Boston Beanpot Results
A summary of the weekend's racing action, written by Nathaniel Brewster:
Hello Cyclists:
What a Beanpot!
Two victories.
Seven top ten finishes.
Ranked 22 out of 42 teams overall.
Super solid riding.
The weekend began on a chilly Saturday morning. After rising at 4:30
the team made its way to Grafton, MA for the TTT and road race. The
conditions were wet and breezy - just how Hamilton (aka Team Hero)
likes it. The mens D TTT team was first to race at 7:04 in the dawny
morning hours. Brook, Ben, Chris, and John had never rode together and
had no aero equipment, but what they lacked in team training and fancy
cycling gadgetry they made up for with super-human strength and
unearthly tenacity. The course was eight miles of pothole ridden
twisty-ness with a killer finishing climb. The team rode well together
and CRUSHED other puny men's D teams with a time of 20:16. A mighty
first victory of the day.
The men's D road race was next in line. After a brief cool down and
some stomach trembling vanilla energy gels the men's D team was prepped
for a two lap/30 mile assault on Grafton's unnervingly ill kept
roadways. The team started strong with Brook out front and Ben and
Chris in tow. Brook stayed in front for a good 90% of the race pulling
the field up, down, and around the course. He ended up finishing 5th
only 10 seconds back from the winners. A super strong effort after a
punishing early morning TTT. Chris Abbot and Ben Rossetter finished
very strong 12th and 14th (respectively) out of a large field of 79
riders. John Adams finished a solid 30th and Ernesto, on his fourth
ride of the season, finished 59. A well fought men's D race and another
top 10 finish.
Hannah's women's C race was next in line. Many women in the field were
twitchy and unconfident over the bumpy roads and fast corners, but
Hannah held strong and pushed it with the first pack. Coming into the
last two miles five women were sent skidding across the unforgiving
pavement to their certainly undeserved demise. Hannah had to navigate
the gaggle of torn bodies and bikes and sprint like hell to rejoin the
lead group. She finished a very respectable 15 out of 31 - if only the
crash didn't get in her way!
The "semi-pro" men's C race was next on the ticket. Chris and I warmed
up with some menthol lotion and a quick massage from our imported
soigneurs. We were prepped and hammered to line, frightening even the
most hardened A racers. The race was fast and treacherous with a field
of 100 racers (yes, 100 racers). Chris and I held within twenty or so
spots of the lead and were able to avoid the most disruptive crashes.
Somehow I thought it was a good idea to initiate a breakaway 40 miles
into the race with five miles to go. A rider from Yale tailed me for a
while and pulled for about .006% of the failed break. Needless to say
my legs were mush for the last 1.5 mile descent/climb to the finish (if
only...). The increase in tempo did break up the field a bit and Chris
was able to stay within 20 spots of the lead coming into the finishing
climb. Chris was ready for a heroic finishing sprint having injected a
healthy dose of EPO prior to the start. He passed 20 or so riders on
the last half mile and crushed the field for the win. The next closest
rider hobbled in 7 seconds later. I finished in 32nd - nearly 40
seconds behind Chris "Rasmussen" Gardner. Another win for Hamilton!
Steve "I am too intense for anything but Strawberry Milk" Frederick,
talented once men's D, ranked 1st in men's C, now men's B rider was
next to race. He stayed strong for the killer 58 mile road race. The
men's B field cooperated and handled the course with unnerving ease.
Steve finished an amazing 13th (out of 75) in his first B race of the
year. In the process he tacked on another three points to Hamilton's
growing point total.
Everyone was sufficiently exhausted from the early start and long rides
and collapsed at Hannah's Aunt and Uncle's house later in the day.
After some frolicking in the indoor pool and an eerily depressing
cycling documentary ("Overcoming") everyone hit the hay in preparation
for an exciting day of criterium racing.
This morning greeted us with chirping birds and chilly air. The crit
was just under a kilometer with six bone shattering turns and a hill
nick named (only be me) "the meat grinder." The men's D2 race was
Hamilton's first foray into this decidingly treacherous course. Brook
pushed the pace and learned from yesterday's dominating pull to draft
just once in a while. Chris Abbott and Ben Rossetter hammered around
taking well planned turns at drafting and keeping up with the main
pack. Brook and Chris grabbed a bunch of sprint points and continued to
attack the course with puma-like intensity. A Norwich rider (dressed in
a fashionable skin tight beige panty-hose-eque jersey top) broke away
and stayed away for the win. Brook came in a super strong 2nd with Ben
behind in 4th and Chris behind him in 6th. Brook collected 16 points
for the race (more than the victor) while Ben and Chris added another
10. John Adams finished a solid 39 and Ernesto rounded out the D pack
with a 47th place finish. Three more top ten finishes for Hamilton!
The men's C was next. The field of 100 riders was split into two
smaller D1 and D2 groups for the tight course. Chris started strong and
fought with the main pack. A pair of riders broke away early and stayed
away, eventually lapping the chase group and finishing a minute ahead -
very dominant riding. Chris was in the first chase group of eight
riders pushing for top five finish until the asphalt had an unexpected,
and fairly violent, scuffle with his right thigh. Bleeding and dazed,
Chris was forced to abandon the race with only five laps to go - a
major bummer. I was in the second chase group and out sprinted a bunch
of riders for 10th.
Hannah and the women's C field were next to flirt with "grinder" and
its all too useful hay bales. She held back most of the ten lap race,
letting the women in front work. Hannah sprinted to an impressive
fourth amongst women scattering to and fro over the rugged tarmac. A
much more satisfying finish then yesterday's RR. Another top ten for
Hamilton.
Steve and the all too intimidating men's B field were next to start.
The large field of 63 riders started fast and stayed faster. A rider
from UVM riding an $800.00 steel Lemond with a triple, broke away and
only increased the pace. He finished nearly 50 seconds ahead of the
chase group of only 13 (or so) riders left on course. An impressive
feat. Steve finished a strong 18th in his first foray into B level crit
racing.
Well, the effects of little sleep, improper diet, and too many power
gels are starting to ravage my finely tuned body.
Congratulations to a weekend well raced!
For a team of only 9 racers to place 22nd out of 42 - beating the likes
of UMass, UConn, Syracuse, and the US Marines - is no small feat.
Happy riding. Or should I say happy mind blowing, leg bursting,
hammerfests?
Nathaniel
UPenn/Drexel Results
A summary of the weekend's racing action, written by Nathaniel Brewster:
Here is a report on this weekend's exploits in o' so patriotic Philadelphia:
The weekend started off with quite an interesting drive down through the fields of
Pennsylvania and beauty that
is New Jersey urban sprawl. Hannah, Brook, Steve, Chris, and I puttered through Mount Laurel
New Jersey for an
hour before finding our way to the hotel. Everyone wound up falling into a nervous slumber
around 11:30,
prepped for the race 10:30 the next morning.
Nothing but sunshine and eerily warm (definitely pleasing) temperatures greeted us for
Saturday's circuit race
extravaganza. As the director later announced, Saturday's circuit was the largest non-pro
road race in
Philadelphia history. The course was a beautiful and exciting six miles along the Schuykill
river with a couple
good downhills and a nice climbing section up to the finish. The climb wound up being the
decisive element in
both the men's D div. II and men's C races.
Steve, Brook, and Gruen all excelled in the men's D div. II race. Brook and Gruen worked
together keeping Steve
at the front of the pack for most of the two six mile laps. There were some particularly hair
raising pothole-
induced crashes on the fast straight sections. Steve was able to break away from the main
pack early in the race
and stuck there. Chris and I wandered over to the start/finish to witness Steve take the D
div. II victory by five
seconds! Brook finished 21 seconds back in 6th place - a super strong showing for his first
non-TT race. Gruen
worked with some Tufts men and finished 17th out of 41 starters.
Chris and I started in a giant men's C field (90 riders!) only five minutes prior to the women's
B race. The first
two laps were steady and fast, speeds approached the mid 30s on the flats and nearly 45 on
a particular
descent. The field was tight and aggressive, but a bit twitchy and in each lap had difficulty
negotiating a 180
degree bend after a long straight section. There was some bumping, but no crashing, on the
first lap -- that
was soon to change. Somehow I found myself in the lead couple riders approaching the
"death bend" on the
second lap. Luckily I got through, but with many riders taking a wide line others got pinched
together and the
field was decimated. The sound of hollow metal grinding is never fun (yet oddly exciting).
