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Twilight Road Race #10 - Boca Road Race
Results 7/1/03

Race Reports!

*If you have a correction to these results, please email me.
Sorry for any mistakes and let me know, Mike
Category C Sprint
1. Kyle Smith
2. Bill Nagel
3. Richard Bulis
Category B Sprint
1. Spencer Erickson
2. Mike Damon
3. Shawn Pearson
Category A Sprint
1. Ed Froeliger
2. Jason Walker
3. Rick VDAkker

Category C KOM
1. Kyle Smith
2. Joseph Little
3. Nate Sowle
4. Richard Bulis
5. Rob Selby

Category B KOM
1. Nick Schaffner
2. Peter Taylor
3. Tom Michaud
4. Spencer Erickson
5. Ryan Kish
Category A KOM
1. Dustin Sweet
2. Aaron Baker
3. Jeff Angerman
4. Jim Barkley
5. Rich Lorson

Category C Results
(27 entrants)

Category B Results
(30 entrants)

Category A Results
(22 entrants)

1.  Kyle Smith 1.  Steve Kauffman 1.  Dustin Sweet
2.  Richard Bulis 2.  Ryan Kish 2.  Jeff Angerman
3.  Nate Sowle 3.  Brian Jitloff 3.  Rick VDAkker
4.  Rob Selby 4.  Shawn Pearson 4.  Jim Barkley
5.  Joseph Little 5.  Nick Schaffner 5.  Paul Gossi
6.  Bill Nagel 6.  Dan Hill 6.  Jason Walker
7.  John Marshall 7.  Tom Michaud 7.  Rich Lorson
8.  Dave Fish 8.  Kevin Lippman 8.  Nathan Hiatt
9.  Mike Henry 9.  Dan Malmgren 9.  Ed Froeliger
10. Amber Monforte 10. Jim Rogers 10. Ryan Mayne
11. Rodrigo Rubiano 11. Mike Damon 11. John Anderson
12. Bill Branckerhoff 12. Rossio Klobucchi 12. Scott Phillips
13. Jared Carpenter 13. Paco Lindsey 13. Ryan Green
14. Rick Hathaway 14. Dennis Belisle 14. Bill Daley
15. Jenny Frayer 15. Carlos Wilson 15. Tim Hill
16. Jeffrey Lacombe 16. Jeff Griffo 16. Kenny Burt
17. Matt Mansur 17. Patrick Riordan 17. Aaron Baker
18. Brandy Klobuchar 18. Eric Middleton 18. Matt Faker
19. Cherry Rensch 19. Marianne Faker 19. Wayne Avery
20. Kathy Casey 20. Jessica Runyon 20. Eryn Hanna
21. Vance Gabbart 21. Hung Nguyen 21. Bob Frank
22. Chris boutiliei 22. Zach Violett
23. Stephanie Hilgemann 23. Pete Rissler
24. Joshua Lowe
25. Joey Griffo

 

Race Reports:

Spencer Erickson's report from the wild and wooly B's:

Well, now I know how those guys in the Tour feel when they spend all day
working in a break only to be swallowed up by the pack right before the
finish.

Tuesday's Boca edition was one of the most painful (and most fun) I've
ridden.  Before the race, I was chatting with fellow mountain goat Tom
Michaud about the best place to try to get away in a break.  We decided to
make an attempt right after "the wall", and if we got caught we'd try again
on the climb back from the dam or the last big pitch on the way in.

The race started out at a good clip, with a nervous energy in the pack
since Michael "Master of Misery" Hernandez had announced a points sprint in
the first 5 miles of the race.  About 4 miles in we passed the sprint
warning sign, and Steve Kauffman was immediately out of the saddle trying
to get a gap.  The big guy suffers from rock star notoriety, though (due to
his domination in the Twilights this year), and 4 or 5 guys were quickly on
his wheel.  When Steve let up a bit (presumably to wait for the final 100
meters to launch his sprint), I tried a counter-attack and, amazingly, no
one followed.  I got a good gap and rolled across the sprint line
unopposed.

