The Skidmore boys returned to the roads at the Tour de Troy for their second weekend of racing in the spring 2011 season. The team faced bitter cold through a time trial and a long road circuit on Saturday, and a criterium in downtown Troy on Sunday. Nonetheless, man did we improve from our last race.
Saturday we had Paul Russell stepping up to Class C, and Kyle Bawot, Alex Brehm (riding a brand new racing frame), Dan Pinnolis, Tim Russell (no relation to Our Fair Captain), Alex Mendelsohn, and Gabe Herrera holding it down in Class D. Congratulations to Kyle for taking 4th in the D2 field.
The circuit ran on a 7.5-mile loop: 3 laps for 22.5 miles for Class D; 5 laps for 37.5 miles for Class C. At the D race, Brehm and Tim quickly got to the front, attacking and briefly leading before fading back into the pack. Brehm got on a break in the last kilometer of the race, chasing two well-organized Dartmouth boys, but fishtailed at the bottom of a sandy steep hill, crashed, and lost his place.
The criterium was a great day for the team, where Dan Schiffrin and Gabe Herrera joined Mendelsohn in Intro. Paul stayed with the front pack in his C race to take some early sprint points, but the day was big for Gabe, who manned it out to win the Intro race.
Gabe started out strong, sucking the wheel of a Stevens rider. The two built a continually growing lead over the pack, ahead by about ten seconds at the race’s end. In the final two laps, Gabe broke out the afterburner and left Stevens behind, screaming out ahead for the big win at the finish. Mendelsohn, not too far behind, won a sprint to take fourth.
For full results click here.
In short, the weekend brought two things: cold, and points. Congratulations to our riders—we’re proud of everything you do. We’re looking forward to warmer week, clear skies, interval training, and next weekend’s Boston Beanpot, offering—ooo—a team time trial.
Skidmore Cycling 
