Philly Phlyer Recap

This weekend, the club headed down to the Philly Phlyer. The race is a staple of the ECCC road schedule and a perennial favorite among Lehigh Cycling due to its proximity to Bethlehem and its great venues. Saturday featured a team time trial, which we did not participate in, as well as a circuit race on a 6.2 mile course. Men's A, B, and C completed 5, 4, and 3 laps, respectively, and Women's C completed 2 laps.

First out on the course was Brandon O. in his first Men's C race. The Division 1 and 2 C groups were combined, which led to a large field of 75. Brandon finished in 32nd out of all C riders, and 7th in Division 2, picking up some important individual points. Kiki was next up for the team in Women's C. Unfortunately, she crashed out but was alright and in good spirits.

Brandon leading the B field up the climb into lap 4.

Philly Phlyer Preview

This weekend, we're headed to Philadelphia for the annual Philly Phlyer. With a TTT and circuit race in West Fairmount Park along the Schuylkill River on Saturday, and an on-campus crit at Temple on Sunday, there is sure to be some great racing at some awesome venues.

The course profiles and some footage from last year's races are after the break...

ECCC Week 1: Rutgers

The 2012 Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference road season kicked off with yet another edition of the Frozen Toed Season Opener, hosted by Rutgers. The forecast leading up to the weekend was bleak for the first race of the year, but our club still sent a total of 5 riders this year. As in years past, the first event of the season was a fast 2.2 mile individual time trial on an out-and-back course in Somerset, NJ early Saturday morning. Marten, Brandon K., and Perry all participated in the wet ITT, with Brandon just missing out on points in B's.

The much anticipated and surprisingly long road race was next up for the club in the afternoon. ECCC races typically increase in length and difficulty as the season progresses, yet the Rutgers planned a 13 mile course with 944 ft of climbing each lap. The A field would race 5 laps, B's would do 4, C: 3, D: 2, and Intro would do 1. This meant that the second longest race of the year, after Easterns at UNH, would be during the opening weekend. The combination of plenty of mileage and climbing would prove to be a good test of everyone's early season form.

Marten at the start of the A road race

Lehigh Mountaintop Classic Recap

Great job this weekend to everyone who raced and to all who helped make the weekend a success. The results were just posted on the conference site, and the club came in 1st place over all D-1 and D-2 schools. This is the first time in recent memory (the race has been run 6 of the last 7 years, and five consecutively) that we've beaten out the conference powerhouses like UVM, UNH, and NU. Lots of great racing by freshmen, first time mountain riders, and seasoned veterans of South Mountain contributed to the victory that capped an epic weekend of XC, DH, and Clusterhucking.

The final points for the weekend are listed below:
1. LEHIGH 248
2. Boston College 208
3. UVM 193
4. RIT 171
5. Penn State 126
6. UNH 117.5

Lehigh Mountaintop Classic

Lehigh Cycling is back in action as the team has returned to South Mountain.  Next weekend, 9/17-18, we host our annual Mountaintop Classic.  This is the longest running race in the ECCC mountain season and has become the crown jewel of the conference in recent years.
Registration is on BikeReg at http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?EventID=14284
Saturday's schedule includes the grueling XC course, DH, and the awesome Clusterhuck relay for XC and DH duos.  On Sunday, racing kicks off with the STXC and team relay, followed by the DH in South Mountain Park.

Here's a glimpse of the DH course on Saturday:

Downhill 2011 from Captain Clutch on Vimeo.

Further Analysis of Black Moshannon RR

For an additional account of Saturday's road race at Easterns, visit Marten's blog Slow Twitch.

Again, congrats to all who participated at Easterns and throughout the 2011 ECCC road season.

Easterns at Penn State Recap

After a grueling eight week long season that saw Lehigh riders compete every weekend, the ECCC season wrapped up with Easterns hosted by Penn State this weekend.  Nine Lehigh riders made the trip to Happy Valley, with eight of us going up on Friday night.  After fueling up for the next day's races and having a good time at the hotel on Friday night, the team headed out for Black Moshannon early Saturday morning.  The drive to the course was foggy with a light rain--an indication that the course would be slick for the earlier races.

The Women's C and Men's B teams decided to rest their legs for the upcoming road race, while the Men's D team was ambitious enough to compete in the 9.5 mile team time trial.  This was the first collegiate race for two of our riders, Brandon O. and Brian, while it was only Tom's 3rd time ever on a road bike.  The three guys put forth a strong effort, with Brandon and Tom crossing the line for a 5th place finish out of 6 in D Division 2.

Brian, Brandon, and Tom at the start of the D team time trial

Immediately following the time trial, the Men's C and D and Women's C road races began.  The course would prove to be a challenge to riders across all categories.  This soul-crushing race, as described by racers throughout the conference, spanned 21.5 miles with three Category 5 climbs before a grinding 5.3 mile ascent up Black Moshannon.  This Category 2 climb challenged riders to gain 1356 feet of elevation at an average grade of 4.9%.  Devin was our only rider in C's and it was his last collegiate race after six years of club leadership and great performances in mountain and road.  On his first lap of two, he was among the first fifteen of a field of 70 to cross the start/finish.  He finished strong at 28/70.  The D race saw freshman Brandon O. fly to a 3rd place finish, which is hopefully the first of many podium finishes in his career.  Tom and Brian finished well in the field of 31.  Kiki and Molly were our only two women racers this weekend and rode great in Women's C.

Devin on the descent on lap 1

After the temperatures rose to the mid-fifties and the early races ended, Marten, Brandon, and Eric headed over to staging for the B race which had a field of 53.  Marten quickly moved to the front of the pack, setting the pace for the first lap into the climb at 12 miles in.  The B field immediately split in two, with half the field struggling to climb the base of Black Mo and the front half breaking into smaller groups.  Marten led the charge up the mountain, with Brandon and Eric a couple of chase groups back.  He maintained the pace over the rest of the race, staying with an elite group of six riders.  After the first three places had been claimed (one of them by an MWCCC racer from U of Michigan), Marten came around the turn at the bottom of the descent from Black Moshannon with riders from RIT and Yale.  With a quick burst of acceleration, Marten blew past the RIT rider to claim the third place ECCC finish and 4th overall.  Brandon finished in 17th and Eric in 21st.

Marten on the wheel of an RIT rider who he beat for 3rd in a sprint

This was perhaps the biggest group of Lehigh riders to compete in an ECCC road race over the past 5 years. With two podium finishes at Easterns, the team was well represented and can look forward to great results next year.  In the meantime, the team can focus on preparing for its annual Mountaintop Classic mountain bike race in September.