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Viroqua Race, October 1, 2007
Things are really shaping up in
Viroqua. As the kids get their skills together and the field grows
the results get a bit topsy-turvy. .. This week saw the most
entrants in the 9-11 race, with one-time participant Will Sherwin
returning to the ranks. Will must have been training hard the last
few weeks as he shot away from the field and stayed off the entire
race. Longtime stalwart Noah Gullion who has never finished out of
the money was unable to keep pace and dropped back with Noah
Carlson, Will Beaty, and Giddeon Hooper-Schmidt. Will Beaty was
looking to bridge the gap and made a strong move into the barriers
where he dropped his chain and spent a good deal of time working to
get it back on... this took Will B. out of the money for certain,
even though his powerful riding style has made him a threat every
week for the top three. With the Townsley brothers leading a strong
chase group with three Falter kids in there, the race didn't lack
excitement. Unfortunately for the chasers, a few chains were dropped
in the barriers and Noah and Giddeon powered away to round out the
podium. It was an exciting race, who knows who will show up today?
Could Will Sherwin hold off Ephraim if he finally has a running
bike? Hope to find out today!
The 12-15 race was an exciting
affair, coming down to an unfortunate mechanical. Shane, second
place finisher in the beginner race, took home the T-shirt (1st) buy
just doing enough to keep another talented Sherwin, Glenn, behind
him. Ella Wegman-Lawless experienced some serious chain suck that
finished her chances to squeeze back into the break. They finished
1,2,3 though, each taking home a fantastic prize from Blue Dog
Cycles. It deserves to be said that Pete has really made the series
go by fixing bikes after crashes and mechanicals. Ella would have be
a DNF without fast, skilled work from the BDcycles crew! Thanks
again for the support!
In the Adult races the action
picked off from last week. With big Jay Bjorkland racing in the
Intermediate group it was wide open out there. Or it would have been
without the arrival of Tom Kelley who proceeded to smoke the field,
lapping all riders twice, an impressive display indeed. The battle
for the next spots was heated though. Paula Grenier, Meg Newlin, and
Shane Kouba were again duking it out. Shane was the smoothest in the
barriers, and Paula was slowed by her mechanical breaking device
attached to her bike, er, I mean the rack that was dragging behind,
filled with mud. Meg and Shane eventually broke away, with Meg and
Shane battling. Shane would open a gap on the barriers and the
recover while Meg caught back on, then Meg would attack. Using only
the exact energy required to stay in front. Meg was clearly
frustrated, but continued to attack the young upstart. Once again,
Shane brought home the coffee to Mama, literally, and Meg was left
with a Quarter pound of Ethiopian Sidamo from Kickapoo Coffee
Roasters. A great prize for that much suffering, coffee makes few
enemies...
In the Expert intermediate race we
had some new faces on top. With Lee V. out and Chris Newlin Nursing
some biazzar injury, it was up for grabs. Joe Horvath from LaCrosse
came down to demonstrate the benefits of youth and grace as he
strode gracefully through the barriers and opened up a sizable lead.
Jay Skrede seemed content to ride at his own pace behind as Jay
Bjorkland and Tom Kelley did the same. As the race wore on, Jay
Skrede continued to claw his way back on, but Joe would keep his
gap, stringing Jay back out. At the Bell, Jay finally made the
decision to bridge and attack, catching Joe coming into the last
time through the barriers. Joe proved to be to smooth and fast in
the transitions and opened a quick gap and held it to the finish.
Tom and Jay B. came in following them. The infusion of new blood
will prove to be exciting in the weeks to come. Thanks for making
the drive Tom and Joe, hope to see you in the weeks to come.