GDVC #1 & #2 Race Report

First off, great job to all those Team Extreme riders who raced Saturday and Sunday at the Gregg Bednorski #1 / #2 crits. Team Extreme is poised to be a “power house” in the WCA this year.

Only in Wisconsin can we expect to have a 20 to 30 degree temperature change from one day to the next but Team Extreme had a strong presence both days in a number of races. As far as the Cat 4 race went on Saturday, a team member and I gave the season a jump start as we were able to test our legs and lungs after a long winter of training. We went to the front pretty early in the race. I was feeling pretty good out front but soon realized that being in the front was too much work. I managed to move back in the pack but quickly rolled to the front a number of times up the quick and short climbs. By the time the bell lap came around we were crushing the pedals at a very fast pace. I took some advice from another member of our team to go for the sprint on the left side of the field after the final corner. This worked well as I was able to sprint up to the finish past a hand full of individuals to place 7^th. I was pretty stoked and I can say that I actually enjoyed the pain and suffering we doled out for 35 minutes.

Sundays Cat 4 race included many of the same individuals that raced Saturday with just a few less bodies, about 15 less. The race started pretty slow but a number of breakaways occurred that tried to break up the field. One such breakaway was very successful as a rider from Beans & Barley went out on a 5 lap flier. As the rest of us in the field expected, that individual tired due to hanging out along in the headwind up the hill on the eastern side of the course. Just like Saturday’s race I was out front for a number of laps (I need to let someone else do the dirty work). Of course at the bell lap the pace whipped up and I found myself boxed in on the hill. Two riders went off the front and the field reacted too late to catch them. At the top of the hill I slowed to the back of the field in order to move to the right side of the group. I sprinted past half the field before the final corner and continued the sprint to the finish to place 4^th.

Overall a good weekend of racing.

Can’t wait for next weekend. Great work Blue Train!