Race Results2005 Tour de Kirche| 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 | These race reports are personal and hearsay observations by the writer. If you would like to send in race information, please do. If you think there should be more said in a report, send in some comments. If you think a report is wrong, let me know. The reports will be updated at least weekly, if not more often. Pro 123 Race Report - With a miniscule field (15 racers) it looked to be a tough race with no place to hide. To top it off another Nerac pro Ari De Wilde showed up. At least the wind was missing and the snow had stopped. But it was still cold enough that when racers stopped, their outfits exuded steam... At the start, an aggresive Tim Unkert (McLagan/Fastar) launched a series of leg-warming attacks - three on the first lap alone. A counter by Aki Sato (Carpe Diem Racing) only served to take him out of the race while instigating some counters. Shortly thereafter, with CVC riding strongly for leader Mike McGinley, they lauched team member Ron Fantano with Kyle Wolf (Mechanical Services). They quickly gained 30 seconds. The rider to launch the chase was McKenzie Dickey (Bicycle Alley), the sole woman in the race. A world class 'cross rider, she lingered between the break and the small field until a counter containing McGinley, De Wilde, and Chris Pile (Remax) bridged to her. They went on to catch the break although Dickey dropped off. The five in front eventually lapped the field. In the sprint Fantano led out for McGinley but Wolfe managed to beat him to the line. McGinley's second kept him in the lead overall. De Wilde, after a series of withering attacks in the last three laps, had to settle for third. Pile finished fourth and Fantano rolled in fifth. A revitalized Unkert took the final points spot for sixth. Cat 3/4 Race Report - Less than thirty racers lined up for a bone-chilling race in cold and wet conditions. With defending champion Morgan Stebbins (McLagan/Fastar), second overall John Morales (Cafeteros), and both of them sporting numerous teammates, the race promised to be tough. Cafeteros took the initiative with a series of attacks in the first few laps. Expending precious energy chasing down the attacks, the field paused to catch its breath when Cafeteros racer Oscar Osario rolled off the front. Everyone watched him ride away but then Trailblazer-CCCC send a duo of riders up the road with Stebbin's teammate, break expert Fernando Ferreira (McLagan/Fastar), and strongman Brian Lauler (GS Park Ridge). Ferreira, clearly one of the stronger racers in the break, would take long pulls everytime the break's lead seemed to droop. In the field, few teams chased. With Cafeteros somewhat trapped in their need to help Morales while hoping for a good place from breakway Osario, they couldn't work hard except to counter moves. McLagan/Fastar, with leader Stebbins in the group, couln't chase their man Ferreira. A motley of other teams, including TriState Velo, Carpe Diem Racing for fourth overall Aki Sato, and Bethel Cycle would try and instigate chases but were foiled by the attentive defending teams. Finally Stephen Gray (Bethel Cycle) launched a move, shadowed by a defending Trailblazer-CCCC racer. After a couple dicey laps, the duo were clear, and the Trailblazer-CCCC rider proceeded to put his head down and hammer. Incredibly they bridged a 40 second gap, mixing up the equation up front. Ferreira, testing his break companions' legs, launched a few exploratory attacks, but the break came down to a group sprint. Again Ferreira launched hard but broke a cleat. He would roll in behind the rest in seventh. Lauler launched his trademark sprint to take the win. Osario, after spending all day in the break, got second. Trailblazer-CCCC put three riders in the break and three riders in the points - Scott Glenney in third, Tom Arcari in fifth, and Cat 4 standout Jeffrey Von Dauber. Gray split up the trio by taking fourth. M40+ Race Report - With conditions still cold and wet, the M/W/Jr race stayed together except for an attack Greg Pelican (Bethel Cycle). Tagging along for the workout was Cafeteros Junior Pascual Caputi. Overall leader Morgan Stebbins (MNF/Fastar) bridged a one minute gap to seal the break. The trio took a huge lead over a field more concerned with staying warm than chasing down the untouchable Stebbins. In the sprint, Stebbins took the win over Pelican. The field sprint was taken by Stebbin's teammate Scott Bodin with Jim Escobar (Honeywell Cycling) taking fourth. Jon Furminger (HVVC) took fifth and Stephen Gray (Bethel Cycle Sport) took sixth. Womens Race Report - Mixed in the M/W/J racing were three women determined to earn points for the overall. Dale Malkames (USI) took a strong win with Nancy Ford (Spin Ho's) just behind for second. Malkames's teammate Gloria Deucher made it two out of three for USI. Junior Race Report - The lone entry, Pascual Caputi (Cafeteros) could have taken it easy and sat in the field. Instead, he went on the attack, sprinting for a prime. An M40+ racer, Greg Pelican, attacked the field and Caputi jumped on his wheel. Once another M40+ bridged (Stebbins) the trio worked to stay the gap. At the end, with the M40's fighting for the finish, the hardworking Caputi sat up at the finish. A well ridden race by a racer we'll be sure to see more of. Cat 4 Race Report - Although conditions for the 4's improved marginally over the 5's, it was still a cold, wet race. With temperatures just at freezing some of the snow cover on the ground started to back off. The racing quickly heated things up though as riders started launching attacks. At the end a strong performance by Trailblazer-CCCC put two of their riders in the top three, with Jeffrey Von Dauber taking another win to match the one from last week, and Peter Morgan taking third to move up to second overall. Brendan Cornett (Rainbow Bike) did an excellent sprint to take second. Hunter Pronovost (GS Europeo) took fourth while Anthony Billard (Capital Velo Club) finished fifth. Carlos Quitero added to his points tally by taking the final point available in sixth. Cat 5 Race Report - The day dawned the day for flahutes - the hard men of the low lands in Europe, those tough pros that thrive in cold, wet, and rough conditions. Well this year's new generation of racers showed how it's done by racing in sub-freezing temperatures through hail heavy enough to coat the sand and grass nearby. The racers resembled the Saturn rocket launches as they shed ice off their helmets, frames, and wheels after the race. Bouncing a bike results in pieces of ice flying off. In these conditions the races were more focused on survival and less on team tactics. In the first race Ryan Haug (Bethel Cycle Sport) won after a spectacular two lap solo, his team offering strong support in these tough conditions. Jay Dailey (Northeast Bicycles) gathered up more points in second with his teammate Victor Jerez in fourth. Douglas Schwartz (Tokeneke Road Club) showed the signs of a resurgence of this team in third place. Unattached racers Scott Struve and Joseph Regan brought in fifth and sixth respectively, finishing off what should be considered a race to be remembered. In the second race new faces made their presence known with Andrew Toplyn (Unattached) taking a victory here. Derek Dudek (Trailblazer-CCCC), another new face in the places, took second. Bethel Cycle Sport, their impetus dulled a bit by the cold and by a close call just before the sprint, still put their best racers in the points with Andrew Hackel in third and Frank Dally in fifth. They now lead the overall in first and second. Two unattached racers, Guy Zerega and Robert Marcinko, split the Bethel racers in fourth and sixth.
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