Back to Race Reports from 2008
Duluth Classic Stage Race by Eric Knuth
Written by Damon Rinard & David Greenblatt
Wrenshall TT Report (Stage 1)
Yesterday was a 16 mile TT. The General Classification was determined, and the results were pretty good for the BDs: Eric in third, David and Chuck tied for fourth, Damon in 8th and Paul in a new TT position on a new TT bike... finished "well" after stopping to re-tighten his rear skewer.
South Range Road Race Report (Stage 2)
After hanging out for a few minutes in the hotel hot tub, the strategy for the next day's ride was set: sit in. The course wasn't selective enough to expect a break to get away, so we did a good job hiding in the pack, moving up as necessary for security. After the second of three laps, David followed a guy who just rolled off the front. Amazingly, after a small chase effort, a slight mixing of riders and a little luck (honest, he wasn't trying to break away), David and a different guy managed to stay away for nearly the whole last lap. It was brilliant - the two guys in first and second on GC did nearly 80% of the chasing while Eric sat in! So the bunch as usual timed it to perfection, sweeping up David and his breakaway companion about half a mile from the finish. Since the group was all together the finish was a bit chaotic - Chuck was ramping up to make a go at the line and got stuck behind a guy whose brakes were on (or so it seemed!!!), while David gave it his all after the long break. Damon turned out to have sucked wheel pretty well and sprinted through gaps to take third for the stage, earning a time bonus that moved him up a place. Meanwhile the first place GC guy had apparently advanced on the wrong side of the yellow line. His reward was a 90 second penalty, a US$40 fine and the scorn of all the denizens of the peloton.
Current GC for BDs is: Eric in 2, David and Chuck tied for 3, Damon in 6, Paul in the land of the living. Tomorrow's race is the "queen stage" -- sixty two miles over five laps of a rolling hilly course with six times up the BIG HILL. Probably 2.5 to 3 mintues of hell, I mean opportunity to advance, with the final finish at the top.
Lakewood Road Race Report (Stage 3)
With only a 35 minute flat 4-corner crit to go, Eric is in the GC lead by 50 seconds (!) over second place. Third on GC is a good 2 minutes 5 seconds down, so we are looking forward to an easy race today. The BDs are free to play in breakaways, with only a few danger men to watch, and the plan for the traditional BD leadout train at the end is in place. We are all very tired but not hurting; except Eric says he's feeling good. At the free hotel breakfast riders from other teams were overheard talking about "those guys from Wisconsin" and how they were dominating the race.
How it unfolded
Yesterday was the Lakewood RR, the most challenging stage of the Duluth Classic. Masters Cat 3/4 did 5 laps for a total of 62 miles, which is way longer than what we are used to from WCA races. The course was rolling with one steep climb which was reminiscent of the Spring Prairie state RR climb but at least 3 times as long. For some perverse reason the promoter had us start the race at the base of the climb instead of at the top where the finish line was, so we had to climb the hill 6 times. There was much anxiety among the BDs and other teams!
The day started in ominous conditions. Dark grey sky, pouring rain, lightning, cold. The Pro/1/2 race before ours was neutralized and stopped 1 lap early because of lightning-related safety concerns. We smeared on the embrocation and put on the layers and lined up at the base of the wall. The first time up was "neutral" but cries from the back of the group to "slow down guys!" "Hey wait up!" "We're already at 400 Watts!" got only laughter in reply. Happily the rain stopped and the sun started to come out just 15 minutes into our race and it turned out to be a perfect day for bike racing. Unfortunately there was no way for most of us to remove the hot oil on our skin or thermal clothing layers, so we roasted for a few hours.
10 minutes into the 1st lap David found himself in a 6 man breakaway (honest, he wasn't trying!). The 2 other big teams, KMK (Ace Hardware), from Marquette, MI, and local Loon State Cyclists (LSC), were represented in the break, as was Friend-of-BDs Paul Warloski, and Eric Piche (SPBRC), the guy 1 second behind David and Chuck on the GC in 5th. David won the KOM sprint on lap 1 and the break kept on rolling. The LSC rider was dropped, so that team started chasing. KMK-Ace was also not confident in their rider in the break, so they also chased. The peloton caught the break on the hill at the end of lap 2 out of 5.
