This article was written by Vic Emond and appeared in NUVO on April 16:
The Victory Criterium held at the World War II Victory Museum and Kruse Auction Facility up in Auburn, Ind. (just north of Fort Wayne), this past Sunday, April 13, was the first event of the seven-race NUVO/Cultural Trail Race Series.
The Category I-II-III race started promptly at the posted 3 p.m. time, which was a pleasant surprise, considering the weather conditions that day. Unfortunately, racers were welcomed with temperatures in the 30s, strong winds out of the north and a not-so-pleasant mix of rain and occasional sleet. Most of the (smart?) Midwest cyclists went back to bed after waking up to the abysmal conditions that were guaranteed to stick around throughout the day, as there were only about two dozen to start our race.
This race was a bit unique in ways other than having the worst conditions I have personally raced in. Racers left the start line and headed directly through a dark tunnel beneath I-69 that led to the 1-plus-mile loop on the other side of the highway. From there, we did roughly 75 minutes of racing around the mostly flat course, and at the end we headed back on the original leg of pavement, through the tunnel again, back to the finish line.
The race commenced with most of the group willing to just warm up their legs a bit and to get a feel for the weather and the course on the first lap. When the real racing began, the pace picked up a bit on the ensuing laps. Various attacks went off the front, generally with one or two of the NUVO/Cultural Trail squad represented in the move — which was a good thing since we made up 25 percent of the field. The decisive move, that ultimately
stuck, was made somewhere around 20-30 minutes into the race. We had our designated sprinter, Ben Weaver, in that group of four or five escapees, so we were more than happy to let that one go. A second chase group formed, which eventually included Declan Doyle and Ryan Myers. Again we had decent representation in the move, so the rest of us settled in with the remainder of the field that hadn’t thrown in the towel.
Not long after the two groups had established decent time gaps, we spotted Ben gingerly riding alone, on a flat tire, back to the start/finish line! With our sprinter out of the lead due to a flat tire, we were now forced back on the offensive. Ideally, we would have wanted the chase group to catch leaders now. However, that front group included some pretty strong riders, including eventual race winner, 17-year-old (!) Adam Leibovitz — and it just wasn’t coming back regardless of how much work Declan and Ryan were willing to put forth in the chase. Andrzej and I really couldn’t work to catch the chase group and help in their chase of the leaders, as we would have brought along a slew of other riders that would have done nothing more than water down their finish, so we were content to cruise home for whatever places we could sweep up at the line.
When it was all said and done, and 75 minutes of racing in deplorable conditions had passed, we ended up with ninth, 10th, 13th and 14th place. Not as good as we had hoped, but we did collect some important points to lead off our race series with. I don’t think any one team monopolized many more points than we did, so we should be in pretty decent shape for the next race in our series: the Zionsville Grand Pix on June
This is horrifyingly overdue, but things have been busy. This article appeared in NUVO on April 9:
The campus of Marian College served as the backdrop for the 12th annual Midwest Cycling Classic this past Saturday. With collegiate races and open racing, the cycling season in Indianapolis is officially in gear.
Nearly 50 men started the one-hour race that wove through a highly technical and very tight circuit on the Marian campus. The pace was relentlessly fast and, for the majority of the race, no single group was able to permanently break the bond from the main pack.
Small groups dangled off the front with gaps of mere seconds as the pack blasted through the turns in a single-file line. Meanwhile, the less fit and the unprepared were mercilessly spat out the back to be unceremoniously removed from
the race.
In the final 10 laps, unbelievably, the pace ratcheted up a notch from its already blazing speed. The added tension was palpable as the strongest riders in the race made last-ditch attempts for the win. With five laps remaining, Midwest strongman Mark Schwarzendruber powered off the front.
My NUVO-Cultural Trail teammates did their best to close the distance on Schwarzendruber but were unable to organize an effective chase. Our focus shifted to the final sprint in the main field. Seventeen-year-old Joe Kukolla and I rocketed to the line at 40 miles per hour as we knocked handlebars and put our elbows into each other. I narrowly edged Kukolla, a rider half my age, at the line for second place overall. It was the most fun I have had in a sprint in a very long time.
A very fast and hard event in which I place well is always encouraging, especially this early in a racing season. I do, however, need to be careful: This first race of the Indianapolis cycling season finished with two “older” guys narrowly edging out the next generation. The young guys are nipping at our heels and they will soon — perhaps sooner than we wish — overtake