June 18, 2005
Suwanee Criterium
Suwanee Cycling Classic
Masters 35+/45+
18.2 miles @ 42:40 = 25.5 mph avg
It was a big loop, it seemed like about a mile and a half each lap, so it felt more like a circuit race rather than a criterium. The Masters 35+ and 45+ raced together making a field of about 35 or 40 riders I believe. Gerard Remery, who also had just completed the Cat 1/2/3 race, was my only GTC teammate. Gerard animated the race with attacks at times and controlled the front at other times.
Rick Rhiengans (Aarons/L5Flyers) took off on a daring solo flyer with about 4 to go and held on until the next to last lap. "Big" Jon (Smith Barney) and Gerard had shut down the valiant attempt at escape, so it would come down to a field sprint. The Smith Barney train took control going into the last corner (they had just rehersed this tactic in the 1/2/3 field sprint). I was a little too close to the fight for Tony Scott's (Smith Barney) wheel for my comfort and a touch of the brakes sent me backwards about eight places.
The referees scoring the finish were not really prepared for the rush of sprinting cyclist, and their finish line cameras were woefully inadequate. The actual placings beyond the first couple of finishers is debatable at best, but they scored me as third place in the 45+.