Half way though lap 3, in the exact middle of the race distance, Chuck rolled off the front. Paul and David soft pedaled and Chuck was soon out of sight on the rolling course. When asked by other teams, BD riders spread disinformation, denying that their rider was up the road. "No, I think that's a rider from another category." The pack slowly realized the real situation and tried to increase the pace, with interference from blocking BDs. Chuck time trialed solo for about 20 miles before the main field finally caught up to him on the steep wall at the end of lap 4, with just one lap remaining.
When Eric saw that Chuck was going to be caught, he attacked at the base of the climb. Two KMK-Ace guys followed his wheel. The race leader (Steven Hiebert, GSCA) was on the right side of the road, somewhat trapped. KMK-Ace and BD riders went to the front and blocked. Eric and the 2 Ace guys in the break went up the road! All looked good for the BDs. Chuck even managed to hang in the group after his long solo.
On the rest of the last lap KMK-Ace and the BDs blocked while a few other teams and solo riders intermittently tried to chase. 2 riders jumped from the pack into the wind and since they were not GC threats we let them go. They eventually finished 4th and 5th on the day. Meanwhile at the front of the race, Eric negotiated a deal: the 3 riders would work together, KMK-Ace would take the stage, and Eric would win the yellow jersey. This plan was welcomed by the 2 KMK-Ace riders, since they started the day way down on GC. 2 miles before the finish David got a front flat but luckily the neutral support car was right there and he was able to chase back on. The last time up the climb Eric told the Ace guy he needed to pick it up if he didn't want Eric to "accidentally" pass him for the win. Ace picked it up and crossed the line first, with Eric in 2nd, which came with a valuable time bonus. The main field finished over 2 minutes later.
It was a beautiful day for the Brazen Dropouts. In the 62 mile race, only 6 miles were ridden without a BD in a leading breakaway. At the end of the day Eric Knuth was in yellow with a 50 second margin over 2nd place and over 2 minutes on 3rd. Improbably (considering his eating habits) David Greenblatt clinched the polka dot King of the Mountains jersey. The BDs have raced well as a team and made their mark on this race.
Cloquet Criterium (Stage 4)
The last stage of the Duluth Classic stage race was a brief 30 minute crit in Cloquet, MN. Our main goal for the day was to make sure that no GC threat got in a serious breakaway. We were also hoping to go for a stage win. Jeff Juntti (KMK-Ace), 2nd place and 50 seconds behind Eric in the GC did try attacking several times, but Damon, Paul, Chuck, and David chased him down and kept the pack together. Showing admirable self-restraint, we ignored the 3 beer growler primes offered during the race, saving our matches for the finish. With two laps to go, a KMK-Ace rider moved to the front and started hammering, perhaps meaning to start a lead-out train for his team. Eric got on his wheel and a gap formed between them and the peloton. Damon was also at the front and let the gap grow, completing the "release attack" maneuver. After pulling to the finish line for 1 lap to go the KMK-Ace rider ran out of steam. Eric decided to put his head down and go for it. The two previous GC leaders, Steven Hiebert (GSCA) and Brett Whyte (River Valley CC), both strong time trialists, tried chasing Eric down, but to no avail. Eric had time at the finish to zip his race leader's jersey and post-up like a pro. Meanwhile, Damon gave a perfect half-lap lead-out, but David, perhaps feeling the effects of the polka dot jersey, sprinted more like Chiappucci than Cippolini, and could do no better than 3rd in the field sprint.
Overall the Duluth Classic was a great experience. The promoter and officials put on a well-run event. The other Masters Cat 3/4 racers were friendly both on and off the bike. Amazingly, during 4 days of racing in windy and sometimes wet conditions, there were no crashes in our field. We raced as a team and Eric rode like a champion, attacking on the wall at the crucial moment towards the end of Sunday's road race to snatch the yellow jersey. The criterium stage win was a nice bonus. We've been training and planning for this stage race for a while, and victory sure feels good.