proud of you. Congratulations.
For some reason, the promoters held the Masters Men's 50+ race until the second from last event of the day. Nine hours after the start of the day, Lionel Space lined up to take on another record size field. Consistent with Lionel's focus and preparation, he demolished the competition to earn yet another first place finish. Yes, he did it again (he won the combined cat 4/5 race last year at this venue) AND he is now competing in the 55-59 year class but still won overall. Congratulations Lionel on another perfectly executed race.
WHEW, what a day.....and this is just the beginning of the season.