The three-time defending Division II National Champion Dartmouth cycling team battled through crashes and mechanical failure to capture second place overall in the Boston Beanpot Classic last weekend.
Co-captain Amy Wallace '04 was the only Dartmouth rider to win an individual race, while the squad took the victory in the team time trial.
Big Green riders started the weekend in grand form, winning the overall team time trial on Saturday morning. Dartmouth received strong performances from all sections of its roster, placing teams in the top four in four of six categories in the race. The Women's A trio of Wallace, Karla Kingsley '05 and Jenna Farleigh '07 led the way, finishing just four seconds out of first place.
The weekend took a turn for the worse in the road race held later in the day. Starting in the Men's C race, Bryan Feinstein '05 looked to continue his impressive streak of top-five finishes on the year, but after leading for much of the race, questionable bike handling of other riders in the peloton resulted in a crash. Feinstein dropped from the top-20 and never recovered. Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin '07 was the only C-rider to garner points in the field, taking 11th.
Frustration continued in the Men's A road race. Due to an unhealthy combination of mechanical failure and the poor bike handling of other schools, not one rider was able to finish. In the Men's B field, the riders didn't fair much better, with Matt Pech the only rider to finish, taking 31st.
Later in the day, the Women's A carried its momentum from the time trial, scoring some much needed points for the team to stay in contention for the weekend.
The Big Green ladies captured sixth, eighth and 27th, respectively. Farleigh sacrificed her spot in the top-10 to give Wallace and Kingsley an opportunity to maximize their placement in the field. The move paid off.
Women's B riders Kathryne Carr '06 and Katherine Ammons '08 also contributed to the point total on the day, finishing sixth and seventh to help the team in the overall standings.
Saturday's Criterium on the streets of the Tufts campus brought more of the mechanical trouble and carnage that plagued Dartmouth throughout the day.
Bo Huang '08 broke his bike and his clavicle. Jeff Hebert '04, racing in the B-field, deposited some flesh on the tarmac after falling on corner No. 2.Bing Knight '05 suffered bruised ribs from a spill in the Men's A race.
However, those that stayed clear of the accidents on the course faired quite well. Tim Clement '05 stayed out of the fray in the Men's A race, taking sixth overall, while his two teammates in the category -- Stephen Weller '05 and Linden Klein '05 -- finished just out of point contention at 21st and 22nd. Kevin Wolfson '08 took 13th in the Men's B.
To avoid a repeat of Saturday, Feinstein spent the majority of the Men's C Criterium off the front of the peloton. Only after four laps of hard work did a group of seven other cyclists, two of them Dartmouth riders, bridge the gap from the main field. Knowles-Coursin and Jon Awerbuch '07 were able to strategize with Feinstein in the escape group, employing tactics that ultimately led to Feinstein taking second overall.
"I went off the front after the starting gun and just hammered to stay ahead," Feinstein said. "When Knowles and Rudy [Awerbuch] bridged, we worked together to finish well."
Amy Wallace decided to leave the entire women's A field behind, going on a solo break with eight laps to go. Despite late charges from Ivy foes Harvard and Cornell, Wallace escaped with the individual victory.
"I felt great, so I went for it," Wallace reported after the race. "The rest of the girls in the field were slowing down, so I attacked off the front and was able to power through the last laps."
In the Women's B field, Carr and Sarah Smith '05 had strong performances, taking third and ninth, respectively. Despite the problems with bikes and other novice cyclists, the team walked away second overall on the weekend. Three regular season weekends remain, and Wallace is excited about the team's outlook.
"We had more riders show up for Boston than ever before, and the newcomers all contributed. If we can just avoid mechanical problems in the higher fields, we'll finish strong."
In two weekends, the team plays host to the cycling conference, holding three races over the weekend of April 23.
