Penn State, April 2-3, 2005


Assertion: Yale riders are tough.  Tougher than monsoons, snowstorms, 
and mid-ITT 30 mph gusts.  Proof: the Penn State weekend.


TTT
Amidst continuous downpours on Saturday morning, hardy Yale riders put 
out a great effort and had notable races on the 3.7 mile, 6-corner 
rolling loop.  Most of our men catted up for the morning TTTs, and 
demonstrated great teamwork.  Spooky, Pete, Franco, and James kicked 
off Yale's racing in the MC TTT; Spooky, Pete, and Franco were the 
three finishing wheels.  A-Women Catherine, Michele "Flagellator," and 
Kim then sped off.  Speed demons Cat and Michele roared around the 
course and posted a stellar third place finish, over ten seconds ahead 
of fourth-place Dartmouth.  Adam and Steve-O, Stefan, and Tebbe (three 
eager B-men) then closed out the ITT in a close MA race, and finished 
mere seconds out of the points.


Circuit (same course as the TTT)
A few hours later, the rain abated, and Yale's riders gamely left the 
sturdy team tent (best in the league!) for more racing.  D-Men Franco 
and race newbie James proved that Yale riders simply don't quit: both 
of them finished their four-lap race while 20% of their pack DNFed.  C-
Men Spooky and Pete were also on the course for their six-lap race.  
After their superb morning TTT efforts, both of them sat comfortably in 
the main pack, and for the final uphill sprint, Spooky correctly 
anticipated that the whole pack would swing left.  Always the maverick, 
he sped up the right side and grabbed seventh place.  Pete was close 
behind in a strong 18th place.  Then, WA trio Catherine, Michele, and 
Kim discovered their 10-lap race was cut to 6 because of impending 
thunderstorms.  The three of them pulled out all the stops and each 
grabbed a share of points: Catherine put out a huge effort and finished 
with the front pack in 10th, while Michele and Kim came in 13th and 
17th, respectively.  MB and MA then dominated their races.  B-squad 
Steve-O, Brooke, Tebbe, and Ryan Quadri controlled their pack 
throughout their eight-lap effort.  Steve-O maintained position in the 
top three wheels for the first half, went with a midrace break group 
that was ahead of the pack for a lap, and though boxed out of top 
contention, came through the pack sprint in a solid 20th place.  
Brooke, the team's superman of the day, stormed through the last three 
laps at the head of the B field.  His mighty effort shelled riders off 
the pack, and in the final sprint, their vengeful teammates conspired 
and pushed him off the road.  Despite his cartwheel finish through the 
mud and over the orange cone, Brooke snatched SEVENTH place.  
Unfortunately, his heroics earned him a separated shoulder and arm 
sling.  Ryan Quadri also stuck with the fast-moving pack and came in 
32nd; strongman Matt Tebbe dropped his chain but still chased for most 
of the race before pulling out.  A-man Adam had an equally vigorous 
race in which he sat in the front of the pack, chased down breaks, and 
came through the sprint in 15th place.


ITT
Spirits were high despite the lusty flurries and northeasters during 
Sunday's ITT.  Why?  Because unlike all the other ECCC riders, Yalies 
had clean, dry unis.  Unfortunately, their chance to showcase them over 
a 5.5 mi uphill course was cut short: due to inclement weather the 
course was abbreviated to a 2.5 mi false flat.  Undaunted, Yale riders 
tackled the wind and snow.  Notable rides: Spooky's 3rd place in the C 
field was so speedy (7:54.66) he would have taken 10th in B's and 
finished midpack in A's.  B-men Tebbe (7:52.51) and Steve-O (8:02.49) 
took 6th and 16th, respectively, and were both in the points.  A-Women 
Michele (7th), Catherine (11) and Kim (19) all racked up points in 
their field, and hotshot Adam turned in the fastest Yale time of the 
day (7:41.20) for 12th place in Men's A.


Throughout the weekend Yale riders proved their mettle and continue to 
improve Yale's standings in DII.  Special thanks to Adam's and Tebbe's 
parents, who faithfully cheered through all the crazy weather.


Finally, another belated congrats, this time to Jacob Hacker, who 
recently WON the Pro 1/2 crit in the Bethel training series.


Weekend quotables:
"Um…excuse me…yeah, we were wondering if we could get some…um…
silverware?" ­ Yale Cycling Team
"You have to WAIT!!" ­ excessively surly waitress (ask Spooky or Brooke 
for details)
(at the same rest-stop diner:)
"So, do you drive trucks?" ­ sketchy haggard guy to Steve-O in the loo
"Just put some ice on it." ­ bungling official to Brooke after the RR