[email hidden] (Andrew Martin) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Well - now that the tour is over it's time to change focus to the week of the fatties.
9 August 2003
Louisville, KY (AP) – In what many observers called the most competitive Masters race in recent
memory, Henry Chang of San Diego, CA won today's 2003 National Road Race Championship in the 40-44
division. After 80 grueling kilometers, the race came down to a break of three, with Chang
outsprinting companions Chris Walker and Chris Hahn, both of Santa Barbara CA. Completing a
California sweep of the top-5 places were former professional racer Thurlow Rogers and Richard
Meeker of the USPS Masters team.
The action began immediately with time-trial specialists Andrew Coggan and Eric Sternlict
attacking on the first lap of the ten-lap race. Within 10 km they had established a 50 second gap
as none of the pre-race favorites were willing to chase. Former 7-11 professional Michael Carter
stated "I raced the Tour de France. I'll be damned if I was going to pull a bunch of nobodies up
to the break."
For the next two laps, individual riders made sporadic efforts to bridge but none could get more
than half way across to the smooth riding duo of Coggan and Sternlict. That is, until Chris Walker
hit the front and pulled at 50 kmh for five minutes. Only four riders could hold Walker's
wheel--Hahn, Rogers, Meeker, and Chang--and a 30 second gap was quickly established over the
shattering field.
The group of five quickly caught and dropped the tiring early break. By the fifth lap they had
nearly four minutes on the field and it was clear the winner would be one of the five.
Then with 20 km to go, Chang abruptly stopped pulling. Numerous attempts to cajole him back into
the rotation failed. As Hahn said afterward, "I yelled at him to pull through but he just looked
back at me kind of sideways and said, 'Dumbass, I'm a sprinter. Shut up and pull'. I guess he said
it so authoritatively that we just continued to pull him along even though I realize now it made
no sense!"
As they rode through the start-finish area to begin the bell lap, it became evident that Chang's
negativity had permeated the rest of the break. Meeker had stopped pulling and Rogers had repeatedly
taken him off the back during the prior lap. Walker, ever the sharp tactician, saw an opportunity to
shed two of his main rivals. He attacked mercilessly on a small rise as Rogers and Meeker dangled
five seconds behind. Walker's pace was so high that his ever-present, hanging string-of-snot whipped
around and slapped Chang in the face. It was now a race of three.
As the trio entered the final kilometer, Walker ramped up the pace hoping to crack the two
sprinters, or, at least, to remove some of their snap. It didn't work. Hahn jumped at 300 meters
and quickly passed Walker. Hahn recounted the sprint later, "I wound it up quickly to 65 kph. I
looked under my arm at about 150 meters and saw Walker hanging tough on my wheel but I couldn't see
Chang at all. I thought he must have blown big time. I knew Walker couldn't come back around as
fast as I was going so I thought I had the vee. Then, out of nowhere seemingly, Chang was beside
me. He was actually grinning at me all the way to the line." Video replay confirmed it, Chang had
won by a tire width.
Immediately after the finish, all 18 fans in attendance mobbed the ebullient winner. Chang gushed to
nobody in particular, "I feel vindicated by this great victory. I've been preaching to the masses
about the virtues of low body mass for bike racing, especially for anyone wanting to race at this
high level. Once I got my BMI below that of Chris Walker, I knew I would be competitive. Plus, I
used to race as a cat 2 in Southern California crits, so I knew I could sprint with any of these
guys. I'm very pleased. Dumbasses, all of them."
Results:
1. Henry Chang, RBR 1:50:19
2. Chris Hahn, Labor Power s.t.
3. Chris Walker, VeloRPM :01
4. Richard Meeker, USPS 1:23
5. Thurlow Rogers, JAX s.t.
