Officers for the Next Year

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Another season has passed and another round of elections has brought in a new set of officers for the Delaware cycling club. Taking the reigns of Club President is Ralph Merritt, while Jacob Rubin, the only returning officer, remains at his post of Vice-President.

Formerly known as “SanFran”, then as “That Awesome Kid on a Bicycle,” then as “Club Irritant,” Steven Francisco (me!!) has taken on the mantle of Secretary. Rounding out the field is William Hoff as Treasurer, coming up clutch after just one season of bike racing.

We would like to thank the officers of this past year (Alex Szela, Jacob Rubin, Eran Preble, and Andy Walker) for their dedication to the team and for setting up the team for success!

Easterns: A Perfect Storm

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First it started with Andre’s sickness precluding him from participating at Easterns at UNH. Then, I realized that there was no way I could get my last J-lab report completed on the road, away from my fellow group members. Next, Eran was called up for work Saturday evening, effectively shutting down his option for Easterns participation. The final blow was when Jake had to pull out due to the need to ace a high-pressure exam on Monday.

With no A riders and no trailer, the logistical challenge of getting to the race for those still interested became a nightmare. With heavy hearts we were forced to abandon hopes of sending a squad to UNH.

This weekend, a few riders opted to participate in the local stage race, the Rock Lititz Tour. For the first time this season, the Blue Hens were fairly quiet results-wise, but the notable performances of the weekend were:

  • Andy Walker: 4th in the (now infamous) Cat 4 criterium
  • Frank Lao: 8th in the Cat 4 General Classification
  • Steven Francisco: 8th in the Cat 3 General Classification

While the collegiate season has wrapped up, the non-collegiate season is just warming up, so expect to see reports of the exploits of the Delaware cycling team throughout the summer!

Nationals Qualifiers!

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For the first time (probably) ever, our team qualified three riders for Nationals! Eran Preble was the most obvious choice by ECCC officials, being tied for 10th overall in the D1 Men’s Omnium. However, we were very shocked to find out that both André Rauh and I qualified for both the road race and the criterium.

Unfortunately, we will be unable to attend due to monetary and logistical issues, but by this time next year, we hope to have the funding we need to participate in this prestigious event. With that being said, we wish all the riders from the ECCC the very best in their collegiate nationals endeavors this weekend!

Farmersville Road Race and Lower Providence Criterium

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Last weekend, our team opted out of making the long haul to Dartmouth, and many riders chose to race in the local non-collegiate races.

Farmersville Road Race

On Saturday, Andrew Walker took the first podium of the weekend for the University of Delaware, placing 2nd in the 4/5 field. Three other Delaware riders competed in the 68-person field; William Hoff came in an impressive 24th while Eric Macedo and Andrew Baker, in their first ever non-collegiate race, finished 31st and 44th, respectively.

Lower Providence Criterium

Sunday’s criterium proved to be even more fruitful as the Cat 4 Men showed up in force, with Frank Lao taking the win thanks to a lead out from William Hoff, who held on for 12th, with Eric Adams coming in just behind in 17th.

Later in the day, Eran Preble and I (Steven Francisco) did our sponsors proud, with Eran taking the win (his first win of the season and the first win on the swervello kitty). I came in 8th, ensuring that the top 10 streak for the zebra kit stayed alive.

This weekend, many University of Delaware riders will be racing at the Rock Lititz Tour where we expect to get some great results! Stay tuned!

Army Race Recap

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This weekend the UD cycling team sent 12 members to upstate New York for the Army Spring Classic. The weekend featured a Team Time Trial (TTT) and criterium on Saturday and an Individual Time Trial (ITT) and criterium Sunday on the campus of the US military academy. The TTT was highlighted by a 4th place finish for the men’s C and men’s A teams. Mechanical issues plagued the blue hens during Saturday’s crit with two riders suffering flats. Steven ended up with a 12th place finish in the A race. Jake Rubin showed some fire power with a 5th place finish in a large combined C field. Rebecca Gripp finished 10th in a strong C field and picked up valuable points for the team.

Sunday started off with the EPIC Army hill climb, a 2.5 mile ITT. The beautiful course wound through the West Point campus finishing 650 feet above the start. Jake Rubin took 4th in the C1 field over 30 riders.

