04/07/02 by Ted Ingraham
The first local race of the season was Sunday April 7th -the Cuyahoga Valley Spring Series. It was dry and sunny, deceiving us that the 32 degree temperature wasn't cold. Once the race started, there wasn't much question - it was a typically cold spring race!
With Go-Mart well represented in the "A" race, lots of good masters signed opted for the "B" race. Our field was at least twice the size of the A race. Two of our Team Summit racers, Jim Gilmore and Jim Mullins toughed out the A race and finished near the front of the main pack.
The B race was filled with Freewheelers in every possible category (4/5/masters/women) I saw Shawn Adams, Angelo Catalano, Nate Loman, Allen Paszt, Mike Polce, Mike Smith, Micah Zakem, and my daughter, Tricia. Of the nine of us, I believe only Shawn was absent from the final sprint. (Shawn flatted in the first lap - hate when that happens!) Considering that one-third to half of the large field was dropped along the way, it was good to see all my teammates (including Tricia!) riding strong in the lead pack.
Most of the race was basically neutral. There were two or three good efforts - one right out of the blocks - that thinned-out the field, but most of the time it was a slow pace. The few racers who tried to go out and make something happen were blown back into the pack by the strong south wind facing us on Riverview Road. Our strategy was to send out pairs of riders to either tire the pack out or convince them not to chase Freewheelers. Then we planned to have our final breakaway effort being Shawn, Nate, and Polce - three guys who could hold a break! The wind pretty well eliminated that strategy.
Nate was one of the riders who tried to breakaway. He was out for a good part of the third lap and for a moment it looked like he would make it stick, however the headwinds again knocked him back. Nate tried again on the final lap as we went up the false flat in front of Old Trail School. Once again, he got away briefly but was reeled back in as we hit the down slope after Ira Road. In fact, the entire pack really bunched up on the downhill as everyone positioned for the final sprint. It turned into a real cluster-F as about 25 racers tried to sprint on an eight foot wide road! I was pinned and had to brake. I saw Angelo and Mike Smith, along with many others, blow by me in the final 50 meters. Angelo got the best Freewheeler finish at about fifth.
It was obvious throughout the race that Freewheelers were riding strong and we had a real chance to do well and everyone did ride a strong race. However, the difficulty of the final sprint and the lack of anyone in the money made the final results very frustrating. True to our heritage as Indians fans, we can say "wait until next week!" There is no doubt in my mind, based on the many strong racers I saw Sunday, we are going to post some strong results as the season progresses!