LT Sandvik racing at Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic, NYC

LT Sandvik out front!

One of our long time key sponsors Rockstar Games was lead presenter of the 39th annual Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic - held at historic Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem.

Conditions the past couple years had been either extremely hot or the course was wet and slick.  This year happened to be fantastic and the racers came out in droves.



LT Sandvik made the trek from Colorado to NYC and raced in the Masters 35+ category and also the Cat 2/3 race.  Both races had well over 100 riders in the field which made the straightforward four corner course quite interesting.

I had made contact with the Rockstar /Signature Cycles team and let them know that we were all riding "for the same team" and that I would be willing to help out if at all possible.

The race started out fast with the riders strung out in single file for the the first four or five laps.  Then riders started settling in, others got a little careless and the crashes started happening.  In total there were 6 or 7 crashes in the Masters field - due in part to the super fast conditions, field size and good sized purse for a masters race.

I could clearly see I was outgunned in the sprinting category but felt coming from altitude would play to my favor towards the end so I sat in the pack and did not contest any primes - (yes a little tail-gunning - but also mid pack in order to keep an eye on things) there were no significant breaks for anything that tried to get away was quickly brought back in less than a lap.



With 8 laps to go in a 45 min race things started heating up and guys were getting a little twitching.  I knew that things were about to get interesting shortly. As the laps ticked down I just wanted to be sure I was positioned to have an open runway on an attack.



Finally after crossing the start finish with 4 laps to go I made my move on the outside just after turn one.  That side was wide open due to being a little off camber at the corner so all I had to do was make it past the pack before turn two otherwise I risked getting squeezed into the barrier fencing (two riders had already went down because of that) I actually nicked a pedal on the barrier fence earlier in the race so was hesitant to even give myself the possibility of being  on the outside after turn two but it turned out to be the right positioning.   I got the surprise jump on the pack and started my solo effort for the win.  With three laps to go I had a solid gap and felt good - with two laps to go the adrenaline was really pumping for the announcers and fans all around the course knew I had a shot at the win and were getting loud.  On the final lap I just put my head down and tried to stay relaxed and fast out front.  A valiant effort but the teams behind me got organized and rounding turn four was caught by the chase - the effort strung everything out so I dug it out even though the win was lost and finished 10th.

Immediately following the Masters race was the 2/3 race.  Again 100 plus racers at the line and the race began more in line to where the last race finished up.  Considerably faster from the start and throughout the entire race.  My lungs felt good but even with a solid jump couldn't move up more than 7 or 8 places and then had to fight to hold that until  I could get up a little more - The 2/3 sprinters were amazing so again I didn't contest any primes - I honestly didn't think I had much left after the 1/2 mark but being the only other Rockstar rider in the field had been lapped I at least wanted to finish in the pack if I couldn't get a win.



Again with 8 to go things started heating up but with 5 to go an insane crash happened and they neutralized the field at the start finish.  The riders that made it through now found themselves at the back of the pack completely stopped at the line.  We sat there for at least 10 min and could have been longer.  Then the announcer lets us know that we will be restarting the race with 3 laps to go and no neutral lap.  This was going to be a shit show and everyone knew it.  The rest was the worst thing for me and my legs started filling up with acid and felt really heavy when we finally did start up.  I made the conscience decision to just stay safe and finish.  So I stayed in the with pack and finished 56th.

The race was alot of fun and the Rockstar team was grateful for the Colorado representation.  Just wished I could have pulled off the win. 

 Oh well, there is always next year right?