Next up was the crit, a 1km course with a short hill and 3 hairy turns. The D1 race featured lots of drama; the officials made a huge error ringing the bell and annoucing the finish as the field came by with 2 laps still left on the lap counter. The field continued to race as if there were 2 laps to go and Ralph took 4th in the unofficial finish. On the “official” finish lap he took 11th, his best result of the year. The blue hens went squad deep in the men’s C race, bringing 5 racers including the triumphant return of Eric “joe cool” Adams. The blue hens came to the front with 5 laps to go and put the hurt on the field. With 2 laps to go Eric Adams went on a flyer and held a solid 5 second gap until about 400m to go. In the final field sprint Jake brought his A game to take a second place finish. Freshman Roberto Espina raced like a seasoned veteran in the intro crit, waiting until the last 100 meters to launch a huge sprint to take the win. The A crit brought even more excitement with the blue hens bringing 3 racers to line for the first time in many years. Eran Preble got in a break early with a UNH and Army rider. We hung off the front for four laps before getting swallowed up by the field. Soon after Andre started his assault on the primes taking two 2nd and a 3rd place. In the final sprint Andre went around two riders to take 6th and Eran picked his socks up for an 8th place finish.

It was a very successful weekend for the Blue Hens and as a team we would like to give a huge thank you the Adams’ family for housing and feeding us like kings. Results for the weekend are not on velocity results like usual, check the ECCC site for the pdf versions.

We also moved up in the rankings and are now in 11th position overall.

Yale Lux et Velocitas

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The Rock of East Rock Park

The University of Delaware cycling team headed to New Haven this weekend for Yale’s Lux et Velocitas. After eventually dragging ourselves away from the incredible hospitality of our hosts, Georgia and Brent, we showed up early for the Individual Time Trial, the event that has quickly become the scourge of our existence. Andre turned in the best time for the team, coming in at 12:09, earning him 7th in Men’s B. Other scoring rides were from Alex (12:36, 7th in Men’s C), Frank (12:44, 15th in Men’s B), and Kendall (14:12, 14th in Men’s D).

Ralph and Kendall before the Men's D1 Circuit Race

Next up was the “Race the Rock Circuit Race,” featuring 4 mile loops over the “The Rock.” Kendall and Ralph were the first to go in Men’s D. Kendall finished 23rd while Ralph was forced to abandon due to a collision brought about by an ill-timed pass by the follow moto.

Shortly thereafter, the Men’s C1 field took to the roads, where the Jake and Alex sure made their presence felt. After being there near the front the whole race, Alex finished 7th and Jake 11th in one of their best results of the season!

Jake near the front of the Men's C1 circuit race

Becca was next to go in the Women’s C circuit race, logging in yet another top 10 and scoring invaluable points in the women’s omnium.

Andre and Frank put the hurt on in Men’s B race. Despite talking himself down before the race, Andre overcame his extraordinarily large mass (kidding) to win the B race (his second win of the season), while Frank came in in the points with 12th.

Eran and I were part of the 64-person field that was A race. After getting caught behind some slower riders, I ended up finishing off the back for 36th. However, up at the front, Eran managed to score another top 20 finish, coming in 15th and scoring critical points for his Nationals bid and for the team.

Apparently Occupy New Haven is a thing, as Andre and Alex found in their explorations of the city

After Saturday’s races, we returned to the welcoming home of our hosts, where we were pleasantly surprised to learn that they were cooking us a huge meal of steak and baked ziti! Truly one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time, and I think everyone on the team echo that sentiment. Most of us fell asleep pretty early, but I was probably the first to go at just after 9 pm.

Sunday morning we were created to the smells of sausage and waffles, another home-cooked meal! Again, I cannot express in words how ecstatic I am to have had 3 prepared meals over the course of a race weekend. A big shoutout to our hosts Georgia and Brent for being so welcoming and awesome.

Kendall sitting 4th wheel in the men's D1 criteirum

Racing resumed in East Rock Park with a flat, 5 corner criterium. Again, Men’s D1 were the first to go, where Kendall raced a smart race to finish 18th. Ralph, due to his mishap yesterday, we unable to ride due to a malfunctioning star nut in his headset.

Jake and Alex, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the medical staff to arrive, got started really strong in the C1 crit. A chocolate Easter bunny was up for grabs in the first prime, and Jake spared no expense in ensuring that it became his:

The sprint for the easter bunny!

Becca conserving in the middle of the women's field

After wrapping up a minor placing in another prime, Jake and Alex managed to finish inside the points with 14th and 24th, respectively.

Becca was next to go in the women’s C event. After dangling dangerously close to the back for most the race, she managed to stay ahead of the splits and finish in 8th place, another top 10 finish for the weekend!

