Giro di Coppi -- On Saturday, 5 OVC racers -- Roscoe, Ted, Sean, Mark, and Alex -- headed up to Montgomery County for Giro di Coppi, a road race whose hills are made more challenging by steamy July temps. OVC was undaunted and made the most of the trip by coming home with a victory. In the Cat 4 race (50 miles and 5000 feet of climbing), Mark gambled at 500 meters to go with a solo attack up the final climb. The gamble paid off -- Mark claimed victory and 10 upgrade points! Congrats, Mark! Alex hung on for a mid-pack finish, and both stuck around to man the feed zone for the masters race -- thanks, guys!

In the Masters race, Ted and Roscoe were well-positioned for the finale. Unfortunately, a strict interpretation of the yellow-line rule shuffled Ted to the back and the hill proved too much for Roscoe. The duo ended up finishing with the pack. Sean lined up for the Cat 5 event, but a puncture abruptly ended his day early in the race.

The group retired to Dogfish Head Alehouse for burgers and beers generously financed with Mark’s winnings -- thanks, Mark!

Brambleton Criterium: On Sunday, a few other OVC members -- Dean P., Matthew P., and Frankie -- headed to Brambleton, VA for a fast, fun, multi-turn criterium. Matthew P. continued his dominance of the Cat 5 category and claimed 2nd place -- Great work, Matthew! Frankie doubled up for his first races as a cat 4 and finished mid-pack for both the straight 4 and Masters 3/4. In a tough masters race, Dean started a little out-of-position, but hung on to get 4th in the field sprint and 6th overall for the 45+ Masters. For fun, Dean also raced the 1/2/3 event and finished with the pack.

Great weekend of racing, OVC!