CCC Races In Wichita Falls - Was That An Explosion?
SAG WAGON NEWS WICHITA FALLS-It was an inauspicious beginning to an otherwise great finish for the Corinth Cycling race team on Saturday at the Hotter n Hell road race. The CCC race team consisted of Big Steamer, The Wrench, Big 12, Bianchi Ben, DC, Hollywood, Dewey Decimal, Dang it Dake and The Boss. They were competing in the 62 mile (100 kilometer) Category 5 road race which consisted of 100 registered cyclists. Upon arrival at the MPEC center in Wichita Falls, confusion reigned. The teammates followed the USCF signs to pickup race numbers and instructions but once in line were told that packet pickup had been moved to the actual race start location. After a futile attempt at trying to drive to the start location, the boys mounted their bicycles and pedaled one mile to the start (which happened to be an old topless bar) where they were handed their race numbers out of the back of a pickup. Chip timing devices were also dispensed from a golf cart. By the time Hollywood, Big Steamer and The Boss arrived back at the team car, the race start time was drawing awfully close. The Yellow Train members downed some sandwiches, threw on their team kits and departed for the start with 10 minutes to spare and absolutely no warm-up time. As they headed for the race start location, they ran smack dab into the middle of 5,000 other riders. It was about this time that a sonic boom was heard. It was not the boom from the cannon to signal the start of the endurance ride, nor was it the boom of the Air Force fly over. No, the boom was caused by the rear tube exploding on Big Steamers wheel. Oblivious to the developing Big Steamer situation, Hollywood and The Boss were navigating through a field while the Army marching band played as they tried to get back to the topless bar. Meanwhile, Big Steamer got his tube changed and began trying to fill the tube from his CO2 cartridge. As luck would have it, the CO2 malfunctioned and Big Steamers race day was over before it ever began. The rest of the team made it to the start line with less than 5 minutes to spare. The race got underway with 90 riders looking for their own small moment of glory. There was no neutral rollout to give everyone time to settle into the race. Instead, the race was on from mile one and the pace was immediately in the 20 mph range as the huge peloton headed north towards Sheppard Air Force base. Because of their late arrival, the Yellow Train was firmly implanted in the back of the group acting as the caboose. The pack flew down HWY 240 as the CCC boys struggled to make their way up to the front. Eight or so miles into the race and the Yellow Train began to find their legs. The Boss moved up on the outside into a top 10 slot with Dewey Decimal, Wrench, DID, Big 12, Hollywood and DC also carving out some space in the first 1/3 of the pack. The first attack of the day also occurred on the first climb of the day as the peloton had just made a turn north onto Hwy 369 and was heading through a rolling section of short climbs. A rider from Tuneros Turbo Racing launched the attack and dug hard up and over the climb. The peloton immediately gave chase and brought the rider back quite easily as the group blistered over the climb. The Boss happened to be on the front when the attacker was brought back and decided to give it a go. The lead riders were watching every move though and The Boss was not allowed any gap as he humbly rejoined the group. This stretch of road was one of the fas-*test*-('") sections of the race as speeds hovered around 26 – 27 mph for the next 10 miles until they reached the town of Burkburnett. The race turned east in Burkburnett and directly into the rising sun which made it difficult to see at various points. The feed zone was rapidly approaching now and was positioned on top of a hill on FM 1177. The group plowed through the feed zone with bottles flying everywhere and some brave souls actually trying to grab water from volunteers. It was chaos, but the Yellow Train steered clear and continued to chug. The next 15 or so miles were uneventful as the peloton continued to speed across the countryside with a rider or two being ejected off the back every so often. Dang it Dake, Hollywood and Dewey Decimal spent some time on the front mixing it up with the other teams who were trying to control the race. The first crash of the day came on FM 810 as the group was heading towards the finish line. The rider went down hard after overcorrecting and his rear tire began to fish tail before he finally couldn’t stay upright any longer and crashed. At this point in the race, there were less than 20 miles to the finish and things were beginning to get dicey as racers continually surged to the front. The race turned onto HWY 79 with only 10 miles left in the race. The group was pedaling along at a relatively easy 21mph when an unattached rider went flying up on the outside. The Boss immediately jumped onto his wheel and they were rolling along at 28mph as things began to get strung out. The bunch wasn’t about to let a break getaway though, and the gap was shutdown like a Chinese restaurant with a series of health code violations. Less than five miles to go now and Bianchi Ben gives it a go off the right side. He actually gets some daylight and has a five second gap for the next mile but the triathlon training just isn’t enough to hold off the rolling peloton. The race is in the city limits of Wichita Falls when the next crash occurs. This one involves several riders including our good friend Todd Gray who is a member of the Tortoise Racing Team. Although he went down extremely hard, Todd was able to get back on his back and finish the race. Dewey Decimal was also caught up in the crash and used his cross skills to keep his bike upright and rejoin the race. It was less than two miles to glory and The Boss found himself on the front of the peloton without much to do. He dreamed of having the Big Steamer with him at this point but it was not to be. With Hollywood, DC and Dake still caught up in traffic from the crash, the Boss pulled out and let the remaining teams take control. Bianchi Ben was still involved and riding strong. The bunch exploded up the Hwy 287 overpass but Hollywood used it as an opportunity to rejoin the front of the race with The Boss and Double B. One mile to the finish and speeds are up to 32 mph as the group twists and turns to the final straightaway. With their closer still out riding somewhere on the endurance route, the CCC train is derailed and disorganized. The bunch flies across the line with a Team Tortoise rider taking a very impressive second place. The official results have not been posted, but the CCC certainly held their own on this day with three racers finishing less than 20 seconds off the leader. It would have made for a very interesting race if the Big Steamer had been involved in the finish as it was setup perfectly for him. The average speed of the race was 23 mph. Be proud of your CCC race team as everyone who started crossed the finish line. Official results will be posted in this thread one they are known. Wichita Falls - 75 degrees – sunny Winds from the S at 10 mph 62 miles Avg speed 23 mph
SAG WAGON NEWS WICHITA FALLS-It was an inauspicious beginning to an otherwise great finish for the Corinth Cycling race team on Saturday at the Hotter n Hell road race. The CCC race team consisted of Big Steamer, The Wrench, Big 12, Bianchi Ben, DC, Hollywood, Dewey Decimal, Dang it Dake and The Boss. They were competing in the 62 mile (100 kilometer) Category 5 road race which consisted of 100 registered cyclists. Upon arrival at the MPEC center in Wichita Falls, confusion reigned. The teammates followed the USCF signs to pickup race numbers and instructions but once in line were told that packet pickup had been moved to the actual race start location. After a futile attempt at trying to drive to the start location, the boys mounted their bicycles and pedaled one mile to the start (which happened to be an old topless bar) where they were handed their race numbers out of the back of a pickup. Chip timing devices were also dispensed from a golf cart. By the time Hollywood, Big Steamer and The Boss arrived back at the team car, the race start time was drawing awfully close. The Yellow Train members downed some sandwiches, threw on their team kits and departed for the start with 10 minutes to spare and absolutely no warm-up time. As they headed for the race start location, they ran smack dab into the middle of 5,000 other riders. It was about this time that a sonic boom was heard. It was not the boom from the cannon to signal the start of the endurance ride, nor was it the boom of the Air Force fly over. No, the boom was caused by the rear tube exploding on Big Steamers wheel. Oblivious to the developing Big Steamer situation, Hollywood and The Boss were navigating through a field while the Army marching band played as they tried to get back to the topless bar. Meanwhile, Big Steamer got his tube changed and began trying to fill the tube from his CO2 cartridge. As luck would have it, the CO2 malfunctioned and Big Steamers race day was over before it ever began. The rest of the team made it to the start line with less than 5 minutes to spare. The race got underway with 90 riders looking for their own small moment of glory. There was no neutral rollout to give everyone time to settle into the race. Instead, the race was on from mile one and the pace was immediately in the 20 mph range as the huge peloton headed north towards Sheppard Air Force base. Because