Results
Cooler weather greeted the cycling enthusiasts this Monday night. With heavier air, times were slightly slower for the top tier riders by about 20 seconds. Marcus Haw in his first night out this year came in first, exclaiming "the wind....", which was not severe at 8-12 mph, but slightly gusty. It did not deter several riders with room to improve yet this year in marking their best times of the year. Kim Westdorp, Jeff Petersen, Edwin Choi, Eric "I hate hot weather" Hansen, Dave "Tennis Shoe" Tomasik, Jill Martinek, and Heather Wiersma all had season best times. Good to see their conditioning still improving. I was particularly impressed with Edwin Choi. For someone that just 2 years ago could not break 43 minutes no matter what he did, he showed with some work, a plan, and some improvement in positioning and technique he WAS capable of breaking the 40 minute barrier. I'm sure he'll remember this night for a long time. He certainly deserved it.
The real story in August is the Points Contest race to the finish. The last night to score points will be August 24th. The last night of the Time Trials will be August 31st, and right after the riders are done that night, we'll award the top 3 cash prizes for Burton, Merckx, Men, and Women classes. (If you're wondering what that means about a little shindig at the Gravel Bottom Brewery - you guessed it - you'll have to wait till 2021 at least for that. So sorry!) In the Women's points contest Tarra DaPrato pretty well has 1st place locked up. But what a contest between Jill Martinek and Heather Wiersma! A very similar situation for 3rd place in the Men's contest between Roger Bonga and Shane Wiersma, and same situation for 3rd in the Merckx class between Chuck Damon and Joe Vago. It's about this time most cyclists would be making effigies of their competitors out of old Clement tubulars, tying them to an Italian wine bottle, and burning them while citing lines from Breaking Away or Quicksilver - all in hopes of placating the cycling gods to their favor. OR - just keep showing up and riding hard!
(PS - Any lines quoted from American Flyer have the reverse juju - so don't try it!)
Dave Durkee
Time Trials Coordinator