The Big Green cycling team had strong performances across all categories to capture second overall on the streets surrounding Dartmouth College last weekend. The rain didn't deter the team from regaining top form in the team time trial, and strong individual finishes by co-captain Amy Wallace '04 and Bing Knight '05 helped the cyclists strengthen their grip on the Ivy Cup and the Division II regular season crown.
On Saturday morning, the TTT took to the streets of nearby Plainfield, N.H. The rolling 11-mile course was friendly to the Big Green, as the men's and women's A and men's C squads all grabbed second place finishes. Third place finishes by women's B and a fifth place finish by the men's B squad assured overall victory for Dartmouth in the event. The addition of Tom McCoy '07 to the men's A time trial brought them to within a minute of the stacked University of Vermont time trial juggernaut.
In the afternoon, bicycle racing saw a triumphant return to Webster Avenue after a decade of absence. Nearly 300 cyclists circled the three-quarter-mile criterium course in front of rain-soaked spectators throughout the day. Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin '07 was the first Dartmouth rider in the top five, grabbing fourth with a strong sprint finish. Ed Meyer '06 was 10th behind him, securing points for the day.
Women's B riders were forced into four neutral laps and a mass restart after a University of New Hampshire rider required an ambulance to pull her from a gruesome fall in the notorious turn four. That didn't stop freshman Katherine Ammons from sprinting to second place, with Alexandra Fleming '05 taking sixth shortly behind. The men's B event saw Eben Sargent '05 return to collegiate racing, finishing just behind Brian Hendrickson '06, who took 15th.
The elite men's and women's A races didn't disappoint crowds. Wallace looked confident throughout the women's race and made the finishing sprint look easy, winning the event for the third weekend in a row. Asked what the added motivation was to combat the nasty weather, she responded "There were Vermonster and Lou's pie primes throughout the race, so I had to go for them."
On the men's A side, Linden Klein '05 and Knight refused to let UVM steal the show, despite Vermont's impressive solo victory from Keith Jennings. Klein recovered from a crash in turn four only to escape off the front of the peloton with Jennings and took a prime from the UVM rider. Jennings was flabbergasted that Klein had taken the sprint from him, to which Klein replied, "I had to get my pie." Jennings accelerated to escape further episodes of Klein's sly opportunism and later lapped the peloton to win the race. Knight led a four-man attack group with seven laps to go and had a brilliant sprint finish to capture third place.
Sunday brought more rain for the road race, but Dartmouth continued its consistent performances on home turf while touring their respective pelotons through the neighboring Norwich Hills. New riders Paul Durkee '06, Ben Koons '08 and David Strauss '08 led the Dartmouth riders who finished in the top 15 in the men's D race. Coursin took 13th in the men's C, while newcomer Elsa Sargent '08 grabbed second in the women's B race. McCoy looked strong, taking fourth in the men's B category, while Wallace and Jenna Farleigh '07 worked together to grab seventh and 11th respectively in the women's A race. It was Farleigh's best finish in a road race of her career.
UVM's Dan Cassidy, evoking Liggettesqe analogies to a diesel engine, powered his way off the front of the men's A peloton at the start of the men's A race. He stayed at least a minute ahead of the field for all four miles en route to a solo victory. Not to be outdone, Linden Klein '05 and Knight worked together to finish 11th and 12th, grabbing some points in the grueling, 3 1/2 "hour race.
Team co-captain Tim Clement '05 approved of the team's performance this weekend. "Linden has an uncanny ability to ride faster and longer than physically possible." Clement reported, "Our men's A time trial team really came together and stepped it up -- Linden almost made the winning move in the crit, then Bing got in the breakaway. In the road race, [Cassidy] lit it up on the first lap, and we had to let him go. The rest of us played it smart and all finished well, given we lost two of our riders to illness and mechanical failure. Everyone is contributing to the team's performance, which has put us in a great position on the season."
The Big Green cyclists will go for their third-straight Ivy Cup next weekend at the Eastern Championships, hosted by Granite State rival UNH. Individually, Clement lost some ground in the men's yellow jersey, but Wallace is aiming for a dramatic finish to the season. She left herself in pouncing position for the women's maillot jaune, and is looking to go for the jugular next weekend in Dover, N.H. The team is grateful to the volunteers who helped make the weekend a success.
