Photo by Luke Seemann

I just spent two more super days in Wisconsin taking in Tuesday’s Whitnall Park Road Race, a nice 2.3-mile closed circuit in a botanical garden, and today’s MGA Proving Grounds Road Race, a rolling course with a dodgy finish. I raced a little but watched a lot more. Among the highlights:

• » There hadn’t been a lot of major pros showing for the first four days of Superweek — pretty much just Karl Menzies (Health Net) and a handful of Colavita riders — but that changed when the two imposing Escalades of Rock Racing rolled into Hales Corner, Wis., for the Whitnall Park race. (Rock Racing tried to enter 11 riders, including star sprinters Rahsaan Bahati and elite national criterium champion Kayle Leogrande. I overheard some confusion amongst the officials and promoters regarding whether 11 was above the NRC limit; I’m not sure how it got settled.) Rock Racing was active in most moves and had two riders in the winning break of six. It had to settle for 3rd and 5th, however, when amateur Brian Jensen (HRRC/Trek Stores) took the win. Bahati finds some silver lining on his blog, but as I passed Camp Cadillac after the race, the mood was decidedly solemn.
• » I had a few chances to get acquainted with Hub Racing, a scrappy team with messenger roots out of Washington, D.C., that was thrilled when its Jenette Williams outsprinted two-stage winner and overall leader Kelly Benjamin (Cheerwine). In one last lunge for the line, Benjamin lost control of her bike and took a hard fall, but injuries did not appear serious.
• » Can I mention my teammates? I will. Ed Amstutz (XXX Racing-AthletiCo) has owned the last three days of the Cat 3 races. He followed a 2nd at Monday’s Alpine Valley Road Race with another 2nd at Whitnall Park, winning the field sprint. He topped that with the first Superweek victory of his career, sprinting to a win at the aptly named Proving Grounds. He holds a commanding lead in the overall, but a few days back at the office might give others a chance to make up some ground.
• » Twice on Tuesday solo riders started with final lap with impressive 40-second leads. The first time, Ross Giese (Unattached) was out of sight in the masters 4/5 race, but a chase from the Brazen Dropouts caught him on the final climb, yielding a 2nd and 4th for the Madison, Wis., team. In the next race, Ryan Belew (Colorado University) held a similar lead but was able to make it stick, crossing the line with plenty of time to spare and a whoop of “C-U!”
• » Despite frequent scoldings, some pro riders insisted on taking feeds from the left side of the road at Whitnall Park. This finally had calamitous results with five to go when a crash took out several riders, including Cesar Correa (Team Clif Bar Midwest), who gamely finished the balance of the race well off the back.
• » I told Chicago’s Ted Burger (Unattached) last week that he would be a good candidate for an interview at Chicago Bike Racing, but he’d need to notch one more victory on top of his Circuit of Sauk triumph. Apparently that’s all the motivation it took, as Burger was able to win the 4/5’s at Whitnall Park.
• » Riders must negotiate two tricky turns to re-enter the Proving Grounds. An off-camber left turn and a sweeping downhill cause mayhem each year, and this year proved no different, with two or three riders going down in the 3’s on the former. Big ups to Luca Lenzi (Vision Quest) for getting tangled up but still scrambling to his bike and overtaking some of the field by the finish line.

I had to clear out of the Proving Grounds as soon as my race was done, so I didn’t see how the pros wrapped up and didn’t take complete notes on the other results, but I’ll be updating this post as the reports flow in.

Latest Superweek results.

Whitnall Park race reports
Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “I got the boys to line it up for a lead out to contest the field sprint, which we did a good job handling.”

Carrie Cash (X Plane Team Revolution; W-P/1/2): “As I jockied with Katie Weber to move up for the last turn, things looked to be getting a little dicey.”

Debbie Dust (Team Kenda Tire; W-P/1/2): “We were about 200 meters from the finish line when a rider on my right pushed me (yes, literally pushed with her hand) into another rider on my left

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at top speed. My front wheel locked into her rear derailleur,  shredding my $700 wheel and taking me down with her in the process.”

Andy Daley (Team Clif Bar Midwest; P/1/2): “We still had fun, and I’m already trying to figure if I can skip another day off from the real job for another chance to play pretend pro bike racer.”

Hub Racing (W-P/1/2): “The whole of Hub Racing pushed Jenette through the field the final time up the big climb. Over the top, J-Dub unloaded.”

Jason Snider (Silver Cycling; 30+): “If I wasn’t so amazed by their complete lack of racing knowledge, I would have bust out laughing.”

James Sweeney (ABRT; 30+ 1/2/3): “The last lap had a lot of pushing and shoving, a couple crashes ... so it was pretty hectic.”

T3 (Category 6; 30+ 4/5): “I’m not a sprinter, but with 48 registered in my field, pay outs 12 deep and the hill to boot

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I liked my chances.”

Steve Tilford (Trek/VW Midwest; P/1/2): “We went to the front immediately but realized after a lap that the field had no interest in chasing them down.”

Matt Waite (Brazen Dropouts; P/1/2): “Someone got a feed from the wrong side and took out a rider that was sprinting up that side. I came within inches of going down with them. Thank god for MTB skills and quick thinking.”

Whitnall Park photos
The Editor

Proving Grounds race reports
Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing; P/1/2): “Go go go, slow slow slow. That went on the whole race.”

Becky Broeder (Hub Racing; W-P/1/2): “A shoutout to the boys that were made an example of at the Proving Grounds race today.”

Ron Cook (ABD; 3): “By the time I came around to the start finish area I barely could get up the hill.”

Kevin Krakovksy (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “For all the competitiveness and aggression needed for this sport, selflessness and camaraderie are much more important in the end.”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; 3): “Coming into the last couple miles we were hauling.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “And just as I caught back on again, they were off, up the final hill for the final decision.”

Scott Peterson (Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare; 30+ 1/2/3): “Not sure exactly what happened, but my rookie riding skills had me coast up behind Eck and had me overlapping by about a quarter-wheel on the outside.”

Alex Sharon (ABD; P/1/2): “After grittin it out for as long as i could at whitnall, for some reason or other I thought MGA was do-able. Ha! Five minutes into the race and the pain was too much. Adios.”

Jason Snider (Silver Cycling; 30+): “Good news: We all got paid and the ‘wanknuts’ were shut out and pretty much out of the overall.”

James Sweeney (ABRT; 30+ 1/2/3): “In the last 5 miles there were several attacks, and going up the hill there was one rider with a small gap. I was able to sprint up the hill and past the last rider to take the win.”

X Plane Team Revolution (W-P/1/2): “After turning the corner, I checked my wheel to see if I’d brought anyone with me. Nope. It was clear and I put my mind to catching the tail of the three [up the road].”

The Editor (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I didn’t mean to attack, I swear, but there I was in no man’s land. This would be my last chance to be useful, so I plowed ahead toward the green beacon on the horizon.”

Proving Grounds photos
The Editor