Wet n' Wild William and Mary Road Race

Hey everyone it’s been a while, but welcome back. Now that things (kind of) seem to be thawing out from the Winter, it’s time to start our favorite part of the year: racing season! So with the opportunity to head down to the South (for what we thought would be some nice, warm weather), a few of us did just that.

On Friday we left campus just after 3:30PM. Luckily the women’s tennis team didn’t have any competitions this weekend, so we got a chance to take the sprinter van down to William and Mary. It’s always a pleasure when we they’re available. It’s so easy to fit everyone and all of our stuff into one vehicle. So simple and organized! We were super happy (as always) that Papa K was able to join us for this weekend. We are eternally grateful to his commitment to making sure that we arrive to our races in a safe and timely manner and it’s always a pleasure to spend our Spring weekend’s with him. Last year he missed a few weekends due to a car accident, so it’s so great to have him back. This weekend myself, Schlicht, and three first years (Jon Tze, Axel Olsson and Nick Fardone) would be venturing to tackle the pancake-flat course in Williamsburg. This was Nick and Axel’s first experience racing in a USAC cycling race, so it was great to have them with us, even if the forecast for race day was a little menacing. The drive down went super smoothly and featured a stop at Chipotle for some grub. Once we got to the hotel (which was very nice, thanks Karen!) we quickly went to bed to rest up for the next day. 

The Dave Board - Definitely got some attention this weekend

Preparing the bikes for battle

We arrived to the race course at about 7:45am and got everyone checked in. Unfortunately they weren’t able to process Jon’s upgrade request from D to C in time, so he had to race D this weekend. Nick joined him in the D field and Axel would be in the C field. Schlicht and I raced men’s B. Jon and Nick’s race was in less-than-ideal conditions and unfortunately neither of them were able to finish their race. It was nothing to be upset over, however. The conditions were truly horrendous and if for nothing else, they got some valuable experience in preparing for when the conditions are less than favorable on race day. Axel raced soon after and did very well! He finished 10th in the men’s C, which for a first time racer is a great accomplishment! It will be great to see how he progresses throughout the season and to see how he fairs on hillier courses, which will definitely suit his strengths. Schlicht and I’s race was nothing short of miserable. It rained, it was cold, our hands and feet turned into popsicles and we were borderline hypothermic at the end, but we both did fairly well for our first race in the men’s B field. Schlicht placed 8th and I was 4th. After the finish we promptly hurried back to the warmth of the van and skrted out of there to a gas station so we could de thaw on some warm drinks. We then hit the road because we were just doing the road race for the weekend. On the way back, we stopped for some delicious barbecue food at Chubby’s. Because what would a trip to the south be without some good barbeque?

Nick Fardone ('22) posing at Chubby's

Delicious pulled pork (it didn't last much longer
after this pic was taken)

Team food adventures - absolutely one of favorite
aspects of cycling weekends outside of racing

In all it was a great pre season racing experience for all of us and we are excited for what is ahead. The Bucknell Cycling Classic (March 30-31) is quickly approaching and we could not be more excited! Stay tuned for more on that. 

A special thank you to Country Cupboard and Allstar Bagel for providing us with food for this weekend! We are grateful for your support. 

Ride on,

— Matty McG

Late September Updates: Friday Fun, a 100 Mile Journey, and Plenty of Parents

Welcome Back!

Just because the Milton Harvest Festival Race happened two weeks ago already doesn't mean we haven't been busy. A lot has been going on in these short two weeks and I'm excited to share about it!

Friday Rides:

We have had a couple of Friday rides since the Harvest Festival and we are still starting to see some new faces! On our ride this past Friday, we welcomed Zach Schaeffer to the team. He was riding a new Giant Contend which was made possible by our generous sponsor Earl's Bicycle Store.

