For the third year in a row, the Dartmouth cyclists returned to Hanover with the Ivy Cup in their grasp and the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference's Division II regular season crown. Following the lead of co-captain Amy Wallace '04, the Big Green put in solid performances through all categories en route to a fourth place finish overall at the ECCC conference championships at the University of New Hampshire last weekend.
Action started early Saturday morning with the team time trial on the rolling hills of Lee, N.H. Led by Bryan Feinstein '05 and Mackenzie Knowles-Coursin '07, the men's B foursome had the best finish in the event for Dartmouth, charging across the finish line in second place less than a second ahead of third place UNH. The Men's C squad, led by Jesse Dudley '08 and Ed Meyer '06, grabbed third place, giving Dartmouth the best Ivy League and Division II finishes in the event.
"We reconfigured the lineups across the men's C and D categories to optimize our chances at points in the TTT," Feinstein said. "The strategy worked, as both teams got to the podium and contributed important points to the team's weekend total."
While the weather was perfect for the morning's time trials, it quickly deteriorated for the road races in the afternoon. Before the rain saturated the roads in Strafford, N.H., Sally Smith '05 danced on her pedals up the final climb to grab fifth place in the women's B field, a career-best collegiate finish. After moving up a category in the morning's time trial, Coursin returned to the men's C peloton and led the field throughout the 43-mile race before grabbing third place in the uphill sprint finish. David Eypper '08 continued his consistent finishes in the men's D field, taking 10th place, just out of the points.
The rain continued to fall along with the mercury for the start of the men's A and B and women's A races. Due in large part to Mark Twain's notorious New England weather, over 51 percent of the riders in the three categories abandoned their races. Kevin Wolfson '08 was the lone men's B rider to cross the finish line (taking 22nd) for the Big Green, while Matt Rossman '06 and Linden Klein '05 were the only men's A riders braving the elements for their 73-mile tour.
The weather didn't deter Wallace in her quest for the women's yellow jersey. Wallace rode strong in an attack group to take fifth, while the then-women's leader from Skidmore mishandled her bike and crashed out, setting the drama for the final event of the season: Sunday's Downtown Dover Criterium.
The weather cooperated early on Sunday morning, and the Dartmouth riders capitalized. Eypper drew first blood, taking fourth in the men's D race, and Eric Fitz '05 matched him, taking fourth in the men's C category. Mayer was right on Fitz's wheel, grabbing fifth, while Katie Ammons '08 took ninth in the women's B field.
"There was a green train in the front of the peloton for the entire race," Fitz recalled. "We all played it smart, and I felt good going into the final lap, so I turned on the after-burners."
The men's B race had an unorthodox ending. With one lap remaining, an elderly spectator walked onto the course, directly in front of the peloton. A gruesome crash ensued, fracturing the lead pack and the race organization. Brian Hendrickson '06 escaped the melee to grab third place, while Feinstein crossed the finish in tenth.
Wallace then left her signature on the ECCC season. Poised to take the lead in the women's standings after her chief competitor (Skidmore's Anna Drakulich) declined to race the event, Wallace didn't hold back. After working with her teammates Karla Kingsley '05 and Jenna Farleigh '07 throughout the race, with two laps remaining, she broke off the peloton and sprinted to victory.
"Regardless of whether Anna started or not, I was going for the maillot jaune," Wallace said.
Kingsley took eighth in the race, and Farleigh placed 13th. Co-captain Tim Clement '05 took 17th in the men's A field, but at the start of the race, the standings were decided. Dartmouth held an insurmountable lead in both the Ivy League and Division II standings. Though the team was aiming for overall victory at the Eastern Championships, it became apparent that the larger Division I squads brought heavy artillery that the Big Green couldn't counter. Penn State took the weekend and thus won the right to host the championship event next year.
"The regular season victories were a result of contributions from all members of the team in all six racing categories," Clement reflected. "We have a strong base on which to build next year's teams, but we still have unfinished business to attend to next week." Clement was referring to the National Championships that kick-off 10 days from now in the fields of fair Kansas, where Dartmouth will attempt a fourth-straight Division II victory. "It's going to be tough, but after the spring, we're ready to defend our crown," Clement claimed.
