Weekly Collegiate Racing Wrap - February 6, 2012
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Print SECCC: Swamp Cycling Classic at UF - by Liz Gerrity
The Gainesville Raceway made another appearance as Saturday’s race site, reprising its debut last year. Riders who’d seen the course before were ready to negotiate the 180° curve on the far end of the speedway. But, even in Saturday’s dry conditions, the U-Turn became “carnage corner,” and passersby were treated to a chorus of “OOHs” as riders of all categories and skill levels mashed faces and thousands of dollars’ worth of internally routed bike cables into the asphalt. In the Men’s A race, Tommy Schubert and Ryan Sullivan of Cumberland University grabbed first and second respectively, while the University of Florida’s Shawn Gravois rounded out the podium in third. Cumberland's premiere B-woman Morganne Endicott proved herself a rider to watch in Saturday's circuit, stomping all over the A-field and claiming first place in the bunch sprint.
Sunday’s race wound up and down about a mile of downtown Gainesville. Riders were forces to think more tactically if they wanted to survive—medians, a cobbled corner, and an uphill finish all presented potential dangers to anyone with victory in mind. In the combined Women’s race, Liz Gerrity soloed to first place on a breakaway that lasted much of the race, while Neal Shepard of Team Florida claimed the win for the home team.
Next weekend will bring the action to Florida State University’s Seminole Cycling Classic. For a more in-depth report at collegiatecyclingnews.com, click here.
WCCC: Boulevard Road Race and Red Trolley Crit - by Lisa Mueller
Boulevard features bone-chilling temperatures, brutal winds, and over 2,500 feet of climbing on each 22.5-mile lap along the Mexico border. Even absent its previous rain and snow, the course tested riders’ limits in all categories. In the Women’s A race, three UCLA Bruins made an early break on the main climb and time-trialed to sweep the podium. In the men’s race, famed sprinter Bryan Larsen of UC-Irvine wielded smart tactics to defeat the climbing specialists on their own turf.
The Red Trolley Criterium is a 1-km D-shaped course with a short but serious power climb. UCLA’s Lisa Mueller took her second win of the weekend in the combined Women’s A/Men’s B race. Bryan Larsen also extended his domination with a victory from a powerful four-man breakaway.
In coming weeks, the Stanford women will be ones to watch in the team competition. Their B riders dominated at both Boulevard and Red Trolley, and are poised to join their teammates in a well rounded, formidable A squad.
SECCC photos by Liz Gerrity; WCCC photo by Youssef Azzazy
Want to provide a brief summary and/or photo of the racing action in your conference? Shoot an e-mail over to Jeffrey Hansen, letting him know you're interested.
This Article Published February 8, 2012 For more information contact:
