Superior Crit

Stage 2 of the weekend brought a brand new crit course. All in all the course was well received, it has a decent sized hill that even met Jimi's approval, was plenty technical, and had a whopper of a 40 MPH downhill last corner. The 45 Plus team was up first and Jeff O. again had the race call: unfortunately, the crit was not as good to the Mix1 racers as the previous day’s street sprints. Jeff was out leader going into the race, but got dropped from the main group after spending a bit too much energy contesting two sprints for additional omnium GC points. Jeff’s misstep, combined with a stellar performance by Great Divide’s Derrick Nichol, eliminated Jeff's chance for the overall. Making matters worse for the guys was the fact that after Jeff got dropped the best placed Mix 1 rider at the finish was only 7th. This is a team with strong results and high expectation, so they were disappointed. It also caused them to lose the lead in the team event. The good news to all of this was it made the men in Red mad and they came back the next day and took it out on the field.

As much as the 45 plus guys had a bad day, the 35 plus guys felt they road as well as they could, just missing the win, but covering every break, and putting 4 guys in the top 8. Matt G. went with an early 3 man break, that got up to a solo rider, and the 4 of them were gone. Behind the team covered every move with riders like Matt, Pete, Jim, Josh, CJ, and Marcel all getting off the front in counter moves. At one point anothe rrider groaned as the Mix guy went up the road again, and Jim Thies wisely respond to the groan with the line of the race "We are like Visa, we are everywhere YOU want to be" (mind you Jim was just joking with the guy).

In the end nothing else stuck, but Matt S. managed to slip the field with about 4 laps to go and soloed in for 5th place alone. Matt G. rode the break to the finished and took 3rd. The field sprinted in for 6th, with Marcel leading it out and Josh just missing taking the sprint in 7th and Pete in 8th. Overall the boys put a strangle hold on the team completion and moved Matt G. into the top 3 overall and Matt S. into the top 5, with Marcel & Pete still in the top 10 too.

All photos from http://www.303cycling.com/ (thanks as always David & Chris):

Matt V. of the 45 Plus team hanging it out riding though the corners of the alley way.
The break sprints for the win, with Byron Nix from Rio taking it, and Matt G. getting a fine 3rd.











Matt Gates leading the 4 man break.








Pete, Josh & CJ covering the front with Matt G. & Matt S. up the road.