Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Duluth Classic Stage Race Day 1 & 2

SISU Cycles was represented by 6 racers at this year’s Duluth Classic Stage Race in Category 4/5. The Duluth Classic offers amateur cyclist the opportunity to replicate a pro stage race with 4 days of competition including an Individual Time Trial, a flat Road Race, a mountain top finish Road Race, and a Criterium.

Day 1
To set the stage for the whole weekend the Duluth Classic started with an individual Time Trial. This discipline was completed on a 16.2 course. Each rider was sent out in 30 second intervals and Jesse started the day for our team followed by Tom, Danny, Tyler, Tim, and then Glen. Nobody was lucky of enough to be on a TT bike but some of us were sporting TT clip on bars. By the end of the day we all found out the significance of a TT bike. Despite our instant disadvantage to other riders SISU performed well and set ourselves up for a positive weekend. Jesse put down the best effort of the evening handing in a time of 40:22 for a 17th place finish. The rest as follows: Tom, 40:49 in 24th; Tyler, 41:29 in 31st; Tim, 41:53 in 36th; Danny, 42:44 in 42nd; Glen, 44:05 in 51st.

Day 2 - 1st SISU Podium - 2nd place
Stage 2 was set up for the sprinters. This was a 36 mile course with flat road and 2 small climbs. The race started with 65 racers which made for a very tight peleton and white knuckle racing. The pace was easy as the peleton climbed the first hill and as it flattened out the pace began to rise. Our goal was to place a few riders in the front to cover any attacks and to set a few back to either hold the peleton off or bring back any lost teammates. Through the next few miles several attacks were attempted but failed as the peleton was just too jumpy and didn’t let anything get away. In hindsight, as you will see later in the story, it may have been better to let a few people go to split the peleton up a bit. Throughout the first half of the race SISU jockeyed a few team members (Jesse, Tyler, Tim, and Tom) up front just to let the peleton know we were players in the race. The group was still in tact at about the 15 mile marker when “Crash Fives” lived up to there name. The first lap was coming to an end and Tyler dropped back to gather the team members. Tyler, Tim, Glen, Jesse, and Danny all came together in the middle of the peleton as Tom hammered the pedals up front. Just as we all came together an attack was happening at the front and I noticed it was Tom that was doing the attacking and I turned to our team to let them know. Not two seconds later bike parts started to scatter on the road followed by bodies. We all did our best to avoid the wreck and Danny was fortunate to find an alternate route through the ditch but Jesse, Tyler, Glen, and Tim were not so lucky. Tyler, Glen, and Tim managed to make a SISU pie and Jesse hit some other riders on the outside. After the each rider assessed the damage to our bodies the next focus was the bikes. Jesse broke some spokes, Tyler twisted some handlebars and the other two managed only minor mechanical problems. Jesse was the first back on the road losing about 30-45 seconds. Glen and Tim were the next to get back on the bikes but had lost significant time to the leaders. Tyler had to retreat to the support vehicle to straighten his handlebars had had lost another minute to Glen and Tim. Tom was on the front of the peleton during this whole fiasco and didn’t know that the crash happened and kept plugging away at the lead. The remainder of the race Jesse worked with the GC leader and other riders to bring in the lead pack but they were unsuccessful and finished 23” behind. Danny was careful not to do too much work with his group knowing Tom was up front and helped protect that lead. Tyler worked with a SPBRC rider to bring in the 3rd chasing group and were successful at doing so with about 10 miles to go. The group managed to set a good pace but was way too far behind to even think of bringing in the leaders. So we set our own goals and tried to set Tim up for a bunch win. Glen had some hard pulls and set up Tyler to do a lead out for Tim with about 1000 meters left. Tyler pulled off a bit too early at about 500 m but fortunately the lead out didn’t cost him the sprint and he took the bunch win. As all this was happening in the back of the race the real drama worked out in the lead group. Tom did a lot of work for the lead group and realized his chances of winning the race were very favorable. He controlled the group to the finish line sprint and managed to take home a 2nd giving SISU Cycles there first podium finish of the year and weekend. The results are as follows. Tom, 1:27.13 in 2nd; Jesse, 1:27.36 in 22nd; Danny, 1.27.36 in 25th; Tim, 1:32 in 35th, Tyler, 1:32 in 39th, Glen, 1:33.34 in 47th.

Day 3 and Day 4
See Above

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