The Big Boys Prevail at Birchwood

Strung out at the finish

Compliments of Emily

4 times up Nason Hill

The Square Lake course is supposed to be a climber's course right? Not this year, thanks to strongman Dale Sedgwick. Dale closed down a huge gap that Coyle and Maxwell gained on the last climb, setting up Pete Hanna for the win. The top 3 are all guys who weigh 190+lbs.

We ended up with nice weather, minus a very quick shower, and threatening skies. The first lap was pretty subdued, with a couple guys getting a gap on the backside. I bridged across, but didn't empty the tank too much, knowing the field would reel us back in on the climb. Hanna won the hill prime for the coffee, and then we regrouped.

The 2nd and 3rd laps were more of the same. Johnson attacked several times solo, and others tried as well, but there was too much horsepower in the field for anything to stick. It was obvious the last lap was going to be tough, especially the final climb.

On the backside of the final lap, Johnson and Sedgwick got away. The field chased hard led by Jim Bell, Matt Muyres, and the GSCA crew. They held their gap into the base of the climb, but not by much.

At the base of the climb, Ray Coyle and Pete Maxwell attacked hard, bridged to Johnson and Sedgwick, and then went through them. When the front of the field reached them, Hanna asked if Sedgwick still had enough to get Maxwell and Coyle back. Somehow, Dale dug deep, and pulled 8 of us over the top of the climb, down the hill, and made contact with the front 2 just after the left turn to the finish. Dang!

Sedgwick peeled off after his superhuman effort, leaving 10 of us to contest the finish, with Ed Alpasa there to continue to help Hanna. I sat 5th wheel behind Johnson ready for the sprint to open up. Hanna jumped early, and caught us a bit off guard. Johnson jumped through a hold that closed on me, forcing me to regroup and switch to the opposite side. I was sitting 6th after the switch, and I could see Hanna leading, followed by Johnson, then Muyres. I was able to get over Muyres, but not Hanna and Johnson. Awesome racing, especially the last lap.

Jordan won the Juniors U15, including the hill prime. See his blog for a recap of his race.