With this weekend’s ECCC race hosted by UVM and Dartmouth unexpectedly cancelled due to severe snowstorms, Bucknell Cycling’s guest appearance in the ACCC became a bit of a trendsetter. The Herd was joined down south by other central-PA friends from Shippensburg Cycling and Lehigh Cycling, as well as a few other ECCC teams who decided to make last-minute changes to their plan. Six racers from Bucknell came down to enjoy some fun in the sun!
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| Alex sprinting out of corner #4 in the Route One Rampage crit. |
Results - Route One Rampage Criterium
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| Steve & Matt at the start |
A partly-cloudy day in College Park, MD with warm sun and cool winds welcomed Bucknell Cycling to the ACCC. The Route One Rampage was a clockwise four-corner crit with a punchy hill to test the legs for about half of the 0.6 mile loop. First to tackle the course was first-year and first-time racer
Andrew Hawk in the Men’s D race. In the true spirit of bike racing, Andrew was all smiles throughout the race and put in some excellent work! Next up was senior
Ellie Perry racing in the combined Women’s B/C field. Two crashes in less than 15 minutes shook up the field, but Ellie narrowly avoided them both and sat firmly in the front half of the field split even after the race was stopped with 3 laps to go, where the field was recombined and the race restarted. In the end, Ellie matched last week’s crit result with a 4th place finish from a reduced field.
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| A pain-faced Andrew Schlicht.... |
In the Men’s A crit, senior
Alex Breakstone became the engine of a strong chase group that also included a friend from Shippensburg Cycling. Alex finished strong in 15th place. The Herd rested for a few hours and enjoyed the local festivities before the excitement returned with a late-afternoon Men’s C race, featuring first-years
Andrew Schlicht and
Matt McGauley, as well as senior
Steven Robare. A solo breakaway in the first few laps left the majority of the field to push a hard, but ultimately unsuccessful chase. Andrew fought toe-to-toe with the best of his field, crushing the climb and finishing in the top half. Full results for the criterium can be found HERE. (
will be updated shortly when results are posted!)
Results - Hostetter-Wagner Road Race
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| Ellie looking out for the Men's A finish |
In White Hall, MD, the road race followed a beautiful six-mile course featuring two notable climbs for a 600ft elevation change per lap. The morning air was still chilly when the Men’s C (30 miles) squad of first-years
Andrew Schlicht and
Matt McGauley and senior
Steven Robare hit the course, followed closely by the Men’s D (24 miles) field featuring
Andrew Hawk. A mechanical ended the race early for Schlicht, while Matt, Steven, and Hawk fought through the windy, rolly course. A second congratulations is in order for Andrew Hawk for competing in his first-ever road race!
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| Shakas from Hawk! |
Once again the Men’s A race (61 miles) saw senior
Alex Breakstone powering a strong chase group, fueled by no-bake cookies from Country Cupboard, the team’s favorite baked goods sponsor. Alex put in a phenomenal effort throughout the 10-lap race, finishing 10th. Just as the sun came out, senior
Ellie Perry rolled on course with the combined Women’s B/C race (shortened - from 24 to 18 miles). By the end of the first lap, the podium was just about decided, with Ellie solo-chasing a solo-leader from Lehigh. Ellie finished in 2nd place, unable to chase down the leader, but a solid few minutes ahead of the group. Full results for the road race can be found
HERE.
Other News
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| A Schlichty Burrito - "warming down" |
The camaraderie was strong this weekend, both within the Herd and between Bucknell Cycling and close neighbors Shippensburg Cycling. The team would like to thank them for cheering on our racers as well as their own, even when competing together, and we hope they heard us doing the same! The team was blessed also with the therapeutic presence of Lilly Bravo this weekend, the black lab of team president Eli Bravo, as well as the support from his parents Dave and Susan. A superb baked-ziti dinner Saturday night was generously brought to the course by the Schlichts, who were also unmistakeable to find on course both days with the ringing of their cowbell! Thanks always to Papa K for being at the start line for every race and waiting with burgers and ‘dogs at the finish, and thanks to sophomore Eli Bravo and Bucknell alum Andrew Ovrom (‘15) for supporting the six racers in so many other ways.
Bucknell Cycling returns to the ECCC next weekend at the Shippensburg Scurry with legs and lungs
ready to tackle the infamous Horsekiller climb!
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