Chris escaped the
crash unscathed and stuck with the main pack. The pace on the third lap was super quick.
Everybody was
jostling for a good position on the final climb -- riders could not attack or gain position left
of the yellow line
-- this made pack placement essential. The flat leadout to the climb was a real leg burner
and I found myself in
the middle of the pack. To my dismay a group of twenty or so riders broke away on the
climb. I found myself
behind grinding gears and slower riders, not being able to attack over the yellow line (a real
learning
experience). Chris finished 42 and I finished 44 - exhausted, frustrated, and happy. It's
amazing that we
finished 15 seconds off the winner, but 42 riders back.
The women's B race took place only five minutes after the start of men's C (we were on the
course together).
Hannah and Adele worked well with the pack and finished solidly. Hannah worked with a
pink-shorted Penn
State girl for much of the race and learned some race tactics along the way. Adele recounted
later that she
couldn't remember large chunks of the race -- now that's exertion! Hannah finished 28 and
Adele 35 out of a
competitive field of 50 women.
An inspiring tidbit: A women's A racer, Sarah Uhl, won her race then fought it out with the A
men. She stayed
with the main pack and finished in the top group -- absolutely amazing. It turns out she is a
3x national track
champion and junior world track champ -- I almost feel bad for those A men...
Then there was the Crit...
It rained on Sunday - rained and thundered and rained. The temperature hovered in the mid
fifties as the
precipitation covered a challenging crit course that rolled along the famed Lemon Hill (a road
included in the
US-Pro Championship). The deciding factor in many races was the long, fast uphill along the
start/finish
straight. After 15 laps you really start to hate it.
Men's D was the first to get started. Brook, Gruen, and Steve dominated the men's D div. II
field. Brook and
Steve controlled the pace for most of the race and finished 3rd and 2nd respectively, while
Gruen finished 11th
out of 35 racers. Steve lost the top podium spot in by half a wheel length in the final sprint.
All the D men got
in some good teamwork experience and saw just how successful cooperative work can be. In
the five races thus
far Steve has yet to place worse than 8th. He will be joining Chris and I in men's C for the rest
of the season.
Our women also demonstrated efficient and successful teamwork. Hannah and Adele stayed
together
throughout a challenging women's B race and worked effectively with the pack. They stayed
within a second
group of women and never lost ground to the winning group. They finished 20 and 19
(respectively) out of 36
riders.
The rain was torrential just as Chris and I lined up for the men's C race. The field of 73 was
slightly smaller than
Saturday's 90, but still proved exciting on the twisty .6 mile course. Immediately after the
start we piled into the
first left corner only to find a giant puddle covering the entire left lane. Calls of the watery
behemoth went up
immediately, but it was too late. I nearly ran over a fallen rider and glimpsed a couple off
course sliding down a
steep grassy hill into the woods. The unscathed front pack used the crash to their advantage
and pulled slightly
away. The field soon separated into four groups. Chris got some good group work in with a
couple Skidmore
and UVM riders and headed the second pack. I drifted in no-man's land for half a lap before
being joined by a
some Penn State and Mercyhurst riders. The pace was quick and nearly 25 riders did not
finish the race. It was
particularly frightening for me to read "8 Laps to go" on the start/finish line when my legs
were nearly thin
pieces of spaghetti...but that's crit racing. And it was particularly disheartening to lead my
group through the
second to last and last lap only to get passed by five riders on the final uphill sprint...but that
too is crit racing.
Chris finished a strong 26 and I finished 36. Shivering and a bit damp (read with extreme
sarcasm) the team
packed up the gear and headed home for some excellent Spring Break training.
It has been supremely uplifting to watch the team results improve as everyone gains more
experience and
strength.
Happy riding,
Nathaniel
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This Weekend!
Several of us will be travelling to the UPenn/Drexel Race! Check back for results.
Rutgers Race Results
Hamilton is currently ranked 30th of 36. Not bad after our first race ever! Note that we are ranked
above Williams, Bates, and Boston College, among others.
