Race ResultsRace Held March 16, 2003| Pro 1/2/3 | Cat 3/4 | Masters | Women | Juniors | Cat 4 | Cat 5 |
| Pro 1/2/3 | Cat 3/4 | Masters | Women | Juniors Cat 4 | Cat 5 | Please send corrections to teams/names to Aki. These race reports are personal and hearsay observations by the writer. If you would like to send in race information, please do. The reports will be updated at least weekly, if not more often. Pro 123 Race Report - Like last week, the racers attacked at the gun. Heavily involved in the attacking were Matt Crane (Hot Tubes), teammates Brian Wirtz, Scott Bodin, and Morgan Stebbins (Bethel Cycle Sport), Chris Peck (77 Wheelworks), Sleepy Hollow's Robert Whalen, and Tim Unkert (Capital Velo). Gaps opened everywhere with attacks and counters going constantly. Finally, a group of ten formed off the front. Ari DeWilde (NECSA) and Mike McGinley (Hartford Hospital) made the break, as did Crane, Wirtz, Peck, Kurt Hackler (Ridgefield Bank), Bodin, Eugene Petrela (CCCF), Whalen, and Unkert. Eventually, they lapped the field. With a few laps to go, Crane and Wirtz drifted off the front, and with a bit of indecision in the group, they escaped. Unkert chased hard for a few laps but earlier efforts had zapped his legs. Up front, Crane contributed heavily to the two man break, ensuring its success. In return, Wirtz pulled to the beginning of the sprint. Crane went around him for a clear win. The remainder of the break came in shortly thereafter, with Peck barely edging Hackler for third. Bodin crossed in front of Petrela for fifth and sixth repectively. Cat 3/4 Race Report - A record 95 rider field (recount revealed 2 more racers) and warm weather led to an active and aggressive race. Although initially the field bunched up a bit, within a few laps everything strung out. About 15-20 racers attacked, trying to escape the field, including Series leader John McGovern (Bethel Cycle Sport), strongman Nelson Macy (Cafeteros), a slew of Tokeneke Road Club racers (including Chris Pile and Greg Bartick), and a slew of other racers from miscellaneous teams. The kinder wind made it impossible to stay away, and all break attempts failed. A $93 halfway prime (upped after the recount of racers) was won by number 83 (don't have the name/team yet). Graciously, he offered back the extra $20 we tossed in there, but he was told he had to keep it :) Back to the race, savy Fernando Ferreira attacked with 3 to go. Pile gave chase and the two started to pull away. Macy, with a string of strong rides here this year, gave chase. With a couple hard pulls, they gapped the field. Coming up on two to go, a crash on the backstretch scattered the field, with 1 rider taking a heavy fall. Breaking the rhythm of the chase, the field never recovered. Macy, his legs already fatigued from his 4th place Masters finish, managed third. Ferreira outsprinted Pile to take the win. Behind, John Legere (Benidorm) won a massive field sprint, edging out Kevin Haley (NJ Rock N Road - Signature Cycles) and Brian Plouffe (PRCT). M40+ Race Report - An early break containing Series leader Stephen Gray (Bethel Cycle Sport) and teammate Morgan Stebbins took off early. Nelson Macy (Cafeteros), not to miss a move like that, quickly joined up. Others in there included Charles Quackenbush (CBRC) and Michael Allaire (Kissena). They built a gap, and with riders like national silver medallist Scott Bodin (Bethel Cycle Sport) covering moves, the break stayed away. This week Stebbins took the actual win, with Gray second. Quackenbush finished third, while Macy warmed up by taking fourth in this difficult race. Allaire finished fifth of the break, and Bodin lead in the field to take sixth. Womens Race Report - We're happy to have one of the top elite women's team at Bethel: The Richard Sachs team. With an international write up like that, one would have to back up words with actions. The Richard Sachs Elite Women's team did just that by taking the top two spots in the women's race. Catherine Powers edged out last week's winner Alicia Genest for a Richard Sachs one-two. Laura Summers (WebEvent.com) finished a strong third, with her teammate Penny Buchar in fourth. Jennifer Magur (Test Pilot) took fifth, and Mary Ellen Calandrillo (NJ Rock N Road/Signature Cycles) finished sixth. Junior Race Report - A familiar name returned to the Junior race, and with it, a familiar finish. Konrad Lebas (CCB) made the trip worthwhile by winning the Junior race. Colin Coates (Coyote Hill) took a well earned second. Charles Marzot (Corner Cycle) took third and Steven Bruen (Ridgefield Bank) took fourth. Matt Sheldon placed again, in fifth, and Patrick (Coyote Hill) took sixth. Cat 4 Race Report - The Cat 4 race, like races earlier in the day, stayed together. The favorable winds (mostly felt on the first stretch) meant the racers could wind it up on the backstretch, making the hill a very short, fast effort. Breakaway efforts were doomed and the field came down to a sprint. Most active teams were Cycle Center (red on white), NJ Rock N Road/Signature Cycles (also red on white), and Bethel Cycle. NJ Rock and Road/Signature Cycles were distinctive with the "I hate Paul Levine" logo prominently displayed. A good humored cyclist and owner of Signature Cycles, Paul Levine has put his support behind a crew of good natured and enthusiastic racers. Throughout the day one could hear comments about the distinctive outfits his team wears. At any rate, their rider Humberto Cavalhiero, showing excellent form, won the field sprint. Jonathan Bavendale (Bethel Cycle Sport) finished second. Cycle Center placed Stephen Dineley in third, the first of three top-6 finishers on their team. Jeff McKay Cat 5 A Race Report - With more than 50 Cat 5's registered, the promoter, in conjunction with the officials, split the racers into two groups. The group basically stayed together and finished as a group. Ian Sinclair (SCBC Racing) won, followed by Jim Swigart (unattached). Noberto Olivera, 4th the week before, finished one position better in 3rd place. Nathan Smith (NAV) ended up in fourth, with Andrew Hollopeter (Bethel Cycle Sport) and Bruce Wells (USI) in fifth and sixth respectively. Cat 5 Race Report - The first race of the day was the first half of the Cat 5's. With the field mainly intact, the racers lined up for the sprint at the end of fast, steady race. Zachary Verltey (Skylands) took the win, with ever-present John Loughrey (Don's Cycle) in second. Alister Clarke finished third for Don's Cycle, with Maximino Veigo (Big Ring Velo) fourth and Paul Antouile (New Canaan Cylery) fifth. If you have race reports, descriptions of crashes/near crashes/exciting incidents, team reports, please contact me. I will post everything that seems half truthful on the site.
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