While the men of the grand tours were running 300km from Milano to San Remo, Villanova Cycling was cementing its name as a force to be reckoned with in the E-tri-C. In our home race, Villanova Cycling introduced a new rider, entertained numerous family and friend spectators, and lit up the velocityresults.net scoreboard! Under perfect blue skies that gave me and a few others a touch of sunburn, we raced to collegiate glory.
Saturday Race, TTT and Circuit West Fairmount Park
Drexel and UPenn hosted a great race on a traditional Philly course, the West River Drive circuit. The day began with a team time trial, which Garrett, Justin, Rob and James (myself) participated in. Unfortunately, we had a few van issues and other factors in the morning which caused us to, erm, avoid our proper start time. Fortunately Alan Atwood allowed us to ride the course, as we had all warmed up and been ready to go. With strong pulls by all of us, we rode into a provisional fourth place in the B class, on a team of 3 B riders and 1 C. I knew we'd be successful- these TTT's are a great team experience and a good way to get points. Our prerace breakfast of Bagel Factory didn't exactly sit well with me, and it goes to show you- you HAVE to go to the diner before a bike race.
The circuit race was a triumph for Villanova Cycling in all classes. Starting a wide D field were Joe Pawelczyk, Tim Higgins, and Robby Napp. All three blasted down West River Drive to spectacular finishes, navigating the hills of Chamonuix impressively. Tim's upgrade from Intro went well, and the ECCC should be ready for a force in the Men's D field from Villanova.
Villanova Cycling introduced Will Kavanagh, a freshman rider this weekend into the intro class. I always maintain that intro is an awesome way to get started- the off course clinic and coached lap led me into cycling, and they're definitely a great start for most new riders.
Justin Yeash cemented his status as athlete extraordinaire, finishing a solid 7th in the Men's C field, in only his 5th race ever. Justin looked great taking turns on the front of the pack, leading the charge through Fairmount park's new roundabout to a solid top-10 finish.
HT: Dr. Seth Whidden, our awesome team advisor, for the sweet pictures!
The Men's B race was a welcome challenge; one which the B team prepared for well. We practiced leadouts and sprint position throughout the week, and our efforts paid off with some of Villanova Cycling's highest finishes yet. Garrett's sprint power renders him a Cavendish-esque challenger at the end of every race, and Rob's constant improvement is making waves in the B class. With some veteran leadership by myself, other teams are starting to take notice of Villanova: our training and tactics are giving us a great jump on the B field.
Look at that sprint finish, Garrett "whomp whomp-ing" along, standing on those pedals!
TTT:
4th place, 14:30
Intro Men:
Will Kavanagh- 22nd
D Men:
Tim Higgins- 40th
Joe Pawelczyk- 17th
Robby Napp- 27th
C Men:
Justin Yeash- 7th
B Men:
James Miceli- 10th
Garrett Olsen- 6th
Rob Abramo- 14th
SUNDAY, PHILADELPHIA NAVY YARD CRITERIUM
Is this inside a warehouse? Perhaps...
And indeed, a major thumbs up goes to the State of Pennsylvania for redeveloping the area, namely by repaving the roads. With planes headed into Philadelphia Airport screaming overhead, 'Nova had another great day at the race. Additionally, we look forward to the support of Bob Biese of the Bicycle Den, a cat 1 coach and 1991 Villanova Alum. Look at what Wildcats can do on a bike!
Joe, Justin, and Will Kavanagh navigated through the D, C, and Intro classes before the punishing B race in the hot afternoon sun. All three flew across the 6 turn, L shaped criterium masterfully, avoiding crashes and finishing well!
HT: Will Kav for Sweet photography skills!
The B race started with a bang- the breakage of Rob's chain. Thanks to master mechanical engineer and bike technician Garrett, Rob was able to race to a stellar finish. The three of us started in the back of the field, and spent the first chunk of the race bridging to the front. In the chess game of a criterium, we angled for position throughout. Garrett's strength in corners is very apparent in technical crits like these; his lines through the corner are impeccable for energy saving. As the end of the race approached, Garrett and I were nearly absorbed in a crash; it was only though an Armstrong-esque navigation up a sidewalk apron and back over a curb that we were able to stay in a race. After going around that near-disaster, I'm pretty sure I had a mini heart attack, my HR spiking up to 7 billion beats a second. Rob and Garrett maintained composure and sprinted to a fantastic 3-4 finish. For a crowd of the parents Abramo and Olsen, they provided a thrilling finish to the weekend. We may even get some video footage from the Olsens up here, continuing our foray into new media.
Look how fast Rob is, hair blowing in the wind... get a haircut! (I think I need to take my own advice!)
Overall, Villanova Cycling is constantly improving, staying true to its mantra for this season. We're traveling together in vans, eating together, and improving together, which has us looking towards a successful season! Princeton and Stevens up next week in central NJ, which will see our first (almost) road race; a circuit through scenic Skillman, NJ, with 300+ feet of climbing per lap.
Sunday:
Intro Men:
Will Kavanagh- 16th
D Men:
Joe Pawelczyk- 18th
C Men:
Justin Yeash- 16th
B Men:
James Miceli- 12th
Garrett Olsen- 3rd
Rob Abramo- 4th
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