A couple weeks ago I headed up to Philadelphia to race in the ECCC with a couple teammates (Will Suhring and Lucas Farr). Since it was at the end of spring break I had the time and the course came highly recommended. The weekend wouldn’t disappoint. There was a Circuit Race on Saturday followed by a Sunday morning Crit.
Circuit Race
Saturday brought a beautiful 60 degree day for some great racing. As much as I enjoy racing with the guys in the ACCC it was great to meet and race with some different guys. Turns out the B field up north is as much fun as it is in the ACCC. The course ran along the Schuylkill River with two loops at each end. I thought the course was awesome. The two big straights allowed things to get sorted out and the two loops had really good flow and fun turns to keep things interesting. The course was 6.5 miles long and the B field did 5 laps.
The race went along without much of anything interesting occurring. Nobody could really get going off the front with Queens or Vermont controlling the group and if any of their guys got off the front others would shut it down. It was good practice staying out of trouble and in good position. As the final lap began the usual antics began, super slow, then fast, people yelling from the back row, etc, etc, etc. Finally as we rolled up the hill on the first loop it began to string out and down the backside we went still rolling. As we cross the bridge before the hard right hander that led back to the long river stretch someone hit a hole or something and things went awry. Next thing I knew the rear of this kids bike bucked hard left. I thought for a second he saved it but then up and over the bars he went as he high sided. I was fortunate to stay clear of the accident and any mess that occurred directly after it. I think the crash occurred slowly enough that most people were able to avoid the crash and stay safe. I’ve seen way to many crashes so far this year, hopefully I can continue to stay clear.
The race went along without much of anything interesting occurring. Nobody could really get going off the front with Queens or Vermont controlling the group and if any of their guys got off the front others would shut it down. It was good practice staying out of trouble and in good position. As the final lap began the usual antics began, super slow, then fast, people yelling from the back row, etc, etc, etc. Finally as we rolled up the hill on the first loop it began to string out and down the backside we went still rolling. As we cross the bridge before the hard right hander that led back to the long river stretch someone hit a hole or something and things went awry. Next thing I knew the rear of this kids bike bucked hard left. I thought for a second he saved it but then up and over the bars he went as he high sided. I was fortunate to stay clear of the accident and any mess that occurred directly after it. I think the crash occurred slowly enough that most people were able to avoid the crash and stay safe. I’ve seen way to many crashes so far this year, hopefully I can continue to stay clear.
From there we ripped down the long straight and up the final hill before the loop that would lead into a small roundabout and then to the finish. On that final hill I saw Will and was pumped to see him still up front with the group. Will crushed it in his first race as a B, definitely deserved that upgrade. As we made it up the final hill I found myself sitting 5th or 6th wheel with Lucas in 2nd. I kept hoping he would keep the pace high as the last couple turns could be messy if it weren’t strung out. Fortunately as we made the 2nd to last hard corner it was strung and a couple people on the front began to fade. In the final stretch around the roundabout I caught a huge break. The wheel I was sitting on moved up along everyone and attacked going into the roundabout. It was my own personal lead out train. Thanks bud! I was able to ride the good luck to the line with a seated sprint into a nasty head/cross wind. Lucas who stayed up front the whole time just missed grabbing my wheel but took 3rd! Will rolled in shortly after with the group. A great result for the UVa guys!
Leaving with a win always makes it a little bit more fun but this circuit race was a lot of fun. Great course, cool scenery, good company. What a great race!
Leaving with a win always makes it a little bit more fun but this circuit race was a lot of fun. Great course, cool scenery, good company. What a great race!
Temple Criterium
The next morning we had a classic 4 corner crit around the Temple campus. It wasn’t quite the nice day that Saturday was but 40 and sunny wasn’t terrible. The course went over 4 railroad tracks and had a fair amount of manhole covers. All in all it was fairly bumpy around the course with tricky turns and a couple sewer grates to keep things interesting. The race played out similarly to the RR with no one getting off the front. I tried to talk to Vermont and Queens about getting a break, which I thought could be successful with the tricky turns that were much faster alone. They weren’t interested so around we went in a nice little square. The final corner had a fairly large bump in the middle that could definitely launch you so I thought it was best to be free before that. As the extremely fast last lap played out the 2nd to last corner saw me sitting a little ways back worried about a flyer blowing past me if I was in the front. Just as I began my own flyer hoping to catch the guys in the front couple off guard and rip around the final sketchy corner solo and power to home the guy 2nd wheel took off. It was a good move as I couldn’t quite catch him before the line. Well done sir, well done. This time I finished 2nd with Lucas again just two spots behind in 4th and Will with the group. Another solid day for the UVa Crew. I couldn’t have been much happier with the weekend and how Lucas and Will did. It was great! While we had thought about racing 3/4 crit later in the day the impending snow storm (getting sick of these) had us headed out of Philly as soon as we could.
Next up for me is App State and the first hilly road race of the year, should be a good weekend to get baptized in the A field. Bring it on boys, can’t wait.
Keep those pedals spinning,
B.Slow.
Keep those pedals spinning,
B.Slow.