Is it Almost July?

Wow, June has moved along pretty quickly. So quick that we have hadn't had a chance to update things.  With that said, let's catch up on everything that has happened so far in June.

I want to first welcome a new rider to the team - Dylan Pudiak. Dylan is riding for Monroe/SBR as a Cat 5 and also works for our sponsor shop Towpath Bike.  Dylan like many of the guys on the team has a strong nordic skiing background and so far it has shown! Dylan first raced for us at the Full Moon Vista Grand Prix and overall had the best showing for the team in 4/5 races and even took a prime in the Friday night Genesee Valley Park Crit race... a growler of beer!  More on this race below.

Stefan - Friday CritWith Dylan's addition, there is a sad subtraction from the team for the rest of this year as our stand-out junior rider Stefan is officially on his way to the Air Force Academy and will be gone for the Summer. Stefan had some great results this year on the weekends and weekly G-Tour races.  Stefan just recently received his Cat 4 upgrade, so we'll be looking for some solid results when he's at the AFA as he looks to ride for the academy in the next year. 

Ok, so now for a quick recap of the FMV Grand Prix.  The Friday night crit kicked off the 3 day omnium.  Monroe/SBR was looking good, as we had 4 riders in the lead group of 15 or so riders that had split after an early crash.  Close to the end, our numbers quickly were subtracted.  Marty unfortunately had a crash in the one of the corners that banged him up pretty good...nothing broken, but a Dr's vists the next day would show he had a bruised tailbone and his weekend was done. 4 becomes three with Rick and Jason left in the race along with Dylan who was kitted up the next day for Monroe/SBR.  Jason lost focus for a brief second in a corner and down he went... 2 left.  In the final lap the race became a cluster-f, as there were lapped riders all over the place and created a logjam in the corners and back stretch and before we knew it, the race had ended with Dylan taking 11th and Rick 12th.

Saturday, Powder Mills Park Road Race - The team did a good job to make sure we started near the front of the peloton as the race hits a climb within a few hundred feet of the start.  By lap 3 the field was shattered as Monroe/SBR had Dylan, Stefan, Chad and Jason in the select lead group. Rick was right behind this group along with Phil and Michel not to far back.  Marty of course could not sit on a saddle with the tailbone issue...ouch.  Stefan had an untimely flat with 2 laps left and was out of the race, even though he was looking strong. Coming into the finish, Chad put in an attack as the race winner had already broke away from the field and the race was on for second place.  Chad was pulled back by the pack before the finish and the race finished with Dylan in 9th, Jason 10th, Chad slipped to 12th and coming in behind the lead group was Rick (18th), Phil (20th) and Michel putting in a gutsy effort to finish the race respectfully, as he lost a few months due to injury.  With about 70 riders starting the race, the team had a good showing with 2 top ten finishers and 5 in the top 20 of the race. Good job boys.

Sunday saw the final race, crit at the Seneca Park Zoo.  The day started with what looked like a monsoon as the rain was crazy! The crit course had puddles or more like ponds in the corners and elsewhere.  There was only one crash in this race, but luckily no one on our team was involved. The race was otherwise uneventful, as the weather really put a damper on things and the attitude was really more of let's get this over with.  Dylan finished the highest for the team in the sprint finish with a 8th on the day.  Dylan made an immediate impact for the team and we feel this is only a beginning of things to come.

Adam also raced the Grand Prix, as he was in the 1,2,3 races.  The Friday night crit was a tough race for Adam, as he had to race with some guys that are practically pro-caliber.  Adam did a good job to hand in, but the pure speed of the flat,fast crit was to much.  Saturday was a better day for Adam, as he was happy to see a Road Race with some climbing. Adam rode strong and was able to take 7th on the day out of close to 20 Cat 3 riders. Nicely done! Sunday brought on yet another crit, but a smaller field compared to the Friday night crit. Adam held in there as the conditions weren't the best.  Overall for the 3 day Omnium he finished 12th, which was great in a tough Cat 3 field.

Now with FMV Grand Prix in the books, the weekend racing moved on to Hamburg Road Race and Criterium. Adam, Rick and Phil raced this weekend, with Adam doing the Saturday Road Race and Rick taking on the Sunday Crits.  The Saturday road race had some climbing for the Cat 3 field, so this was to Adam's liking.  Adam raced smart and finished 5th, as there was a three man break up the road and Mark Blakely from Mac5 threw in a late attack to take 4th and so that saw Adam in a field sprint finish for 5th. Adam likes Road Races, crits not so much. Sunday saw the races become crits in the village of Hamburg. Rick raced the Master's 35+ race along with the Cat3/4 Race an hour later. The Master's race saw a smaller field, but not a weak field as there were some Cat 1 and 2's in the field...very strong guys! An hour of racing took place with lots of attacks, counters and in the end Rick finished 6th out of the field. Phil followed this race in the Cat 4/5 race and also the Cat 3/4 race which Rick joined him in.  Both were pretty tired at this point and threw in some attacks, but in the end finished with the pack. Another weekend in the books!

Cat 4 PodiumOne last race to report on and that is the Jonathan Dechau Memorial Time Trial which was held on Saturday, June 19th.  This race is more then just a TT, as it's a memorial race to keep the memory of Jon Dechau alive as we was killed a few years back by a motorist doing what he loved, riding his bike. Jon loved the TT of most and so GVCC has held this race since his passing to keep his memory alive and also to help support the U-23 fund.  One racer represented the team on Saturday and that was Rick.  Rick took to the 35 KM rolling TT course for the second time, but as a Cat 4 this year.  On a sunny, but hot day (thankfully no rain!) the race had a good turnout and Rick represented the team well with a 3rd place finish in the Cat 4 field and also 16th overall out of almost 70 riders in all fields combined! Rick's time for the 35km TT course was 49:02... he missed 2nd place by 5 seconds - need to ride harder! First podium for Rick, so it's nice to see another podium finish for the team this year Jason, Stefan and Chad all contributing to the cause in previous races.

So, this was a long re-cap and if you actually read the whole thing, thanks! Next up for the team is the Corning Circuit Race, NYS Time Trial Championships, Empire State Games and of course the Tour of the Catskills... maybe a crit here or there as well.

Comments

[Mike Burri]

Special thanks to Shannon Randall for stepping up and marashalling the TT on Saturday near the auction that was taking place.

[Rick]

Thanks also to CNB's Mike Burri's wife Aleta who helped Shannon marshal the area where that auction was taking place. Both did a great job and luckily nothing happened with all the traffic and parked cars on both sides of the road.