Edgar Soto wrap-up

There are few more exciting ways for a cyclist to spend a weekend than a stage race. The typical stage race has at least one race of each road discipline -- time trial, criterium, road race -- and the stakes rise with each one. By the final race, teams will be throwing all their firepower behind their highest-placed rider in the hopes of securing a top spot in the general classification.

Most stage races are omnium races, in which the overall classification is determined by placings: n points for first, n-1 points for second, and so on. Rarer for the amateur but twice as exciting is a timed stage race, in which actual racing time determines the overall standings, just like in the professional stage races we see on TV -- or that we would see on TV if we lived in Belgium.

A handful of local racers jumped at the opportunity for a timed stage race and drove eight hours to Tennessee over Memorial Day weekend for the Edgar Soto Memorial Stage Race: a time trial on Friday followed by a circuit race, a criterium and a grueling, hilly road race finale that created time separations galore.

Jason Schisler (VisionQuest) was the top local finisher, getting 8th overall in the 3's after getting 4th in the all-important Stage 1 time trial. Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest) and Jason Knauff (TCBM) rebounded from tough time trials and steadily improved their GC standings, respectively ending up 19th and 20th overall.

In the 4's, Tim Hermanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) had three strong finishes under his belt heading into Stage 4, but mechanical issues -- and surely not biomechanical issues -- cost him valuable time and he ended the weekend in 15th place, one out of the money.

The Anderson Mayor's Cup, an omnium series near Indianapolis, was postponed in April but has not yet been rescheduled. Other than that, the only stage race close to Chicago will be ABD's Fall Fling, a two-weekend series in October. It's an excellent target for riders who have only recently started their training, and it's a fun way to end the season.

Full results.

Race reports:
Julian Baumgartner (Team Clif Bar Midwest; 3): "As the grade increased so too did the pace. The screws wound tighter and the gears shifted up. The water started to shimmer and the bacon began to dance. And then after 74 miles of waiting, a corner was rounded and the race began."

Nathan Goates (Faulkner Honda; 3): "on a turn in the final lap I was hit from the inside and sent sailing towards the outside curb leaving rubber and heal plastic on the road in my wake."

Tim Hermanas (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 4): "I slowly shifted into a lower gear and watched the pack with the yellow jersey ride away."

Mark Swartzendruber (Delta Faucet; 30+): "I spent the crit moving through the field, which contained more than the normal share of completely terrified riders, and finished safely in the front bunch as a couple of crashes resulting in more broken bones (IDIOTS!) from guys trying to move up from 60th to 55th place separated the group on the last lap."

Photos:
Jay Levy

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