2009 Circuit de Francis J Clarke Results

Reports will be coming up in the next day or so. Check back because there are a lot of stories.

Cat 5s: tons of confusion surrounded the start as the first fifty racers would race the second race. The promoter (me) didn't help matters by getting the words "first" and "second" mixed up, i.e. "Yeah, you're in the first race" to someone in the second race. Ultimately it all worked out, with those not interested in fighting the overall contenders racing what would be a true training race. The riders launched attack after attack, with no regard to any secondary (or primary) result, just driving the pace and seeing what happened. At the end David Burns (Bethel Cycle) took a hard earned win. Max Caspecha (Target Training) followed in second, with Christopher Kiss (Laurel Bicycle Club) in third. Kurt von Holzhausen finished fourth, with Kiss's teammate Andrew Lawson in fifth. Frank Navone (Target Training) made it two for his team by taking sixth.

The second race lined up with a sizeable field (yet to be calculated). The tall Seamus Powell (Devo/windam mountain outfitters) started in the Leader's Jersey, and appeared both confident and nervous. Confident because he went to the front right away, nervous because, well, he went to the front right away. A lot of pace making didn't make things easy for anyone, but he expended a lot of energy during the race.

But, incredibly, with two laps to go, he launched a furious attack up the hill, riding clear of the field. A few seconds hesitation and Evan Thomas rode off after him. The two linked up, but Thomas could not respond to Powell's sprint. Powell won in grand style, in the Leader's Jersey, with Thomas a tired but happy second. A short time later the field came sprinting across the line, led in by Kyle Herlihy (Connecticut Coast Cycling). Samuel Hornberger (Gotham Bikes) took fourth, Hernan Tola (Cafeteros) fifth, Ray Prybylski (Yorktown Cycles/ Tarmac Cycling), and Thomas Thornton (Target Training) finished 7th and took the last points place.

Overall it was Powell defending his overall lead, with Hornberger in second and Thomas in third.

Cat 4s: This race saw the first of the "Promoter's Neutral Support Service" (PNSS) utilized when a rider arrived having forgotten his helmet. The promoter, with three helmets on hand, lent the rider his primary cool weather helmet. The rider, it should be noted, finished the race safely and returned said helmet.

With the PNSS note out of the way, we can get to the racing. Fast and Furious Guido Wollmann (Unattached) launched a series of attacks, trying to isolate leader Brian Kelley (Pawling Cycle & Sport). After 10 laps of attacking, the net result? One field, with a lot of tired legs. Wollmann hid in the field and tried to recover for the finale. John O'Fallon (Connecticut Coast Cycling), another overall contender, monitored the front with his teammates, but Pawling Cycle & Sport effectively controlled the field.

Jeffrey Weaver (The Devil's Gear) celebrated his recent upgrade to Cat 4s by launching a serious bid for victory in his first Cat 4 race. With the field watching each other, his attack succeeded, and he crossed the line in his first Cat 4 race in first place.

Kelley rocked the field sprint and secured his overall, with O'Fallon second in the sprint and third in the race. Brett Walker (Hammer) finished fourth, with Kelley's teammate Lee Davis taking fifth. Wollmann hung on for sixth, and Pedro Sanchez (DC Racing) took the last points spot in seventh.

Brian Kelley won the overall in a commanding fashion, followed by Wollmann and O'Fallon. Kelley's team, Pawling Cycle & Sport, won the team overall.

Womens: The PNSS factor came into play for the Women's race. Margaret Shirley (CRCA/Radical Media) arrived with a non-functioning bike. She needed a bike to defend her slim lead in the overall, and managed to get ahold of a complete bike through PNSS, in this case the promoter's "mushy" Giant TCR, a bike that had been relegated to the backup bike. She slammed the seat back, bumped it up a bunch, and swapped the pedals on it.

She then promptly won the race. And the overall. And her team won the team trophy.

After I told about a bazillion people about it, someone finally commented on the feat. A friendly rival Cat 3 looked at me and pointed out, "Well, it seems the equipment works fine."

Doh. So much for my "the bike is mushy" thing.

Too, the whole cranklength thing. She could use 175s no problem, instead of her normal 170s. And my "I can't believe how tiny your handlebars are" crit bars. Hm.

The PNSS factor also played a factor for third placed Ann Marie Miller (CRCA/Sanchez Houlihan-Lokey), who ended up second overall. She flatted a front wheel on the way to the race (she takes the train from NYC), and, with the whole backup bike already claimed by Shirley, the PNSS could only offer up the third backup wheel, a Zipp 440 laced onto a Campy Nuovo/Super Record front hub. The PNSS mechanic (the promoter) had to true the wheel (some spokes needed "touching"), and Miller went out and test rode the wheel into third place in the race.

So the score for PNSS equipment - one field finish, a win and a third, an overall win and second, and a team trophy. Wow.

Evelyn Stevens (CRCA/Radical Media) took a fine second on the day, and Andrea Myers (CRCA/Comedy Central-Sid's Bikes) took fourth. Amanda Braverman (TeaNY) finished fifth, with Shirley's CRCA/Radical Media teammate Cecelia Pleva in sixth. Myer's teammate Lisa Force took the last point in seventh.

Masters 40+: A wild and crazy race saw racers launch uncountable attacks, chases, bridges, and all around field shredding efforts. Ultimately, in the end, the powerhouse Bethel Cycle team, obviously targeting this race from Day One, took the day's win, second, and almost managed a total sweep of the podium with first, second, and fourth. Their strongman Stephen Gray defended the jersey in a most difficult race, and their wild card Eric Pearce took the win (and thereby finished second overall) with an impressive solo effort.

Teammates Abdul Kabia and Scott Bodin (Target Training) took third and fourth in the race, shutting Bethel Cycle's Rick Magee from earning the point necessary to step up to the podium. His fifth place let him take fourth overall.

Ian Farrar (CRCA) made his customary appearance at the Series and his customary appearance in the finishes by taking sixth, and Bethel Cycle's Chris DiMattio took the final point up for grabs in seventh.

Bethel Cycle dominated the team standings and took home yet another M40 team trophy.

Cat 3-4s: As usual the 3-4 race came down to a duel between the sprinters and the non-sprinters. The CRCA/Jonathan Adler team showed up in force, bringing a bunch of team riders as well as CRCA sub-team allies. Their mission - to force the pace, shell the sprinters, and launch their own off the front.

Defending leader Gray (he of the M40 race) had ridden a conservative M40 race to save some legs for what would be a fast and aggressive race. He had a strong team to assist him as well, and they monitored the front. Aki Sato (Connecticut Coast Cycling) had a few teammates as well as a couple friendly allies, and they, too, monitored the front.

The race ended up a series of searing attacks launched by various Adler riders, with Bethel Cycle and Connecticut Coast Cycling riders chasing furiously. With a few laps to go the field was all together, and it looked like it would be a field sprint, an ideal situation for Sato. However, Adler's Kyle Peppo launched a final attack, and when the field took a short breather, he was gone. In the mad dash for the finish two Target Training teammates tried to go off the front, but the fast leadout swallowed them up on the last lap.

In the end, behind the powerful Peppo, Bryan Haas (IRS Medic) took the field sprint, ahead of a desperate Sato. David Kim (Christian Cycling), having ridden the whole series with no team support, took fourth, finishing fourth in the overall. Peppo's teammate Anthony Slokar took fifth, and a tiring Gray took sixth and two crucial points. Kevin Yarde (NCC/Bikereg) took the final point in seventh.

The overall was close, with Gray finishing one point clear of Peppo and Sato. Peppo, by virtue of his better finish on the last day, took second, and Sato finished third. The Jonathan Adler team took the team trophy home.

P123: A wowser of a race, it seemed totally strung out the whole day. Many of the "two-racers", i.e. the ones on their second race, not the Cat 2s, came off in clumps as the fresh strong 1s and 2s drilled it from the gun. Target Training, with the overall leader Eneas Freyre, brought out some guns to help control the field.

