Anyone who didn’t experience it firsthand has by now learned of the meltdown that was morning registration at Saturday’s Tour of Oak Brook. It’s too bad. Despite much preparation and the best intentions, a perfect storm of rookie mistakes led to massive waits. We’re talking Superweek-like delays and frustrations, with riders queued up for more than an hour and races cut short. By the afternoon, however, the system had been scrapped, races were running close to on schedule and Tower Racing leaders I spoke to were all contrite and humble.

Registration wasn’t the only problem, unfortunately. A masters rider tells me his primes weren’t recorded correctly, and the shortness of the course caused problems of its own. Some fields were overcome and neutralized -- I’m told some riders were out of sorts after such neutralizations afforded second chances to dropped riders -- and riders off the back were pulled much earlier than they otherwise would have been.

But for a race that didn’t exist a mere two months ago, run by a team that did not exist a mere year ago, I think we have a lot to celebrate. (And I don’t say this just because the organizers have good taste in blogs.)

I was particularly impressed by the volunteers Tower Racing was able to raise. The proximity to so much traffic alarmed me, but I was comforted to see so many yellow shirts and orange flags dispatched around the course. Oak Brook residents and police were generous in accommodating us. Tower Racing even had the foresight to coordinate with mail carriers to give them access to the roads during the children’s races. This, on top of a blockbuster effort in raising sponsorship and creating a fun, festive racing atmosphere.

We would all be well served if Tower Racing took on this challenge again in 2009.

As for the course, I liked it more than I expected, although in the future I’d prefer something longer and more remote. The riders I chatted with afterward agreed that even though it was short, it still felt like a road race. The climbs weren’t monsters, but with less than 9 minutes of recovery in between, they seemed to grow on every lap, especially in the crippling humidity we experienced. And the long, wide runway down 31st Street made for some fast, exciting sprints. (In contrast, Spring Road lent itself to congestion and the occasional wheel rubbing, which in the lower categories spelled occasional doom. That’s racing.)

Enough Tuesday-morning quarterbacking. Let’s talk about the racing.

And let’s congratulate our new state champions. Pictured above are our elite men’s and women’s winners, Kristen Meshberg (Flatlandia) and Scott Pearson (Comcast/Higher Gear) . Meshberg earned her jersey by winning a sprint amongst the remnants of her field, coming in ahead of junior phenom Jessi Prinner (ABD). Meanwhile, Pearson looks utterly tapped and incapable of posting up: He’d attacked two miles earlier, solo’ing away from eight-rider group that included notables like Bryce Mead (Jelly Belly) and Chad Hartley (Jittery Joe’s). 

As I have done multiple times this season, I selflessly withdrew from the 3’s race with one to go so that I could watch the sprint, all in the name of good journalism. (And by “withdrew” I mean “cracked like an egg.") This let me see teammates Mark Swartzendruber and Dave Stone (Lucas Oil) cross the line holding hands and giggling like a couple of Care Bears in the masters 1/2/3 race. With one to go Druber had been nursing a 20-second lead on a four-person chase group, from which Stone bridged on the final lap. What’s more, Swartzendruber was crafty enough to register as a 30+, meaning he took one state championship while Stone took the 40+.

A masters field sprint won by Keith McMahon (Van Wagner/Yojimbo’s) was closely followed by the 3’s bunch sprint, which had Tim Henry (Project 5) and Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek) going 1-2, a familiar pairing this summer. They each owed their teammates a win: They had buried themselves in pursuit of Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus), who attempted his usual disappearing act with five to go and almost got away with it.

Full results.

Race reports
Brian Boyle (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “I went off the front and thought I was competing for a snazzy coffee maker prime lap or something. I guess that I had visions of being the next Henry Rollins.”

Jeff Holland (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 3): “My back wheel fishtailed around the 180 degree corner. That’s it, I’m out.”

Emir Jaganjac (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 5): “The guy in front of me started jerking his bike around as we rode up the incline and coming down on the descent, when the gap was forming, I seriously thought he was gonna pass out and crash.”

Bryan McVey (Vision Quest; P/1/2): “We decided to take turns being aggressive, which we were right from the gun.”

John Meyers (ABD/Geargrinder; P/1/2): “I got the pity-podium spot. It’s OK: It’s easier for the podium girls to give me kisses from that lower step.”

Brian Morrissey (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I then woke up with a start and began screaming at Nathan Gayeski (XXX Racing-AthletiCo), in front and to the right, to move his ass.”

Chris Padfield (Team Pegasus; 3): “I just signed a half hour lease for my own personal pain cave.”

William Pankonin (XXX Racing-AthletiCo; 30+ 4/5): “I rode in tight spaces with my elbows out to prevent people from squeezing in stupid spaces.”

Adrian Silva (Half Acre Cycling; 5): “The killer instinct kicked in. As we cleared the tight switch back I launched an attack knowing the majority of the pack was still cautiously turning.”

Matt Smith (Vitaminwater-Trek; 3): “What came next was the most awesome display of strength and organization I’ve ever seen in a 3’s race. My whole team, less me, went to the front and chased Chris Padfield down CSC-style.”

Kevin Stephens (Project 5; 3): “The speed was crazy fast and a small group with Tim Henry (Project 5) comes past me on the finishing straight, which is probably about a mile long.  I am thinking good thoughts and get in behind them.”

Team Tati (5, 4, W-4, W-P/1/2/3): “I noticed Suzanne rubbing her chest and asked if anything was wrong. ‘I’m warming my heart chakra,’ she said, looking surprisingly blissful.”

June Upshaw (Verdigris; W-P/1/2/3): “Getting put into an officially neutralized slow pace for 5-10 minutes every 4-5 laps (for safety reasons) is enough to let anyone recover and get back into the game. No attrition. No test of strength. In short, it was not a race at all. “

Photos
Mike Kelsall
Jeff Krich
Professional Personal Photography
Julie Pusateri
Team Tati