The 2011 race season for WVU Cycling is now fully underway with a mix of new and fresh faces and old veterans. Currently the team is 4 weeks into the road season and has seen performances from 11 racers. New racers to the team this spring include Jeff Beyer, Kyle Kukieza, Chad Jones, Dave Schnell and our Italian ringer, Marco Piccirilli. Also returning from Mountain season are first year members Mikaela Jaros and Steve (Sunshine) Kasberger. Returning for more are second year members Duncan Oliver, Jon Zerbe and myself. Longtime veteran Janel Nye has also made an appearance. Someday we may be joined by newly elected president Todd Latocha, but that remains to be seen.
Our first year guys have been a presence in the Mens D field, with Kyle and Dave consistently posting top ten finishes and Jeff not too far behind. Kyle also scored a big win this past weekend at the Duke Criterium, breaking away from the field on the second lap and staying away throughout.
In the Womens C field, Mikaela has been holding strong, gaining valuable race experience. Thus far, she has posted a huge win during the William and Mary Individual Time Trial, as well as 2nd place finishes for the William and Mary Road Race and Duke Criterium, and 3rd place finishes for the NC State Road Race and Criterium.
Representing the team in Mens C has been Chad and myself. Unfortunately Chad was caught up in a crash during the field sprint of the William and Mary Road Race and has been out of action since with a cracked rib. Hopefully he will be able to rejoin the team at some point before the end of the season. Meanwhile, I've been holding my own and finishing with respectable results. The highlight of which being a 5th place finish in the Navy Individual Time Trial.
Our lone mens A rider, Duncan has demonstrated that one doesn't need to follow a rigorous training plan to be fast. Driven by a goal of participation in Nationals in what will be his final race season, Duncan has performed admirably; posting consecutive 4th place finishes during the Duke Road Race and Criterium, a 6th place finish at the William and Mary Individual Time Trial, and a pair of 7th place finishes at the Navy Criterium and Individual Time Trial.
At the midpoint of the race season, Kyle, Mikaela, and Duncan will be looking to help solidify their position in the individual omnium standings, while everyone else will be aiming to get into the mix and make things interesting. The second half of the season will feature road courses with more climbs, which certainly plays to many of our racers strong points. Hopefully we will also see an increase in racers as the weather gets warmer and drives get shorter.
