On Saturday, OVC headed to Virginia for the Richmond Road Race. The course featured a 22 mile loop with mostly rolling terrain and one punchy climb about 2 miles from the finish. Bad weather threatened the entire event, but an early morning email assured the club that the race was a "go.”
Matthew P. was first on course for the early morning Cat 5 start. Matthew got into a promising break with a few K's to go, hoping the course's only climb would be a launchpad to victory. The breakaway attempt, however, came up a little short and Matthew finished mid-pack.
In the afternoon, Ted, Mark, and Roscoe raced together in the 3/4 event. Sporadic showers and wet roads made for tepid racing in the first lap. Just as things picked up on the second lap, Ted got a flat and was forced to watch the rest of the race from the sag wagon. With about 5K to go, a crack of thunder about 500 meters from the group put the racers on notice that they may not get in their full 66 miles. After the final climb, the strung-out field found itself in a torrential downpour with extremely poor visibility. Roscoe took advantage of the confusion to move to the front and grab 5th place. Mark, in his first Cat 3/4 race, wasn’t far behind at 14th.
Dean raced in the combined Masters 35+/45+, which started a few minutes behind the 3/4 race. That race encountered the same challenging conditions and was shortened to 44 miles also. With a three-man break was off the front, Dean stayed in great position and took 2nd in the field sprint, for 5th overall and 2nd in the 45+. All of this amid severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings.
To celebrate having two riders in the money, the club headed to Outback for some well-deserved red meat courtesy of Culver & Pierson. Thanks, Dean! Great racing, OVC!