Race Report: The OBRA Criterium Championships 2019
By Harrison Harb
After a long, difficult Road Race the day before, turnout was small for the criterium. And since the RCB/Bike Law boys missed out on a result, we showed up gunning for a win. The squad was Jeremy Russell, Pat Lemieux, Timmy Reinhart, and yours truly. The course was a very tight and technical kilometer (or less), with a hairpin turn at the end of the finishing straight. We knew that on such a course attention would be critical to our success.
Early in the race Pat and I stretched our legs taking turns attacking, but none of the other teams were keen on giving us an inch. Jeremy did well to cover moves from the very strong Kent Ross, and to make him chase when Pat or I tried to get up the road. The race ended up being somewhere around sixty laps, meaning: 60-some-odd sprints from a near standstill out of that hairpin to get back up to speeds in the high 20’s. I think many people’s legs were feeling these accelerations by the time we came to the finale.
I tried a few more times to get up the road and force a chase behind, but Mr. Ross came hot on my heels after each effort. So by the time I was thoroughly gassed Pat went to the front and kept the pace high for the last laps. Coming into the final two turns Joe Dengle attacked hard on the outside, drawing Kent’s attention, at which point, from what I could tell, Jeremy was able to control the inside line and sprint for a decisive win.
Front: Tim Reinhart
Back Row: Harrison Harb, 2019 OBRA Criterium Champion Jeremy Russell, Pat Lemieux
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