Andre and Frank returned Sunday looking for blood. They struck early and often:

Frank off the front with Andre close behind

Andre going by a Penn State rider to take the first prime and Delaware's second easter bunny

Andre winning another prime

And yet another prime

Frank on a solo flier

Even with all the work they put in during the race, Andre and Frank got stellar results of 3rd and 5th place, respectively. This race marks the end of Andre’s brief foray in B’s as he is heading to A’s next week!

The Men’s A race turned out to be a long exercise in conserving energy and being a part of the action up front. We reinstated the zebra kits in A’s for the first time in 5 years and we ensured that the zebras ran together:

Eran's wheel = A great place to be

But it doesn't hurt to be nestled in, protected from the wind

Eran and I (particularly Eran) stayed active during the race, launching attacks, following moves and staying near the front. While neither of us got into the break, we found ourselves in good position for the sprint, and finished 9th and 10th, for the first top 10 finish in A’s for either of us!

Sprinting to 9th and 10th place

The team performed excellently this weekend, finishing 9th in the overall team omnium. Currently, we are just out of the top 10 in the overall season totals, but with some luck in the coming weeks, we’ll be able to get up into this top tier.

From Middling to Mighty: How the UD Cycling Team is Becoming a Force in the ECCC

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The last three weeks have been a wild ride for the University of Delaware Cycling Team. Literally every day of racing so far has been littered with results. In the last three weeks, our small team of 19 has garnered 14 podiums spots including 5 wins. I think special mention is in order for our 5 winning riders/TTT teams:

  • Brittany DeBord stormed to victory in her first Intro race at the Grant’s Tomb Criterium, getting our team its first victory of the season.
  • The Team Trial Team of Andrew Baker, William Hoff, and Eric Macedo won the D1 TTT last weekend. It is extraordinary to note that this race was all of these riders’ first attempt at this type of event.
  • The TTT team of Dan Feeney, Andy Walker, Alex Szela and Jake Rubin got the top spot in the C TTT last weekend.
  • Andrew Baker got our team’s second individual win of the season by taking the D1 Philly Phlyer Circuit Race in dominating fashion: going solo at the base of the final climb.
  • André Rauh, after a series of 2nd place finishes and mounds of prime points in the Men’s C field, finally got what deserved with a win out of a long two-man breakaway in Sunday Philly Phlyer Criterium.

With impressive results comes rider upgrades (unless you race for UNH), and we’re pleased to have a bunch of rider upgrades in the coming weeks:

  • Eran Preble will be joining me in the Men’s A category. This is the first time in 5 years that we have had a Men’s A rider, let alone 2.
  • André Rauh, after dominating C’s for three weeks, is moving up to B to lay down the pain among the Cat 4′s in the ECCC.
  • The impressive duo of Andrew Baker and William Hoff are moving to C’s after terrorizing the Men’s D1 field with a plethora of top 10 finishes and prime points.

Now, for the first time in years, we have riders filling out every category except Women’s A/B.
In the team points competition, Delaware is sitting in 9th place (of 42 scoring teams) after some impressive team finishes in the last two weeks. Stay tuned for the next 6 weeks of collegiate cycling action!

Season fast approaching

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The season is just 2 weeks away and I think I speak for everyone in saying that we’re all very excited. The ECCC is on it’s game this year, and there are race flyers for almost all the weekends now. You can see them by clicking the link, ECCC Calendar, on the sidebar.
For our newer riders, the basic breakdown of a race weekend is as follows:

  • Friday afternoon/Very early Saturday Morning: Depart for race venue. Arrive at host housing if leaving on Friday afternoon.
  • Arrive at race venue around 6 AM Saturday.
  • Team Secretary/Treasurer makes sure everyone is registered for their particular race and hands out race numbers.
  • People warm up for their races: Usually a time trial of some sort in the morning and a road race in the afternoon (see the race flyers). Finish your race, change, put your bike away, and hang out until Eran is done racing A’s (which could be as late as 5 PM).
  • Return to host housing or campus. Eat, socialize, do homework, or watch pro race footage.
  • Sleep.
  • Arrive at race venue around 6 AM Sunday.
  • Races (usually criteriums) will start as early as 7 AM and go until mid-afternoon, or later, depending on where we are.
  • Warm up, do work in your race, and then cheer on your teammates as they strive for eternal glory.
  • Pack up the trailer and leave.
  • Arrive back on campus, unpack trailer, go home.

All the weekends look to be a whole lot of fun, so I encourage you all to do as many of the races as you can; it’s a blast. Remember that the first 4 weekends will be the cheapest of the season, so it’ll be cost-effective to do as many of the early weekends that you can.