Alas the time had come- opening weekend. The team was itching to get out and ride, and with plenty of new and veteran talent, it was a great feeling at the weekly meeting the Wednesday prior to racing.
The Rutgers race, known as the "Frozen Toed Season Opener," turned out to live up to its name. Temperatures hovered around 40 degrees race morning and skies alternated between clear and cloudy; however, the elements were no match for the eight brave souls who woke up early enough to make it to the start of the individual time trial (ITT). (7:00am!)
It was just a little cold out.
The ITT was a blistering 2.2 mile course with only one slight uphill near the turn-around. Riders took turns starting at 20-second intervals, pedaling as hard as possible for roughly 5 minutes, and then changing back into warm clothes for the break until the Rutgers campus Criterium later in the day.
The results of the ITT were solid for the first race of the year. Brandon O (Cat C2) got 6th with a 5:02, good enough for 9 points. Dave and Dean were a mere .23 seconds apart also in Mens C2.
Pat and Steve had a good showing in D's, and finished .8 seconds apart as well! Perry, after trading in his old steel horse for a newfangled carbon fiber machine, took 37 seconds off his time from last season. We think that his focus on training this offseason has done a bit to help that out, too...
Our speedy Category A riders, Marten and Brandon, warmed up their legs on the course and used it as a way to judge the current pack of top riders.
Getting from the ITT location to the Crit course turned out to be a bit more than any of us had bargained for. We started to follow cars with bikes on roofs and back racks, and at one point had roughly a 5-car caravan navigating the parking lots of Rutgers. Hilarity ensued when it turned out the car in front of us had no idea where they were headed and we realized this was a wild goose chase. Footage from this experience can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2_C3c_veio
Perry warming up at the Crit course
At the Rutgers campus camp was set up and snacks were graciously provided by some awesome team parents. (Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Z!)
The team made use of our new CycleOps trainers to shake out the lactic acid pre-race. They also proved clutch for keeping warm, a big thanks to Cutters Bike Shop and CycleOps for hooking us up with this great deal! Races went well for Men's D. Perry, Pat, and Steve were quite surprised at the race's pace out of the gate, and they gave it their best shot.
Men's C2, like Men's D, started like the ITT. Thankfully, however, the pace slowed after the first lap's battle for position and muscle flexing. A few laps in there was a breakaway that took off the front consisting of an MIT rider and someone else. MIT then took the tactics to the next level and kept much of a chase from materializing. In the end, the break was never caught, but Dave used his newly found sprinting strength to get in the points in a field sprint, a huge accomplishment.
MIT controlling the front
Keeping warm in our down time
Men's A was also very fast right from the gun. Brandon K and Marten kept toward the front 1/3 of the race to stay out of the accordion effect that came into play due to a very hairy 2nd turn and uphill into the finishing stretch. It was a great race to watch, as there were some pretty legitimate contenders from teams such as Swarthmore/Hincapie and Princeton/Bontrager Livestrong. A break managed to get away from the pack and swallowed up the first few spots, but Brandon K managed to sprint for 10th in the field. Marten hung tough and finished the race just off the back of the pack.
Marten and Brandon K got right back out on the roads Saturday for the Circuit race. In what sounded like a crazy race, a break got away and made things crazy for officials to keep track of. Brandon came in right outside the points, and Marten had a bit of a tough day, finishing outside the main field.
All in all, Lehigh Cycling had a great start to the season. We had one of our mountain riders, Kris, come with for race-day mechanic support and photography. Team player? We think so.
Our off season training has played a large part in the success of this past weekend. Spin bike usage at the Lehigh gym is key to getting in those dreaded indoor workouts, but with a team they're much easier to handle. Doug has been tremendously supportive and we thank him for being a great partner.
Your also may have noticed those snazzy new jerseys. Away with the gold/yellow and in with gold and brown emblems on the jerseys! They are looking sharp, that's for sure. We put a majority of our sponsors on the back so that our competitors can have a look at who they need to contact as we're riding away...
We can't thank our sponsors enough for their support. Have you heard of Cutters Bike Shop? We think you should give them a visit for anything bike related. They are located right off of our campus and are one of the best local bike shops in Eastern PA. We HIGHLY recommend you go in to see the owners John and Lisa for anything bike related. They are a hub of LU Cycling's sponsorships with Specialized Bikes and CycleOps trainers. If we need anything for training, be it nutrition, service, accessories, parts, you name it, they're our first stop.
In addition, Around Town Bicycles and Rich Adams Hand Built Bikes of Wilkes-Barre, PA are new sponsors for LU Cycling this year. This shop and custom builder contacted the team to let us know about (1994 alum) Rich Adams' new Lehigh-themed bike, which can be seen at bicycleframes.com/. Rich's steel-framed beauty inspired a new collaboration with the team, and we're proud to be flying their colors for the 2013 season.
Stay tuned in for updates on our promising 2013 season!
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