Nathan leads the downhill corner at the Tour de Tuscaloosa crit
Harpeth Racing team members Brian Rejack, James Martinez, and Nathan Taylor headed down to Tuscaloosa, AL last weekend for the 4th annual Tour de Tuscaloosa. The races started at noon on Saturday with a criterium race through downtown Tuscaloosa, and concluded on Sunday with a road race at nearby Lake Lurleen State Park.
Saturday’s criterium race was held on a challenging course consisting of 8 turns, with a fast downhill and a short steep uphill section. The weather for Saturday was near perfect, with warm temperatures and clear, sunny skies. The only negative was a considerable headwind blowing directly into the racers faces at the bottom of the downhill and carrying through the uphill beat.
Brian Rejack faced the fast paced race head on and finished 8th in the Category 5 race. Nathan and James were both racing their first crits and learned a lot from the race, both finishing with mid-pack results.
Sunday’s road race was on a 10 mile loop of rolling hills with two longer climbs on rural roads near Tuscaloosa. The weather report threatened racers with thunderstorms, and no one was looking forward to rain with the cooler morning temperatures. The Cat 5 road race was led out of the neutralized zone into the pouring rain and wind of a thunderstorm. Poor visibility, dirty road spray, and blowing wind resulted in sketchy pack behaviors as the group climbed the first hill. Wet roads and tire spray were on the agenda for the first lap of the 3 lap race.
Once again, Brian Rejack showed his strength and experience from last season by staying up front in the main field through the fast first lap. Nathan lost contact with the field, but was able to organize with several other disconnected riders to chase back into contact on the second lap. James and Nathan both lost contact with the main field for the rest of the race on lap 3, leaving Brian to fend for himself for an impressive 5th place finish. His two top ten finishes were especially notable considering the high level of competition that this race attracted from Alabama and the surrounding region.
Nashville area cycling teams were out in full force for this event, with strong showings from NashvilleCyclist, Team Belladium, SVMIC, Cumberland Transit, Team Gran Fondo, and many others. Congratulations to everyone who raced, and a huge thanks to Velocity Pro Cycles for hosting this great event.
Criterium results here: http://velocityprocycle.com/merchant/1093/files/2010TdTCritResults.pdf
Road Race results here: http://velocityprocycle.com/merchant/1093/files/2010TdTRRResults.pdf
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