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.