AUGUST 5, 2010 RACE SUMMARIES
Full Race Results
Men Cat 1/2 (6 riders)
The Cat 1/2 riders started off the evening’s schedule with a 15-lap scratch race. The group rode at pace for several laps until Tom Hagerty (Behind Bars/LGR) found himself off the front. He took off and gained as much as 65 meters on the others before giving it up. With 4 laps to go Spencer Haugh (Behind Bars/LGR) did a probing attack quickly covered by Chris Ferris (PJW Racing). With 3 laps to go Andy Kruse (Speedfix) stretched things out. Sean Vig (Speedfix) and Dan Schueller (Gopher Wheelmen) paid attention, but, with 2 laps to go Kruse had a 10 meter gap which he maintained to the finish. Schueller, Vig and Haugh led in the rest.
Dan Schueller was the first eliminated in their miss and out when he was caught inside. Vig was out- maneuvered, couldn’t come around, and was eliminated for 5th place. Haugh ran out of gas for 4th place. Hagerty couldn’t respond to the acceleration and took 3rd. The final sprint between Kruse and Ferris was closely contested. Ferris was given the win, but it might have gone either way; the interval was less than a tire width at the finish line.
The final Cat 1/2 race was an 80-lap Madison for the 2010 Minnesota State Championship and included qualified Cat 3 racers. The first 10 laps were conducted at a leisurely pace while teams got in to the “swing” of the race. With 66 laps to go, the race opened up. To the end, it was dominated by the team of Kruse and Vig. The final standings were a function of the laps taken and the sprint points ended up being inconsequential. The team of Schueller and Ferris were able to hang in with Kruse/Vig until they began to lag with 55 laps to go and were lapped with 50 to go and then again with 5 laps to go. The final standings based on laps behind were Kruse/Vig followed by Schueller/Ferris. The remaining teams were several laps behind.
Men Cat 3 (14 riders)
Rich Bergstrom (Gopher Wheelmen) upped the pulse rate of the Cat 3 field at the gun in their 10-lap scratch race but it ended up being a feint. Teammate Dave Brosnahan (Gopher Wheelmen) did then did the same but with 7 laps to go the field was together. Mike Smith (Gopher Wheelmen) and Derek Virta (Gopher Wheelmen) started to string it out with 5 to go and kept it up for 3 laps. With 2 to go, Matt Allen (Behind Bars/LGR) managed to sip ahead from underneath but at the bell Virta attacked over the top to get 5 meters. In the last lap Virta was chased by Mike Hall (Behind Bars/LGR) but held on for hte win; Hall 2nd and Mark Leppke (Behind Bars/LGR) and Mark Stewart (unattached) bringing the rest across theline.
In the first half of their miss and out, riders were eliminated inside mistakenly thinking the easy route was the safe one. Pat Whelan (PJW Racing) and Stewart ran out of gas and were eliminated just before Bergstrom was left behind and took 5th place for the race. Leppke didn’t have the legs and was eliminated for 4th place. Smith was outmaneuvered by Allen and took 3rd place, but Allen then couldn’t respond to Virta’s jump for the win.
Those Cat 3s not riding the Madison were joined by Emma Bast (Bianchi/GP) and Terra James (Benhind Bars/LGR) for a 40-lap points race, sprints every 10 laps.The race went off fast with Zack Mohr (unattached) establishing a high pace. Bergstrom decided to test the resolve of the other riders with 36 laps to go and got as much as 55 meters before being reeled in. Charlie Anderson (Bianchi/GP) took off with 2 laps to the first sprint but was caught and passed by Smith, Virta, and Allen. Smith led out the 2nd sprint and held on for top points followed by Mohr, Virta, and Bast. Several furtive attacks were quickly neutralized before the 3rd sprint was led out by Haugh and Smith taken by Smith over Virta, Bergstrom and Leppke. Allen then made a valiant effort to get a lap, keeping it hot after 3rd sprint. He gained as much as 50 meters but couldn’t sustain the effort. Stewart countered and was chased by Best and Virta. With 3 laps to go the trio had an short, 10-meter lead. Haugh caught them looking the other way and went underneath but they quickly responded and, joined by Mohr, raced to the line for the final sprint points taken by Virta, Smith, Mohr, and Best, in that order. For the race, Smith took 1st place by a 5 point margin over Virta with Mohr taking 3rd and Best 4th over Bergstrom based on the final sprint placing.
Men Cat 4/5 (13 riders)
The Cat 4./5 riders started with a 12-lap Tempo race: 2 and 1 points for the first two riders across the line each lap. The race was very fluid with three riders competing for top honors. Aaron Koehler (Flat City) took off and got 10 points for the first five laps. He didn’t figure in scoring for the remainder of the laps. John McGuire (unattached) then took over for three laps followed by Merrill Lutsky (Silver Cycling) for three laps with McGuire taking the final sprint. At the end, Koehler, McGuire and Lutsky all had 10 points so the race was determined by the final sprint order: McGuire then Lutsky then Koehler.
After preliminary heats, six riders contested a Chariot (500 meters) final. McGuire took the early lead off the line followed by Eric Ware (Tonka). At the bell Lutsky, Chris Verbick (Gopher Wheelmen), and Brandon Bartlett (unattached) closed then came over Ware in the last lap but were unable to catch McGuire who held them off for the win.
In the 40-lap scratch race Koehler launched several early attacks, all of which were neutralized. With 16 laps to go a group of 9 led the race which was whittled to 6 with 10 laps to go. With 2 laps to go, Kevin Lennon (Tonka) upped the pace taking McGuire and Jeff Anderson (Loon State) In a furious final lap, MCguire and Ware first went to the front but were bested by a charging Lutsky in the final turn. Ware held on for 2nd followed by McGuire, Anderson and Koehler.
Women (10 riders)
The women started out with a 10-lap snowball, points for each lap equal to the lap. Jenifer Fischer (Synergy) took the first two laps followed by Bianca Bergman (Texas Roadhouse) for laps 3 and 4 with James taking the 5th lap. The race heated by as the points on offer got higher with Emma Bast (Bianchi/GP), Bergman, and Melissa Dahlmann (Bianchi/GP) trading places at the front. After Bast took lap 10 with a close win over James, Dahlmann took off for the 11th lap win and held on for the 12th lap to take the race over Bast, Bergman, and James.
In the win and out, Linsey Hamilton (Synergy) took off at the gun and caught the field napping. By the time they recognized the attack, she was long gone and completed two laps before they could catch her taking 1st place in the race. Dahlman and James kept it going and James rode off to take the 2nd sprint two laps later. Dahlman held on for 3rd place by 50 meters. Bast beat out Bergman for 4th place. Bergman ran out of gas and Megan Kelly (Gopher Wheelmen) took the 5th place sprint.
After an early go by Hamilton the 30-lap scratch race was all about Emma Bast. She held the focus by attacking with 19 laps to go and staying out, getting a gap as large as 75 meters. She gave it up with 6 laps to go to recover for the final sprint. Dahlman attacked with 3 laps to go with Bast covering. The pair battled back and forth the final three laps until Bast surged ahead in the home stretch to take the win. James and Bergman brought in the rest.