Monday, March 13, 2006

UPenn/Drexel Weekend Wrap

Rutgers Cycling headed down to Philadelphia this weekend to enjoy some great racing. Here's how it went:

In the circuit race on Saturday, crashes and flats were to play a key factor all day. Men's A rider Mike put in a great ride until crashed in the last corner; he pulled it together to finish 29th. Way to go! In the Women's A circuit, sprinter Lori once again picked up an impressive result finishing 5th.

In the Men's B, Will rolled in for 40th, while our women's killer Bs, Jen and Brandi, finished 22nd and 46th. Nice rides !

The Men's C circuit saw a familar name in the results - Brian. Brian finished 5th in the long and hilly circuit. Dan put in an awesome ride for 27th, Ted for 37th, and Blake for 54th. A flat took Jay out of the race early.

The Men's D circuit race was also plagued by flats. Rob flatted in the farthest point of the course and was forced to walk. Joe showed his comeback to RU Cycling is no joke with a 6th place finish. Noah put in another strong ride for 26th. Dave continues to improve with a strong 43rd place finish.

Sunday brought fresh riders, Don and Mark, and the rain.

Pouring rain greeted the team as it arrived at the criterium course. With weather more suitable for cyclo-cross than road racing, the intrepid team suited up and hopped on trainers to stay warm.

In the women's A, Lori rode strong all day but was put in a spot of bother right before the sprint and finished 17th.

At the start of the Men's C race, the rain picked up and the cross specialists on the team could not wipe the grins from their faces. Mark again hammered off the front at the start and was joined by an UNH rider for a lap. Once caught, he rode comfortably near the front. Brian bridged up to the front group after being caught behind a crash but flatted once he got up there. Always the trooper, Brian grabbed another bike and finished the race. Mark finished 14th, Brian 24th, Dan 44th.

In the Men's D, Noah put in another great ride to finish 18th, despite a massive field and poor weather making it all the more sketchy.

For full results checkout Velocity Results.

Next weekend, the team is in action again in NYC Saturday for Columbia's Grant's Tomb Criterium and Sunday for Princeton's Criterium in Augusta, NJ. With an increasingly confident criterium team, look for results both days.

Huge thank you for this weekend to Brandi and Brandi's parents for housing and feeding us only minutes away from the courses. We learned many things this weekend, mostly about Blake's love for cake. We also learned that most of us cannot navigate Philadelphia.

1 comment:

Hardtail For Life said...

Remember, Dave Kim finished by walking his bike across the line (another flat tire victim).