Back to Race Reports from 2004
Gateway Cup Series, St. Louis, 2004 by Paul Nilsen
A group of Dropouts made the annual pilgrimage to end the road season with 4 days of racing in St Louis. The Gateway Cup is Superweek-style racing; huge fields with regional competition, fun fast courses, totally pro organization (including Pedro's neutral support). Matt Prest and his wife Cynthia; Jeff McFarland and his extended family; Bill Baudhuin and ex-Dropout Julie Tatar and her parents; myself. Jim Holmes and a handful of Mack riders and David Kay from Bellin Health made the trip with us and stayed in our hotel.
Friday night, 9pm start for 75+5 pro-1-2, flat 4-corner square crit. 120 starters. With 1/2 lap to go, I was sitting 25th place and totally cooked. All the money (17 deep) was up the road so Bill Baudhuin, David Kay and I sat up. None of us could move up, noone had a leadout to give. We just rolled across the line and took in the crowd and applause down the home straight. We averaged 29.3mph for 42 miles. Our nerves were wired after racing so late, in the dark. We ate dinner at 12:30. I finally fell asleep around 3am.
Saturday race in a hilly park, like Muscatine or Whitnall. 95 degrees with 75 degree dew point. Our bikes sweat when taken out from the hotel. In my race, Olympian Jason McCartney gets away solo, holds the field off for 5 hard chase laps dangling at 10-15 seconds in front as Mathis Brothers and Endeavour string us out solo. John Lieswyn attacked on the hill and bridged to McCartney and they are gone. We sprint up the final climb, finishing Schmatz 3d (HealthNet), Pipp 4th (Endeavour), Puffer 5th (ABD), Nilsen 6th(Crono). I always like that course.
In the cat 3s race, Matt Prest gets hooked by someone at 40 minutes, going down hard on his left side and gouging his elbow on the fresh chip seal... Ouch. Matty is driven out on a board. Report, Matt?
Saturday night we gorged on rigatoni and meatballs at the Italio-American Bocce Club. We meet up with some good guys from Revolution Cycling Team in Nebraska and enjoy a few games of Bocce with old Italian grandmothers.
Sunday, "Giro Giro Giro" della Montagna. Long inverted rectangle with grinding uphill and fast downhill finish. 93 degrees, humid, no shade. In my race, I sit dead last on the field and watch patiently as a group of 8 gets away. Ooops. With 10 minutes remaining the field divides into 3 groups of maybe 20 riders each. Frank Dierking is in the back group, with me, and jumps to bridge to the second group pulling both groups together. He then jumps to the first group, pulling the entire field back together. We're racing for 9th. In past years I have lost places in the final 5 laps due to churning and swarming, so I sit on the back and ride the swarm to the front with 1 lap to go. I push my way up the final climb, into 5th in the lineup on the final corner. Frank Pipp jumps to the left from the final corner, with what looked and felt like 500 yards to go. I know he is not coming back, so I jump out and follow 2 lengths behind him. Others jump to the right and we are horse racing the final straight, totally revved in my 53X12. The field sprint finishes Pipp 9th, Puffer 10th, Schmatz 11th, Nilsen 12th. Sweet!
Monday, twisty crit with 4 corners within 100 meters. Start position is crucial. Promoter calls all the Big Shark guys to the front for recognition (and a good start). The race starts really fast, strung single file at 30mph after the first 4 turns, 200 meters into the race. Big Shark and others start popping on THE FIRST LAP, and requires huge anaerobic effortS to bridge gaps and hold wheels. I get stuck behind a small crash to start the 2nd lap and guys are swearing and I say, 'no sweat, nobody else made it through', then see the field is 200 meters long ahead of me. Doh! At 12 minutes in I was cooked, and thought, 'just do one more lap, it will slow down'. Struggling just to hold my wheel I see a guy pop 3 riders up, and the 2d rider starts losing ground and we're getting tailed off. I jump and bridge. After 5 more laps like this I could do no more. I dropped out at 30 minutes, with 40 riders left (and 45+5 left to go)! Only 22 riders of 120 starters finish. Ouch.
I am totally stoked to finish 13th in the final overall standings. No prize for that, except my wife noted 'highest finish for a guy with a job, a wife and kids'. Ouch.
2005 season begins January 1. Think Superweek!