Tour de Naples2009



Naples, Florida
No Racing in July
(we are all watching the Tour de France)



My results so far:



Place Category Race
13th Cat 4/5 Lake County Stage: Road Race
6th Cat 4/5 Lake County Stage: Time Trial
7th Cat 4/5 Lake County Stage: Criterium
3rd Cat 4/5 Ocala Stage Race Sunday Road Race
13th Cat 4/5 Ocala Stage Race Saturday Time Trial
15th Cat 4/5 Ocala Stage Race Saturday Road Race
5th Cat 4 Florida State Criterium Championship
11th Cat 3/4/35+ Lakeland Twilight Allstars
3rd Cat 4 Lakeland Twilight Qualifier
2nd Cat 4 Z Motion Bank Atlantic Criterium
8th Cat 4/5 Z Motion Vista View
4th Cat 4/5 Chain of Lakes Criterium
13th Cat 4/5 Chain of Lakes Road Race
19th Cat 3/4 Webster Roubaix
16th Cat 4/5 Brian Picollo
14th Cat 4/5 Vista View
6th Cat 4 Amateur Qualifier
14th Cat 3/4/5 Amateur Finals
33rd Cat 4 Pinellas Park
1st Cat 4 Polk County Crit
12th Cat 4 Lake Mary Crit
3rd Cat 4 Sanford Crit
4th Cat 4/5 Dade City Crit
13th Cat 4 Humanity Road Race
3rd Cat 4 Gainesville Crit
8th Cat 4 2nd Annual Spring Fling Road Race
4th Cat 4 2nd Annual Spring Fling Circuit Race
6th Cat 4/5 Drew's Landing practice Crit
2nd Cat 4/5 Drew's Landing New Year's Day Crit
5th Jr. 15-16 Florida State Criterium Championships
10th Jr. 15-16 Z Motion Bank Atlantic Criterium
3rd Jr. 15-16 Chain of Lakes Criterium
5th Jr. 15-16 Vista View
1st Jr. 15-16 Brian Picollo Park
3rd Jr. 15-16 Pinellas Park
7th Jr. 15-16 Squiggy Time Trial
6th Jr. 15-16 Lake Mary Crit
4th Jr. 15-16 Sanford Crit
7th Jr. 15-16 Dade City Crit
7th Jr. 15-16 Gainesville Crit
8th Jr. 15-16 2nd Annual Spring Fling Circuit Race
 

 

Lakeland Twilight Criterium Qualifier Cat 4


Lakeland Twilight Final Cat 3/Cat 4/ 35+ (70 riders) I am 4th rider from the right.









Lake County Stage Race Reports
by Lucas Wardein


Cat 4/5, Saturday, Lake County Criterium Drew's Landing

This is about a half mile loop with only one real turn going into the final straight-away. It was a pretty small filed, only about 30-35 riders. Barely any wind, nothing really recognizable but the heat was barely breathable. I got a first row starting position and felt good before the start. Lap one was really just a warm-up lap for me. I followed a wheel the whole first lap and then sank back a few spots to chill out and watch wheels. About 7 laps into the race I thought I would try my luck and go with a break I thought would stick because of the guys going with it: Francisco Hernandez (points leader), Fernando Acevedo (4th in the points), John Manwaring (3rd in the points), and Jonathan Moon (eventual overall winner of this stage race) and I. We went and had a 10 second gap in not time, unfortunately, all of us were marked men in the field and it was chased down as fast as it went up. 2 laps later, the time bonus sprint prime went to the winner of the next lap and I thought it could be useful to have some extra time so I went for it. I took the final turn in 3rd wheel and thought that would be perfect and to my luck a sprinter went for it as well. I took the turn in 3rd and ended up about 8th. After that I was toast. I sat at the back for the rest of the race getting ice cold water splashed on me and drinking lost of fluids to replenish myself for the last lap. About 5 laps to go Rye-Rye showed up next to me and gave him the heads-up. I told him that based on the up-hill sprint we needed to wait until half way up the hill to start our real sprint. Last lap I am close to the front but thought I wasn't close enough to the front for a good sprint. I moved up 3 more spots and was sitting about 5th wheel, little did I know that two sprinter wer lurking behind me waiting to unleash their power. Half way up the hill I start my real sprint an so did the two sprinters, they flew past me and the other people that were in front of me for spots 1 and 2 on the podium; those two were Rye-Rye and Francisco! I came out 7th and I still got the time of the winner (stage race rules). Congrats on your first podium Rye-Rye, you will get him next time.



Cat 4/5, Saturday,  Stage 2 Time Trial

This course is the infamous Sugarloaf Mountain which has the steepest grade for any race in Florida. This is such a horrendus climb that only 17 Cat 4's registered to conquer this hill. I finished 6th.


Cat 4/5 Sunday, Stage 3 Ferndale Circuit Race

This is a 2.2 mile loop with a cross-wind sprint and a tailwind on the back stretch. I was sitting 4th in the GC starting stage 3. Our team strategy was simple, keep the team in the race unti two laps to go and then go to the front and block while I shoot off the front with Fernanco and Francisco. They are in last and second to last place in the GC and they are strong so it's safe to go on a break with them. I was aboutn a minute back from the leader starting the last stage. The race was horrifically fast the whole race, my computer said we had an average speed of 26 mph when we were done. I sat at the back basically the whole race because I wanted to save it for the lasp two laps and I had a strong team that could chase down anything if anything happened to go off the front. Nothing managed to get away so I was safe at the back. 5 laps to go I started to move up and as I passed ORC riders I told them to start moving to the front as well. Everything was going perfectly smooth when halfway through lap 5 a massive crash occurred, it took out half the field and all ORC members were on the ground except Eric. Since we were all together moving up when the crash happened, we all went down right next to each other. I never went down and managed to stopin time. I immediately got off my bike, ran through the carnage and put my chain back on. Luckily Mitch was already up and riding and I called to him to wait up so I could get some help for the chase back on. We picked up another guy soon and then we slowed down a lot. I decided this wasn't a fast enough pace to catch the field so I took my pull at 28 mph and for some reason Mitch didn't hop on my wheel so I was on my own. For the next three laps I averaged 27 mph and caught back on ahlfway through 2 laps to go. I was still planning on going on a breakaway, I told Eric to get on the front and right when I said that a major attack came and I never got the chance to go. On the final lap a two man pack managed to get up the road and I couldn't latch on and nobody would chase; we were now sprinting for 3rd. I moved up into 2nd wheel to start the sprint. We took the final turn and I gave it all the THUNDER I had but it was all gone. By the time I crossed the line I was at the back again. I finished 4th in the GC and missed 3rd place podium by 24 seconds.







Next up: The Pal Omnium first weekend in August although I may talk my way into racing in Miami in July just to keep in shape.

A big Thank You to Mrs. Blake who is loaning me a frame til I get a new one. And thanks for helping put the old parts on the loaner frame too.

A few snaps from USA Cycling Southeast Regional Camp!
(Courtesy of Dr. Creeden)










Later...


My first time on a velodrome.