9/5/2004 by Allied Decals Cycling Team
Today was the mother of all road races, The Savage Chicken. The course is one of the hardest road course in Ohio on which you can actually have a legitimate race. This course has been described in dozens of places so it will not be repeated completely. Essentially, it's a 20 mile loop including two hills on two tiny roads in the backcountry of Ohio that cyclists the state over speak of in hushed tones. They are the Savage Hill Road hill and the Chicken Coop Road hill. Three laps, three times up the climbs, over 60 miles total, adds up to plenty of suffering.
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The race began calmly enough with all the ADCT riders starting the stage. Everything was a nice quite tempo and the action didn't heat up until the major course features. The first time up Savage Hill saw lots of action including Jim Cunningham Jr. (the race GC leader) at that point break his chain. In an impressive display of poise and athletic ability, he rejoined the field after being given a teammate's bike. After the quick Carpenter Hill descent came Chicken Coop and in a display of what was to come, Hector Colon (Stark Velo) crushed it and collected the KOM. He would go on to win 2 of 3 KOM's that day.
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After the climb and some chasing by those we were gapped off on the climb, the field became one again just after the beginning of lap 2. After the climb out of town, ADCT riders Adams, Mullins, MacDonald (who, please note, is 15 years old), Catalano, and Tandy were representing the team in the main field. Again, most of the field and all the ADCT riders who started the lap either stayed in the main field or were back on by the time the race reached town again. One truly impressive display today was that despite the terrain, heat, and difficulty, the large majority of the field could not be broken. The splintering and mass DNF's of the previous year were apparently not to be repeated. It truly was impressive that so many riders gritted this punishing course with such determination. One factor may have been the fairly easy terrain following the major climbs. A course change over last year eased the chase efforts of the gapped considerably.
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As the field approached town for the beginning of the final lap, a crucial event needed to take place. With the weather being as hot as it was, a feed needed to be executed. Without the water, finishing the race without major cramps was almost unavoidable. Nevertheless, Joanne Liolios took up the challenge in the feed zone and Jim Mullins successfully grabbed a muset bag full of bottles. With a bag full of bottles, Mullins chased on and was able to dole out the needed H2O.
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On the final ascent of the Col de Savage and Coop, the punishment of the race began to take its toll. Catalano suffered serious cramps and needed to step off the bike while Mullins, fearing that he might lock up completely, gambled that running up the Coop was a better plan than riding. Mullins, sans cycling shoes, ran the top of the Coop successfully avoiding debilitating leg cramps and chased back to with a few seconds of the field.
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Meanwhile, up the road, Adams and MacDonald remained in the field to try their hand at the finish. As the sprint wound out, Adams closed quickly on John Niccum (Hero's Foundation) who went early. Unfortunately, Adams ran out of road finishing 3rd. MacDonald finished in the field with the same time. Behind, the other the other ADCT riders rolled in to good results having displayed incredible perseverance on such a difficult course.