June 11th Results
Friday, June 11, 2010
Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic Day #1
Youth Is Served As High-Schoolers Best Olympians and National Champions.
Men
In unusually cool temperatures and the threat of rain, Nature Valley’s Fixed Gear Classic bicycle racing at the National Sports Center Velodrome in Blaine began its three-day run with an evening of hot racing. Elite men and women track racers from around the country contested both sprint and endurance events.
In the men’s field, the surprise of the evening was the performance of Colton Barrett (Texas Roadhouse), the local speedskater/bike racer. This is Barrett’s first year in the elite men’s peleton after national honors as a junior in 2009. In two of the three race finals, the Miss and Out and the 60-lap scratch race, Barrett outsprinted 2008 Fixed Gear Classic winner Emile Abraham (Aero Cat) for the win. Matt Baranoski (Alliance Environmental), a 17-year old took the Keirin in convincing fashion.
The Miss and Out final was contested by 10 riders coming out of earlier heats. The high early pace made the easy line inside the sure way to elimination. With four riders left, Adam Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) was eliminated when he couldn’t recover from being pushed uptrack in the final turn. Colby Pearce (Big Shark Bicycle) then faded behind Abraham and Barrett. In the final lap, Barrett accelerated around Abraham to take the win.
Twenty riders raced the 60-lap scratch race, the final race of the evening. Stephen Meyer (Jet Fuel Coffee) tried riding off the front just after the gun. He got as much as half a lap on the field but Bergman, Barrett, and Pearce reeled him in followed by the bunch. Al Urbanski (WDT-Allvoi) then tried the first of several attacks. Pat Lemieux (Texas Roadhouse) bridged and the two stayed out for 3 laps but a fast chase brought them back. The most serious attack of the race came with 40 laps to go when Dan Harm (Doppio Cycling) took off with Pearce. Brian Crosby (Speedfix p/b Zubaz) responded but the pace was too high for a solo effort. Harm and Pearce got half a lap on the field and held it for 14 laps, only to be swallowed by the chasing field with 28 laps to go. The remainder of the race saw brief attacks every time the pace slackened but no one got more than 10 meters as the field responded quickly. With 7 laps to go, Lemieux attacked with Pearce following. Lemieux faded and Pearce tried to get away by himself getting up to 30 meters on the field. With 3 laps to go he gave it up and the peloton organized for the final sprint. Andy Kruse (Speedfix p/b Zubaz) led the field at the bell followed by Barrett. In the furious finish Barrett outsprinted a charging Abraham and won by a wheel width.
The third men’s event was a Keirin. Six survivors of early heats contested the final. At the gun, there was some quick jockeying to get the position behind the motor pacer. As the motor approached its exit with 2½ laps to go, Daniel DeFranceschi (Jet Fuel Coffee) timed his acceleration from back in the line and gained a gap on the others that lasted for a lap, but the junior Baranoski shot out of the group, closed the gap and kept on for the win going away. DeFranceschi crossed second with Kruse leading Ryan Belew (Rocky Mountain Cycling), Jon Linchitz (Affinity Cycles), and Dan Currell (Bianchi/Grand Performance) across the line.
Women
The women started with a flying 200 M time trial to seed match sprints. A stiff wind from the north made the backstretch a slog. Cari Higgins (Peanut Butter & Co./TWENTY12) logged the best time of 12.62 seconds for 1st Seed. Higgins, Maddie Godby (Trek Stores), Dena Eaton (She Pedals Cycling), and Liz Carlson (Classic Cycling Essentials) advanced to the semifinals where Higgins rode over Carlson and Godby held off Eaton. In the bronze medal race, Carlson tried to pin Eaton to the balustrade. Eaton was able to drop underneath but Carlson responded in time to get the sprinter’s lane for 3rd place. In the first gold medal race, Higgins led the race at a leisurely pace until, with 400 meters to go, she started the sprint from the front and held Godby off to the line. In the second gold medal race, Godby led the first lap at a moderate pace and upped the speed with 500 meters to go. In the last lap Higgins attacked from behind and won it at the line by inches to take the 2 of 3 gold medal series.
The women’s Miss and Out featured 10 riders advancing from the heats. As with the men, the women found that the easier, inside line was the way to elimination. Vera Divenyi (Rocky Mounts-Izze) and Colleen Gulick (Team Kenda) were the last two to be eliminated inside for 5th and 4th, respectively. Anissa Cobb (Sum Bike Team) was eliminated for 3rd when she couldn’t match the leader’s pace. In the final sprint, Higgins dropped under Julie Manley (Rocky Mounts-Izze) to get a gap that held to the line.
Fifteen women contested a fast 60-lap points race, with sprints every 10 laps. It was a classic points race with no rider lapping the field and three riders collecting the majority of the points on offer. Kristin Meshberg (Flatlandia/Nature Valley Cycling Team) tried early to get off the front and stayed out to take the first sprint but was caught and remained with the field the rest of the way. Several racers tried to stay off the front. None gained a significant gap and none lasted for more than a lap or so. Kacey Manderfield (Cycle Loft) sprinted consistently and won the race with points in each sprint: two 1sts, two 2nds and two 3rds. Higgins took three sprint 1sts and a 3rd, good enough for runner up in the race. Gulick, 3rd in the race, collected 12 points with lower placings in 5 of the sprints. Meshberg’s early sprint win was good enough for 4th place in the race.
Omnium Standings after Day 1
Men
Colton Barrett, Texas Roadhouse 12 pts
Emile Abraham, Aerocat 10 pts
Matt Baranoski, Alliance Environmental, 9 pts
Women
Cari Higgins, Peanut Butter & Co/TWENTY12, 17 pts
Kacey Manderfield, Cycle Loft, 12 pts
Colleen Gulick, Team Kinda, 7 pts