A summary of the weekend's racing action, written by Nathaniel Brewster:
"We headed out of our hotel around 6:45 Saturday in the balmy 20 degree
Piscataway dawn and journeyed down to time trial staging area.
Everybody was a tad concerned with the sub-30 degree temperatures and
invigorating 20 mile an hour wind. We registered and received numbers
and sat in the vans warming up. The D men were the first to complete
the TT course. Steve and Brook fought the wind and cold well, finishing
8th and 4th respectively. Chris, Gruen, John, and Andy all finished
within the top 40 (out of 92 riders) - Jon Rees (his first time on his
bike on the road) finished a very respectable 72. While the D men were
warming their feet, hands, and lungs in the comfort of the cozy van
Chris and Adele warmed up for their TT attempts. Chris finished a super
respectable 14 in men's C and Adele 44 in women's B. Everybody was a
tad hungry after loitering in the frigid New Jersey air for three hours
so we set off in search of some food before the criteriums got
underway.
The team returned to the criterium staging area after a satisfying
lunch in the expansive Rutgers dining hall. The fields were large and
the course short (.6 of a mile) so the officials decided to split each
category by division (Hamilton and similarly sized schools in Div. II
and larger schools in Div. I). The team rode the course a few times
examining its wonderous bends and simply delightful headwind. Men's D
was the first to get underway. The race was dominated by three riders
from MIT who obviously did some wind tunnel testing in the pre season.
Their teamwork led to a MIT podium sweep. Steve Frederick used his
hardened swimming psyche to blow most of the other D riders out of the
water. He finished 5th.
The anticipation was numbing in preparation for the men's C race.
Chris and I warmed up and headed to the start line feeling confident,
but (mostly in my case) nervous. The race started fast and stayed fast.
I let the pack go and never saw them again, without anybody to draft
off of a chase was futile. I slogged through the race mostly alone and
finished towards the back. Chris managed to hang on to the pack for a
while longer than I, but took a nasty spill around the course's most
treacherous corner. To the cheers of the spectators he righted himself
and kept on, finishing 35. Meanwhile our two intrepid women racers
warmed up. Hannah and Adele fought the pack and wind aggressively and
turned in commendable finishes for first time racers. The team finished
the criteriums well having learned invaluable lessons about strategy
and race dynamics. Everybody seemed a bit shocked as to just how far
you must push yourself to succeed. Bleery eyed and weezing I took to
the van and returned to the Red Roof Inn thinking just how painful,
exhilarating, and dramatic the upcoming season will be.
Sunday's circuit race was a bit more relaxed. It had warmed up
(slightly) and the wind had died down (slightly) and everyone knew the
ropes. Once again the men's D field was split into Div. I and II.
Hamilton's sterling academic prowess shone brightly at the start of the
D race. While the entire field lined up behind a group of Connecticut
college riders thinking they were at the start line, our D men calmly
stepped back thirty yards to the real start. This ensured them a front
row starting position. Steve Frederick finished an impressive 6th for
his 3rd top 10 finish in as many races. Chris Abbott finished 15th and
John Adams 17th - three riders in the top 20, a strong showing for
fledgling team.
Chris and I started the men's C race with a bit more knowledge then
the we did at the Crit. The officials decided to combine Div. I and II
for a field size of nearly 100 riders. The race consisted of several
laps of a three mile loop with a strong headwind in the finishing
straight. It started much more calmly then the Crit, but soon got fast
and treacherous. Chris' rear skewer malfunctioned seizing his wheel and
causing him to abandon the race a couple laps in (a very big bummer,
but luckily he didn't crash). Crashes were common and took out about 20
riders. I nearly bit it when a rider fell and took out four others in
front of me causing someone else to hit my rear wheel and cause another
fall. I managed to stay with the front pack and finish within a few
seconds of the winner in 27th - a much more satisfying result than the
criterium. Hannah was the only female racer from the team to
participate in the women's B race. She stuck with the main pack for the
first two laps. A second pack formed and she stayed with them until the
finish where she outsprinted some Harvard women for a solid 46th.
Hannah's finish concluded a successful and enjoyable first weekend
racing among the teams of the ECCC.
some pictures of the criterium can be found on Andy's website"
- Nathaniel
> Posted on: March 8th, 2006