A few other teams were well represented - IRS Medic, with their new look and new recruits, including Bethel Series perennial Mike McGinley and his lieutnant Ron Fantano; and Connecticut Coast Cycling with their main rider Peter Hurst. Some strong individuals helped shape the races too, among them Brian Borgia (CRCA/Rapha Racing) and John Funk (Cycle Fitness).

A group finally made it clear, with all the favorites in it, but with three to go, Freyre ripped the break apart with a vicious attack. Only McGinley, Hurst, and Borgia could follow, and in the end, McGinley won the sprint handily. Freyre took second, wrapping up the overall. Hurst trailed in third, with Borgia in fourth.

The rest of the finishers straggled in as the remaining groups all disintegrated in the final hectic laps. Christopher Fisher (Priority Health) tok fifth, with Funk following close behind in sixth. Matthew Baldwin took the final point available in seventh.

Freyre wrapped up the overall, and his team Target Training took the team trophy. McGinley's one place in the Series was a good one - he got second overall. Borgia's consistent finishes earned him the third spot on the podium.

Cat 5 Race 1 Name Team
1 David Burns Bethel Cycle
2 max Caspecha Target Training
3 Christopher Kiss Laurel Bicycle Club
4 Kurt von Holzhausen n/a
5 Andrew Lawson Laurel Bicycle Club
6 FRANK Navone Target Training
7 Brad Hardy Target Training
8 Jonathan Tarbox Delta Surveying
9 Brooks Rorke Laurel Bike Club
10 John Ercolani CFCC
11 Gessy Barbosa Unattached
12 Chip Welsh Bethel Cycle
13 David Spadaro Unattached


Cat 5 Race 2 Name Team
1 Seamus Powell
2 Evan Thomas
3 Kyle Herlihy Connecticut Coast Cycling
4 samuel Hornberger Gotham Bikes
5 Harnan Tola Cefeteros Cycling
6 Ray Prybylski Yorktown Cycles/ Tarmac Cycling
7 Thomas Thornton Target Training
8 Greeg Giddes Connecticut Coast Cycling
9 Justin Henderson White Mountain Velo
10 Jerome Jousse Unattached
11 Timothy Inall Bethel Cycle
12 Gary Quin;lin Unattached
13 Tom Krol Unattached
14 FRANK O'REILLY Unattached
15 Reid Evans
16 JeanMarie Bergeal Unattached
17 Andrew Kaplan Targetraining
18 Paul Lapin Unattached
19 Eric Policarpio Bikers Edge
20 Henry Chan Pawling Cycle & Sports


Cat 4 Name Team
1 jeffrey weaver The Devils Gear
2 Brian Kelley Pawling Cycle and sport
3 John O'Fallon Connecticut Coast Cycling
4 Brett walker Hammer
5 Lee Davis Pawling Cycle and sport
6 Guido Wollmann Unattached
7 Pedro Sanchez DC Racing
8 David Bailey Target Training
9 Stephen Lindholm CRCA/Sanchez-Houlihan Lokey
10 Justin Tyberg Bethel Cycle
11 eugene doherty Team DC Racing
12 Steven Suto Bethel Cycle
13 Jay Vincent Cycle Center Racing
14 Steven Levine Tarmac Cycling yorktown cycle
15 Roger bilharz Hudson valley Velo Club
16 Aleksey Ursov Propeller racing
17 Bob Ludecke Laurel Bicycle Club
18 Michael Dimson Yorktown Cycles/Tarmac Cycling
19 Kurt Weber Bethel Cycle
20 Roland Merk Zephyr Cycling


