With beautiful Saturday conditions the Trek Midwest Team CAT 3 squad was anxious to get the first race started. Kamphius, Ganju, and Bailey were on hand to witness a stacked field of IS Corp riders; a closer look revealed they were mostly Junior Riders though that wouldn't stop the attacks from coming. Prior to start, TMT agreed to keep our noses clean and stay upright through the finish on what can be a accident prone last corner. Doing our fair share of chasing IS Corp riders who sent out regular attacks, our boys in black rode smart letting other riders do the hard pulls and take the wind on. Headed into the final straightaway before the "infamous last turn" Bailey followed a good wheel up the final hill with Kamphuis right on his wheel. Sitting in decent position for the sprint Bailey grabbed 6th at the line while Kamphius stayed strong for 8th. Ganju, who had worked hard to cover a few late breaks, had less than great position into the turn and settled further back. All agreed it was a very smart and productive race with all members communicating and reading each other well.
Sunday saw the traditional WCA start, The Great Dane, with scorching temps, winds 20-35 mph, and a threat of severe weather. Kamphuis and Bailey were happy to have Bice join the efforts after driving straight for a TT in Illinois (never asked him if he TT'd in from IL?). The field appeared stronger on Sunday as several strong riders absent on Saturday were present. Team Wisconsin, in particular, was represented by a well stacked group of new members. The 3 TMT men agreed that we would not follow anything but the most serious of attacks, let others fight the wind, and again try to stay out of trouble. Team Wisconsin wasted no time in sending a man off the front who was joined by another solo rider. The peloton responded with speed and effort but no serious launch was given that early into the race. TMT did their share of work in the front helping to pull back the break after around 6 laps.
The remainder of the race was typical of Great Dane: hard up the hills, cautious into the wind, jostle for position into the final cornor. Bice launched into a break of 5 men with around 6 to go but eventually the group was caught by mostly Team Wisconsin's effort. With 3 to go Bailey was separated from Bice and Kamphuis who were near the front but worked back to them right where it counted - atop the last hill and into the final wined-up for the line. Yelling GO Bice drilled the front with Kamphuis and Bailey tucked in nicely behind: A textbook picture of lead-out technique! Getting pinched in the inside of final corner, and suffering from the last stretch effort, the group slowed through the critical final turn and had to settle for a top 7th spot on the day.
All were in agreement that for a 1st weekend the results, and more importantly, the team communication and synergy was excellent. All agreed that for early season legs we felt great and know that we all were not close to potential speed or power yet. Special thanks to our fans, our sponsors, and Focal Flame for the support on the day. We're proud to ride our best because of you.
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