Barrio Logan Grand Prix - Elite Crit Championship - May 6, 2006
By Nate Deibler, SoCalCycling.com Team
“This course is perfect for a break to stay away, because it's easier for a small group to maneuver through all the turns than the peloton.” I kept what my SoCalCycling.com teammate, Anthony Morrow said to me before the race in mind as we started the 80 minute State Championship race. It is a technical course with a gradual climb that takes its toll doing it 30 times.
The first few laps saw several attacks and everyone was on the throttle. After my teammate, Chris DeMarchi (SoCalCycling.com) took a couple primes, I rolled across for one. I stayed near the front and shortly realized that I was spending too much energy that early on. I rolled off the front and thought I would drift back a few spots. As the group came around me, I suddenly realized I was being gapped out. What I thought was simply the front of the peloton had become a break. I quickly decided there were the right guys in the break to make it stick and I better work to get back on. The break included brothers Kyle (Health Net) and Brandon Gritters (Hi-Tech Bikes/5 Star Fish) and Patrick Caro (United Cycling Club) and we all started to put the hammer down.
We heard 15 seconds, the gap we had on the field, and I knew it would stick, but it would be hard. About 10 laps later, we started to see the field on the figure 8 course. We knew we were going to lap the peloton, as we still had about 30 minutes left at that point. I knew my SoCalCycling.com teammates were making it easier to lap the field, by slowing down the main group.
These riders lapped the field in the Pro 1/2 race and ended up on the podium
at the Barrio Logan Grand Prix. L-R) 2nd Chris McDonald (Karl Strauss/SDBC),
1st Kyle Gritters (Health Net) and 3rd Nate Deibler (SoCalCycling.com).
photo © SoCalCycling.com
We picked up the pace as we saw a group of four get off the front of the peloton due to a crash. We did not want them to lap the field with us. My legs started to get tight and I knew I couldn't hang on much longer if we didn't catch the peloton soon. The other strong guys in the break kept the hammer down and we lapped the field.
As soon as we did, Karl Strauss/ SDBC went to the front and drove the field to keep the second break within reach. Chris McDonald, from that team, was in our break so they wanted to protect him and we kept the other break from lapping the field. The last three turns into the final sprint were gnarly as the field got bunched up. I moved up on the inside through turn 7 to put myself in good sprint position. Kyle Gritters still had gas and took first in the peloton even after lapping the field with us. Chris McDonald used his team's train to pull him into second and I rolled across for third.
