markwebb

I hung out watching the Masters Nationals today. The final day top 4 men's crit classes. What a blast. The 50-54 was the most crowded, maybe 100 or so racers. The 30-34 was least crowded. Which does not make sense, other than I guess the top 30 year old racers are not racing in Masters events?

I had a lot more fun that women's events, because fields were much larger. The babes were cool but they need more of them racing. Where are all you biker babes???

Anyway, excellent cycling and great athletes were on display. The 50-54 was gonna have a great finish. A two man breakaway had a few seconds on the field and then they crashed, sending the leader into the outside rails on the first turn of the final bell lap. I talked to him after the race. Looked like he caught a pedal on the pavement. He was pissed because he thought he had one more good pull in him and a lot left for a sprint, and since he was pulling through 1 and 2 and back straight and other guy was pulling through end of back straight & 3 and 4 he was all set up to win, until the crash. Which BTW the safety on the first turn sucked. There were no hay bales on the actual turn where riders would go wide and then kinda enter a narrow chute coming out of the turn on the outside. I can't believe the officials set it up that way. Anyway I didn't see anyone carted off in ambulances so hopefully it was just skin and gravel and no broken bones in any of the numerous crashes throughout the day. There was another large crash on final turn on bell lap, too.

No wonder I never raced in crits when I could still ride fast

Most courageous dude was in 30-34 class who went off into the lead early solo and built a 20+ second lead on everybody. But he ran out of gas and I think may have even been lapped at very end. I mean he had a 14 or so second lead riding solo for more than half the race. That dude has some serious talent. And courage.

The next to last age group of the day was a great lesson in tactics. Three guys went off the front and actually pulled in behind the entire field and then sat there for the entire race, guaranteeing one of the three would take the top spot. How do three guys virtually lap an entire national-level field of racers? That was some awesome talent in that group of 3.

The crowds really sucked. I think everyone except me was a friend or relative of someone racing - which made for a sparse crowd. The venue inside Churchill Downs was cool, parking was free and it was adjacent to the crit track.

Local Texas Roadhouse team had a first and a third in two of the 4 races today. My bro' in law the Ken the Cannibal took some awesome pics - very high pro caliber shots. When he's PS'd them we'll post some up.

Great day, despite the rain and sparse crowds. All in all the glass was more than half full

Dubbayoo

Curtis Tolson racing?

Psimet2001 

Haven't look at any results but how'd my man Wayne Simon do?

CrimsonKarter21

Yes.

My brother and his girlfriend live in Taylorsville, KY, a hodunk town outside of Louisville. The TT was there a couple of days ago. I just thought it was cool, especially since they've never seen a bike race before. She met one of the National Champions.

bostongarden

I just raced against the 45-49 National Champ in the Tour of Lawrence Masters crit...ya know, were it not for a ridiculous crash i(on the back straight away, yes, straight away!!!) n front of me w/ a tad more than 1/2 lap to go that nearly took me out, who knows...well, I was with him and others and had stuff left...but, hey, crashes are part of the sport...still finished out and hammered my sprint...

markwebb

What year was he the 45-49 champ? It seems like EVERY race has a x-xx Mastwers national champ in it. These seem to be more Masters champs than actual championships

markwebb

He finished 11th today and 16th in TT, and had a DNF in road race.

markwebb

And Tracey Tolson finished 2nd in crit, 11 in TT, and won the road race. Texas Roadhouse Racing put Louisville cycling on the map this week

YMCA

I heard my good friend Grant Potter from Florida won the 40-44.
Hope it's true. One of my best training mates.

bostongarden

I got the impression that he is the 2009 champ as the announcers said -- I think -- that he just returned from the race in Louisville as Champeen. He was wearing the National Champion jersey; in addition, they had him pull up to the line first while he was introduced...now, I acknowledge, as a Master, that my hearing could be off :-) But, I am pretty sure that he just won the championship...

markwebb

Yup he won !!

And Puffer beat DeMarchi in the next race. The announcer who I think was Tolles did 10000 million zillion% more announcing in the Puffer-DeMarchi race than any other race. It was a 3 man break away and he went on and on and one about how great DeMarchi was and the other riders were probably racing for second, and then Puffer edges DeMarchi at the finish. It was a great race. All of them were great races.

markwebb

Could have been. Dude who won men's 45-49 road race I don't think did the TT earlier, or the crit today - and he was from Tulsa OK I think. So you may indeed have raced against the 45-49 road race champ !!!

bdcheung

My teammate got 9th in the 50-54. A great showing!

gsteinb

he did

Psimet2001 

Thanks for helping me out guys. Took some time this morning over coffee to look up and see he got 3rd in the TT. Anyone know where he is overall? 50-54.

gsteinb

pictures:

https://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/orde...5000636&po=636

gsteinb

In the 45/49 the lead rider on a two man break hit a pedal in the first turn on the bell lap. He three himself off line and took him and his companion into the barriers. Race over. All you kids who can't corner worth a damn take note (ridethecliche).

ridethecliche

I'm a good cornerer!

There's a difference between touching a pedal and striking a pedal. I've never done the latter.

I'm probably going to stop doing the former as well

EventServices

Riders who don't practice cornering skills are like pilots that don't practice landing.

gsteinb

In that analogy ridethecliche is the drunk passenger who tries to land the plane after the pilot drops dead in the cockpit

Psimet2001 

Still no love for my man Simon. A pox on you all.

botto 

ouch.

merlinextraligh

When you consider there are Master's championships for road, crit, time trial, not to mention various tandem events, and that the age categories are fairly narrow, there are a number of Masters National championships awarded each year. Still a heck of an accomplishment.

gsteinb

You used to be nicer.

CrimsonKarter21

gsteinb, are you at nationals? Or is that another global lactate rider with a Giant TCR and Zipps in the pictures?