Other new members have also been showing promise as they begin to develop their skills on the bike. Arshnoor Amin is finding it easier to keep with the group on the rides and ride in a large group. His ability to control his bike has improved immensely in these few short weeks and he even uses Strava to track his rides now! The same goes for Sebastian Ascoli, who's handle on his bike shows signs of improvement every weke.  Just the other week, Tim Chillemba and Peter Kaladius went out to ride up New Berlin before our Friday Ride and Tim did it! This is truly no small feat for a new rider, so great job, Tim. As for Peter, I think he's ready to tackle some of the big climbs in the area like Jack's Mountain. Nick Fardone has gotten much more involved with the team, which is awesome. He's been coming to rides throughout the week, enjoying mountain biking on the weekend, and seems like a good fit for racing in the Spring. This week Jon Tze was finally able to get back on his bike for the first time since he badly injured his hand just before the beginning of the semester! I was not with him on the Thursday Night Ride this week, but from what I heard, he's going to be a big asset for the team in the Men's B field this Spring.

An Epic 100 Mile Journey:

On Saturday, the 15th, myself, Andrew Schlicht, Tom and Evan Dominick, and Jon Lewis took an epic journey out to the mountains of Williamsport. Originally Andrew and I were planning on doing the Triple Bypass route, which is a feat in of itself. It features three category 3 climbs, each within a 30 mile loop! But Tom and Evan Dominick had an even greater route in mind. We would do the same route as Triple Bypass but add another 30 miles through the hills to the North of Williamsport.

This ride was tough to say the least. One of the most daunting things about it was the 30 miles of unknown road that was north of Williamsport. By that point we had already faced two hard climbs and had to make sure that we saved enough gas to make it up the final climb in Williamsport and then ride the final 25 miles back to Lewisburg. Miraculously, through some great hydration and nutrition tactics, we all made it through the ride and held a solid average! In our cardio-enduced haze after the ride, Andrew, Jon and I went to the Caribbean Connection in town to feast on some Pernil. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever looking for somewhere to eat in town! Thanks to Tom and Evan for the ride and to Jon and Andrew for joining. I hope that we can encourage more members of the team to join us next time.

Attached below is a profile of the ride and some pictures of it. It's so tough, but honestly so rewarding and beautiful. I can only imagine how spectacular some of the views will be as the trees begin to change colors.

Somewhere North of Williamsport...

Breath-taking view looking South from the top of Sulfur Springs

Near Rose Valley Lake

Surviving our way back to Lewisburg on PA44

Profile of the ride. Definitely go and try at least the Triple Bypass loop!

 Plenty of Parents:

This past weekend was Parent's Weekend on campus and we were fortunate enough to ride with plenty of them! Dave Bravo, my Mom (Cindy McGauley), my Brother (Sean McGauley),  and Stephen Lewin (Father of a Bucknell Junior) joined us for the ride on Saturday. It was a beautifully cool and clear first day of Fall, and we even had our first leaf catch of the season! Dave Bravo was the lucky one to catch our first leaf. Eli wasn't too keen on letting his Dad steal the honor, but the rest of us all agreed it counted. It was very nice to have my Mom and my Brother out there riding with us. Plenty of locals joined in with us too. JR Riehl, Eric Grimes, Laurie Glowatski, and Alan Marchiori were all in attendance. It's always a pleasure to ride with you all!

On Sunday we had a smaller ride over to the east of the Susquehanna river. We were joined again by Dave Bravo and Eric Grimes. Andrew was also in attendance and got to celebrate his 21st Birthday with a nice morning ride. The pace was chill, the roads were flat, and the weather was breezy and cool, which made for a refreshing combination for a Sunday morning. At one point, Dave beat Eli in a township-sign sprint. Eli, never wanting to live that down, went off the front and won all of the sprints for the rest of the ride.

After the ride, as is tradition, the team went to Amami Kitchen and Espresso bar to enjoy some coffee and paninis. It's so wonderful to have a sponsor like Amami who is as excited to see and hear about our rides as we are to feast on their delicious food. Thanks as always Davide! And thank you to Dave Bravo for treating us to lunch and coffee, we all appreciate it immensely!

See below for some pictures of the ride on Saturday and from our lunch today.

What a group!!

Lunch at Amami

Schlicht telling us how he managed to break his chain

First leaf caught this Fall!

That's all for this blog post. There's still plenty more action to come this semester. Next weekend we will be going to the Velofest swap meet, at some point in October we are planning on having a movie night and in early November we will be petitioning to revive the Bucknell Classic. Stay tuned, but for now, ride on!

 —Matty McG