The Carney files: Pain, Cat. 2.5’s on the outside, and wheelsuckers

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By Jonas Carney, Prime Alliance Cycling Team

An unshaven rider with Cytomax dried onto his Pinarello makes a break for it in the Lakefront Road Race

Photo: Jonas Carney

Fourteen stages down and three to go here in Superweek 2003.

Pain reigns at Holy Hill

In the infamous Holy Hill Road Race, all the big players schlammed from the gun. A large break containing all the toughest riders rode away from the field on the first lap. They proceeded to inflict pain on each other until Gordon McCauley took his second stage of Superweek.

Holy Hill Road Race:
1. Gordon McCauley (NZ), Schroeder Iron
2. Aaron Olson, Schroeder Iron
3. Tim Johnson, Saturn
>4. Adam Bergman, Jelly Belly
5. Harm Jansen (Ned), Team Rectal Thermometer

Our man off the front

The Lakefront Road Race is a classic. I can remember when they had the national championships on that course in the ’80s. I started the race specifically to take some action photos. I jumped from the gun, and took a few photos from off the front, snapped some from inside the group, and a couple others of the breakaway in action.

The break went after one lap when Adam Bergman drilled it up Lafayette hill. After a 90-mile TTT, Rapinski proved he was the strongest.

Lakefront Road Race:
1. Viktor Rapinski (Bel), Saturn
2. Jackson Stewart, Ofoto-Lombardi
3. Adam Bergman, Jelly Belly
4. Lionel Syne (Bel), Webcor
5. Andy Crater, LeMond Fitness

Green Bay: It should be easy …

The Green Bay Criterium is probably the easiest stage of Superweek. The course is dead flat and super-fast. Sitting in the group is cake. Attacking off the front is not.

Bergman drives the break through the feed zone

Photo: Jonas Carney

Courses like this drive me insane because the field swarms before turn one and three every time we slow down a tiny bit. Any Category 2 1/2 can get to the front. A few guys were pissing me off to no end by shooting up the outside every lap. If I left 43cm between me and the metal fencing, some dipshit would stick his 42cm bars in there every time. To make matters worse, it’s usually the guy with his saddle slammed all the way forward. Guys like this look like they would crash if you blew on them.

It was really fast for the entire race, so the large break didn’t get away until the last 20 laps. Harm Jansen attacked hard to go across the gap, and I went after him. I was sure we could bridge the 15 seconds together, but I was wrong. The two guys who followed me couldn’t (or wouldn’t) pull, and Harm was not riding like Harm on this day. Damn.

I haven’t made a breakaway since day one. If you were looking for someone to follow around, would you follow the guy who never makes the breakaway? No. You’d follow Pete Knudsen. The damn guy makes the break almost every day. Does anyone follow him. No. Stop following me!

Green Bay:
1. Pete Knudsen, Schroeder Iron
2. Nieko Biskner, Sierra Nevada
3. Carlos Vargas (Col), Saturn Development
4. Gustavo Artacho (Arg), Colativa-Bolla
5. Viktor Ayala (Mex), Minute Maid-Dasani

Crash cancels Sheboygan

The Sheboygan Criterium was on Thursday night. The event was neutralized and canceled after 99 of the 100km. Apparently, in the final laps there was a serious crash where a spectator and several riders were injured. I don’t have any information their conditions.

Up next: Tonight is the Kenosha Criterium. It is one of the best events in the series and has a great crowd every year. Rob Ventura (U.S. Postal Service) will be all riled up as it is his hometown race.

In other news: Tomorrow (Saturday) is the first annual Retro Ride. We are meeting at noon at the Alterra coffee shop on the lakefront, at the first corner of the lakefront long course (Lincoln Memorial and Lafayette Hill). Dig out your funniest or coolest retro clothing and equipment and come on down. There’ll be a prize for “best in show,” and I’ll submit your photo to VeloNews online.

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