The pack regrouped for the approach to the wall, and Tom and I stayed near
the front to keep the pace high (didn't want the pack to be too rested when
they hit the climb).  On the wall, Tom jumped out to what looked like a
commanding lead, but in the final 50 meters a Paco's rider and Tahoe Rick
(don't know their full/real names) came around him.  I rolled over the top
fourth, and to my utter surprise and dismay Steve Kauffman was only a few
bike lengths back in 5th or 6th, powering over the hill like a locomotive.
On the descent to the first turn-around, Steve played sleigh driver and got
the front 5 or 6 of us to start working together to make the break stick.
At the turnaround we probably had a 10 second gap, and on the climb to the
dam turn-off the break had 5 riders working well together -- Steve, Tom,
Rick, Mystery Rider in blue, and myself.  And then Steve lit it up and
attacked right before the dam turn-off, charging up the hill.  Tom and I
decided to let him go, figuring there was still a lot of climbing and a lot
of miles left and we'd catch him when he cracked.  Blue jersey closed the
gap up to Steve, and Tom, Rick, and I were left powering the second break.

Across the dam, over a few rollers to the second turn-around, and back over
the dam Steve and Blue jersey increased their advantage on us to 45
seconds, and I started to get worried.  All the way back in, the 3 of us
worked hard trading pulls to try to bridge back up to the front 2, but the
gap stayed at 40 seconds.  And then, 1.5 miles from the finish, after
working in the break for 15 miles, the pack caught us and all our hard work
was for nothing.  Oh, the agony and heartbreak!  The pace picked up again,
and the pack even started to close the gap on Steve and Blue jersey.  With
a half mile to go, their advantage was reduced to about 15 seconds, but
they were not to be caught.  Tom, Rick, and I found ourselves still at the
front, still driving to catch the break, but the pack riders started
setting up for the sprint, everyone trying to find a wheel to suck to
conserve energy.  At a quarter mile out, the sprint started, and I grabbed
the first wheel that went by, desperately trying to pull out a 4th or 5th
place finish.  But the break had sucked too much from my legs, and when the
finish line came into sight I felt like a grandma driving to church on
Sunday, with racers passing me on all sides and sprinting across the line.

An anonymous finish at the end, but what a great race!  I'm still a little
in awe at the display of power that Steve "can't climb and not so tough"
Kauffman put down on the course, and he deservedly took first at the line.
Blue jersey held the pack off for second, but I'm not sure how the pack
sprint finished out.

Can't wait to do it again in 3 weeks!

Spencer Ericksen

And from your promoter:

Howdy all.
Jenny and I are just a couple short hours away from stepping in to that glorious tin beast that will send us shooting across the skies towards Lance, Jan, and all those cheese-eating-surrender-monkies who host the best sporting event in the world. But, before we bid au revoir, here's the latest:

Boca Results are up on the website, www.renowheelmen.org. Also updated are the Overall Standings in all categories and competitions...it looks fantastic. This is the part of the season when only the hardy have survived and the REAL racing begins. There is no hiding now, it's just slugfests from this point out, only those who are either coming in to form with a late start to the season or those who are leading categories and are riding on guts for glory. I hate missing any of the action for the next couple weeks, but the Tour is calling!

So, you'll notice that the next Boca race is the first of 3 "Twilight Championship Events." What are they, well...I'll have details up on the website as soon as I'm done typing this email. In a nutshell, these three events are for the big-pressure, 1-day classics of the season. In each discipline (RR, Crit, & TT) there will be chances for riders to lay claim to the 1 day crown. This is a bit of glory for those riders who can't make it to all of the Twilight Events and challenge for the overall crowns...but, still want to prove that they've got the good stuff.

Will you win special prizes for each of these events? Yes...very chi-chi prizes that will be awarded at the final twilight event of the season, the August 26th Air Center Crit...that event will be AWESOME! So, don't miss it and invite all the friends and family you can...expect season ending fireworks, indeed!

OK, so look for details on the website about the 1-day championships soon. And so, let me tap out a few words of commentary about the latest edition of Boca suffering:

Firstly, got to apologize to all riders for my horrible driving skills. I really feel bad about passing the groups getting out on the course...sorry ya'll. That's why I ride a bike. That said, there are 2 items that I will be very strict about in all future races: consider this a final warning -
1) yellow line violations - there were 2 very serious yellow line violations that I saw at Boca Tuesday. Since I stupidly did not explicitly warn riders before the race about this rule, I felt I hadn't a leg to stand on to enforce any penalties - however, hear (or read) this now and spread the word: if there are any future yellow line violations I will immediately disqualify the riders doing it. I'm not talking about getting accidentally pushed over the line here, I'm talking about sprinting or passing around the group by flagrantly going over into the oncoming lane of traffic. Please don't do it and if you do, you will be immediately disqualified. Last warning about this and the riders who did it at Boca know I'm talking to you.
2) riding around before and after the race: PLEASE respect traffic and ride as far to the right side of the road. I have woman hounding me about a few riders getting in her way at Boca. She very well may show up next race at Boca and TRY to find a reason to call the cops on us. OK? So, if you hear a car..get the hell out of the way! Don't give any fingers or four letter words to anyone in a car...they honestly believe they own the road...so, get out of their way and be nice about it. Please! Boca is our only remaining road race course, if we lose it...it's riding around in circles every week.

OK - race report:
Well, it looks as though Mike Damon, VDA, and Paul Gossi are the only riders thus far to attend every event this year...right on fellas! That's a lot of racing in the legs.
Tuesday was a very aggressive race in all categories. The C category is getting more competitive every event...and it's a series that I would encourage anyone to race in. This week saw the Wheelmen Junior-supra-squadra vs Richard Bulis and Rob Selby. This elite group of 5 separated itself off after the 2 big climbs on the way out...with Bill Nagel and and John Marshall giving fierce chase. After the KOM, Kyle 'the style' Smith decided that he had the stuff and took off solo. Bulis and Selby would give hearty chase, but the juniors Little and Sowle marked them well. On a particularly gruelling climb on the way back, I passed Bulis in full cry, buried full tilt trying to shake off the chasers with brute strength. His effort would close the gap to Smith to a scant few seconds, but Kyle would throw in a valiant acceleration and get back his lead. It was a close battle all the way to the finish, but Smith would stick it out for a beautiful victory. Bulis would surge one time too many for his competitors and ride in for a work-man's 2nd place, in the process securing his lead in the C Sprint Competition and closing in on Nate Sowle for the overall lead in the C division...hotly contested and will go to the wire!
In the sprint for 3rd, it looked like Joseph Little had timed it to perfection with a wicked punch of the pedals, but he came unclipped just at the wrong time, allowing his competitors to react and accelerate away from him. He would recover well and challenge for the spots, but it would be strong-man, Nate Sowle showing he can sprint by taking 3rd, just a tire-length in front of the tough Selby.
The women would be won by new-comer Amber Monforte, followed by Jenny Frayer. Brandy Klobuchar would pull out a particularly nasty sprint finish to pull away from her competitors for 3rd. With Kathy Casey scoring enough points to maintain her lead in the division...amazing since it's her first year racing!!!
Cherry Rensch would place 4th and forget to come to the promoter and get her prize money from the twilight.

The B's...well, I think Spencer summed it up - brutal and more brutal. After seeing Spence take the sprint and finish well in the KOM, I thought this might be his day to stomp on some B booty. But, an extremely well timed move by Kish and Kauffman would end these thoughts. The KK duo was completely committed to their attack. When I saw them head out to the dam, I knew it would take a super-human effort from the chase group to bring them back. No way.
They would drive hard and it would be a wicked surge from Kauffman 300 meters to the line that would secure him his first Boca victory. Excellent - but, not enough to give him the lead in the B division. That honor goes to Shawn Pearson...and it looks to be another fantastic battle to the wire for the top honors in another division.
In the A's, it was all about who could stick with Jeff A as he got his workout in. Well, it was Dustin Sweet not only sticking with, but doing a little dropping of as he soloed away for the KOM points, taking a strangle hold on that competition. Ed Froeliger took the Hot Spot sprint with a very aggressive attack 1k out, showing improving speed and power. Paul Gossi would score enough points to retain his lead in the A division, a scant 7 points ahead of the incorrigible VDA.
OK, I wish I could write more, but I've got to get ready to leave.

I'll see everyone at the 22nd Boca RR...where we'll crown the 1-Day Road Race Champions.
till then,
m

Questions to Michael