Women Name Team
1 Margaret Shirley CRCA
2 Evelyn Stevens CRCA/Radical Media
3 Ann Miller CRCA/Sanchez Houlihan-Linkey
4 Andrea Myers CRCA/Comedy Central-Sid's Bikes
5 Amanda C Braverman CRCA/Teany
6 cecelia Pleva Radical Media
7 Lisa Force CRCA/Comedy Central-Sid's Bikes
8 Nancy Ford USI
9 Katherine Papillon-Rodrigue Williams Cycling
10 Sarah Sauvayre CRCA/Comedy Central-Sid's Bikes
11 Colleen Conway Teany/CRCA
12 Cheryl Wolf Bethel Cycle
13 Mimi Boyle Unattached
14 rebecca Blatt Team Kenda
15 Beth Seman Williamscycling
16 Joanne Ross Stage 1 Cycling
17 Laura Summers Horst Benidorm PRC Cycling Team
18 Megan Searfoss Bethel Cycle Sport
19 Xieyue Fan Sanchez Howlinan lokey
20 Corinne Karmiel CRCA/Comedy Central-Sid's Bikes


Masters 40+ Name Team
1 Eric pearce BetheL CYCLE SPORT
2 Stephen Gray BETHEL CYCLE SPORT
3 Abdul Kabia TarGETRAINING
4 Scott Bodin TARGETRAINING
5 Rick Magee Bethel Cycle
6 Ian Farrar CRCA
7 Christopher DiMattio Bethel Sport CLub
8 Jim Escobar Honeywell Cycling
9 Turgut Balikci CTS
10 Matthew Snow Unattached
11 Ricardo Hernandez Cafeteros Cycling Club
12 Rick Spear TARGETRAINING
13 Martin Hodge Stage 1 / fusionTHINK
14 Patrick Cunningham WilliamsCycling
15 Thomas Toal TARGETRAINING
16 Alvaro Betancur Cafeteros Cycling Club
17 Kevin Fitzmaurice Zephyr Cycling Team
18 Morris Sachs Cafeteros Cycling Club
19 Patrick Littlefield CRCA/FGX Racing
20 David Parker DKNY


Cat 3/4 Name Team
1 Kyle Peppo Jonathan Alder Racing
2 Bryan Haas IRS Medic
3 Akira Sato Connecticut Coast Cycle
4 David Kim Christian Cycling
5 Antony Slokar CRCA/Jonathan Adler Racing
6 Stephen Gray BETHEL CYCLE SPORT
7 Kevin Yarde NCC/BikeReg
8 hammean Walker Major Taylor Iron Riders
9 Esteban Sequera CVC/Subaru of New England
10 Andrew Nasca Bikeway
11 Rishabh Phukan Cardinal Velo
12 John Moralles Cafeteros Cycling Club
13 Jim Escobar Honeywell Cycling
14 Scoot Glenney CCCC-IRSMedic
15 Sam Dodge Stage 1/fusion THINK
16 Rick Magee Bethel Cycle
17 Ian Farrar CRCA
18 Douglass Crane Cafeteros Cycling Club
19 Matthew Snow Unattached
20 Timothy Durrin Unattached



Pro/1/2/3 Name Team
1 Michael McGinley CCCC-IRSMedic
2 Eneas Freyre TARGETRAINING
3 Peter Hurst Connecticut Coast Cycle
4 Bryan Borgia CRCA/ Rapha Racing
5 Christopher Fisher Priority Health
6 John Funk Cycle Fitness
7 matthew Baldwin TargetTraning
8 Barry Miller MikeFraysseSports.Com
9 Kyle Wolfe CCC Keltic Construction / Zane's Cycles
10 Anthony Alessio Stage 1 / FusionTHINK
11 Ronald Fantano CCCC-IRSMedic
12 Edward Angeli TARGETRAINING
13 hunter pronovost CCNS - Cheshire Cycle
14 Reed Albergotti Jonathan Alder Racing
15 Gregory Olsen Jonathan Alder Racing
16 Anthony Santomassimo Stage 1 / FusionTHINK
17 Chad Dalles Bethel Cycle
18 Joshua Friedman CCNS - Cheshire Cycle
19 Austin Moran Confabricate.com
20 Esteban Sequera CVC/Subaru of New England