of their late arrival, the Yellow Train was firmly implanted in the back of the group acting as the caboose. The pack flew down HWY 240 as the CCC boys struggled to make their way up to the front. Eight or so miles into the race and the Yellow Train began to find their legs. The Boss moved up on the outside into a top 10 slot with Dewey Decimal, Wrench, DID, Big 12, Hollywood and DC also carving out some space in the first 1/3 of the pack. The first attack of the day also occurred on the first climb of the day as the peloton had just made a turn north onto Hwy 369 and was heading through a rolling section of short climbs. A rider from Tuneros Turbo Racing launched the attack and dug hard up and over the climb. The peloton immediately gave chase and brought the rider back quite easily as the group blistered over the climb. The Boss happened to be on the front when the attacker was brought back and decided to give it a go. The lead riders were watching every move though and The Boss was not allowed any gap as he humbly rejoined the group. This stretch of road was one of the fas-*test*-('") sections of the race as speeds hovered around 26 – 27 mph for the next 10 miles until they reached the town of Burkburnett. The race turned east in Burkburnett and directly into the rising sun which made it difficult to see at various points. The feed zone was rapidly approaching now and was positioned on top of a hill on FM 1177. The group plowed through the feed zone with bottles flying everywhere and some brave souls actually trying to grab water from volunteers. It was chaos, but the Yellow Train steered clear and continued to chug. The next 15 or so miles were uneventful as the peloton continued to speed across the countryside with a rider or two being ejected off the back every so often. Dang it Dake, Hollywood and Dewey Decimal spent some time on the front mixing it up with the other teams who were trying to control the race. The first crash of the day came on FM 810 as the group was heading towards the finish line. The rider went down hard after overcorrecting and his rear tire began to fish tail before he finally couldn’t stay upright any longer and crashed. At this point in the race, there were less than 20 miles to the finish and things were beginning to get dicey as racers continually surged to the front. The race turned onto HWY 79 with only 10 miles left in the race. The group was pedaling along at a relatively easy 21mph when an unattached rider went flying up on the outside. The Boss immediately jumped onto his wheel and they were rolling along at 28mph as things began to get strung out. The bunch wasn’t about to let a break getaway though, and the gap was shutdown like a Chinese restaurant with a series of health code violations. Less than five miles to go now and Bianchi Ben gives it a go off the right side. He actually gets some daylight and has a five second gap for the next mile but the triathlon training just isn’t enough to hold off the rolling peloton. The race is in the city limits of Wichita Falls when the next crash occurs. This one involves several riders including our good friend Todd Gray who is a member of the Tortoise Racing Team. Although he went down extremely hard, Todd was able to get back on his back and finish the race. Dewey Decimal was also caught up in the crash and used his cross skills to keep his bike upright and rejoin the race. It was less than two miles to glory and The Boss found himself on the front of the peloton without much to do. He dreamed of having the Big Steamer with him at this point but it was not to be. With Hollywood, DC and Dake still caught up in traffic from the crash, the Boss pulled out and let the remaining teams take control. Bianchi Ben was still involved and riding strong. The bunch exploded up the Hwy 287 overpass but Hollywood used it as an opportunity to rejoin the front of the race with The Boss and Double B. One mile to the finish and speeds are up to 32 mph as the group twists and turns to the final straightaway. With their closer still out riding somewhere on the endurance route, the CCC train is derailed and disorganized. The bunch flies across the line with a Team Tortoise rider taking a very impressive second place. The official results have not been posted, but the CCC certainly held their own on this day with three racers finishing less than 20 seconds off the leader. It would have made for a very interesting race if the Big Steamer had been involved in the finish as it was setup perfectly for him. The average speed of the race was 23 mph. Be proud of your CCC race team as everyone who started crossed the finish line. Official results will be posted in this thread one they are known. Wichita Falls - 75 degrees – sunny Winds from the S at 10 mph 62 miles Avg speed 23 mph