2019 Nevada City Bicycle Classic

Picking up where the story left off, Tom Petty continued to doze on the steps, napping as only a cool cat can do. He knew the race was going on, and could open his eyes for a peek whenever a swarm of wheels hummed past his lazy perch. It was late in the day now, the Pro men out on the circuit. Even cat-napping, I bet Tom knew what was going on. Sometimes though, when you are focused on framing photographs, it can be hard to "see" what is right in front of you, yet as I looked back at the shots later there were the three protagonists, again and again, watching one another at the front of the race.

From nearly the get go of the race, when Marc Pro Cycling's #89, William Myers, decided to do a little solo shredding of the field the race had resolved itself into small clusters of leaders and chasers. Whether that damage wrought to legs and minds at the beginning of the race, played a role in limiting the number of challengers at the fateful end, or whether the hill repeats did that on its own is a question for individual riders but, by five laps in, the struggles were becoming evident.

Before that finale, though, let us back up. The 2019 Nevada City Bicycle Classic played out with its usual enthusiasm, the community rallying to get it done with the same energy and dedication for which it has been known since the very first race in 1961. At the same time the numbers of race entrants may very well have been the lowest ever. That is a problem carried over from the previous few editions, one that is, largely, mirrored all around the country, one for which a solution is yet to be found. I talked a couple times with locals who were big fans of the race, but who confessed their disappointment  in its recent decline - remember, this is a race that, in its heyday, attracted America's top racers, with the likes of Greg Lemond, Lance Armstrong (until his win was revoked), Todd Gogulski, Scott Moninger, Alexi Grewal, Levi Leipheimer and Ian Boswell, all tallied on its honor roll of champions. Riders of all calibers have come to Nevada City from all around the country because the race, the course, and the competition offer challenges seen in but very few other one day events. The reconstituted Cascade Classic may have drawn off some competitors this year but, whether it has to do with date changes, prize money, or something else, some answer will need to be found if the race is to do anything more than limp into its seventh decade.

Sometimes it is just a matter of riding out the lull. The good news is the town, the races many and varied sponsors, and the locals who come out in support still back the race and are enthused that, after all this time, it is still a home-grown effort, something they can call their own with some pride.

Christian Tafoya going through gear check

Walter Rozek races past of old fire house

Wyatt Hamilton

Massimo Morson

The Juniors races were the first of the afternoon events with the men's 17-18 category offering a tight competition all the way to the end of its eighteenth lap. Riley Mullen (Team Swift) won that race by a mere second over Cameron Adams (Bear Development / Trek), with Quinn Felton (Peninsula Velo Racing) a meager eight more seconds back. The men Cat 4/5 and Masters 35+ 3/4/5 ran the course in a combined field. In winning the Cat 4/5 race Patrick Hecht also had the fastest time of both groups. Following Hecht across the line came Garret Smith in 2nd, and Nathan Barton in 3rd. In the 35+ race, Callum Ingram (Velo Reno p/b Tamarack Junction) took the win, ahead of David Brookes (Chico Cycling Team) and Mike Guidicelli (Victory Velo).

A combined race of women Cat 4/5, 35+ 3/4/5 and 45+ 3/4/5 sounds like it was probably a good sized field but there were only four racers, three of them in the Cat 4/5 race. Stella Sisneros rode a superb race for the win, ahead of Sarah Krtil (Davis Bike Club Racing Team) and Mariah Abolt (Chico Cycling Team).

The Cat 3/4 men came up next in a race won by Jeremy Pond (Phoenix Cycling Systems) who finished almost a full two minutes ahead of the second placed finisher. Laps in the Cat 3/4 race were being run at an average time of 2.33 minutes. Zach Rosen (San Jose Bicycle Club) crossed the line in 2nd, with Nicholas Spano (unatt) in 3rd. Only those top three finished on the same lap.

The largest race of the day, as it often is, was the combined Masters 35+, 45+ and 55+ for Cats 1-3. The 35+ race, in particular, was an exceptionally close one with the top six men all finishing within five seconds of one another. Jose Cuevas (unatt) had just enough to outsprint David Grundman (Peet's Coffee Racing Team) by a single second for the win. Gregory White and Travis Lee finished tied, another two seconds back. In the 45+ race Jonathan Baker (Touchstone Racing) won with a seven second margin over Jay Newton (Peet's Coffee Racing), and Brian Rouse (Victory Velo) in 3rd. Robert Pasco took the win in the 55+ race with a three-minute gap to 2nd place Lawrence Nolan. Andre Tenthorey (Sacramento Golden Wheelmen) took 3rd.

The women's Pro/1/2/3 and women 35+ 1/2 was the penultimate race of the day and, again, there were only four competitors. The race quickly became a three way competition and, while there were some testing attacks during the race, the three kept together until the final charge to the line where Eleanor Velez took the win. She told the Nevada City Union, "I love this race" specifically because of its hills.

And that brings things back full circle, to the men Pro/1/2 race. Kirk Carlson (Team California), Tyler Williams (unatt), and Gavin Murray (Marc Pro Cycling) had kept close watch on one another, pretty much throughout the entire race. As I look at photos I see the three of them, time and again, lap after lap, together at the front of the race. On the final lap Murray, as quoted in the Union, said "at the very top of the hill I was just gassed, but they still had some bullets to burn. They attacked on the downhill," at which point Murray admitted that he could not close the gap and would be settling for 3rd. Coming around the final turn, however, he saw everyone on the ground. Due to circumstances not of his doing, Murray's 3rd had suddenly turned into a 1st. If his sprint to the line seemed a little subdued to the many spectators crowding both sides of the street, I think we can attribute it to shock and surprise, maybe even a little regret that the win came to him in the manner that it did. He rode a good race, though, and will forever have his name on the honor roll of former champions of the Nevada City Bicycle Classic.

Trinity Gleckler

with a backdrop of cascading foliage, Jonathan Baker leads the charge up the hill

Susannah Breen, Jenni Hartwig, Eleanor Velez (front to back)

leading the cheers

women's pro race finish

Gavin Murray, in the wake of the crash down the hill, came across the line almost undetected as the race winner, humbly deferring any sign of victory celebration

Gavin Murray

Finally, I was unable to narrow down the selection to any less than 218 photos for the album; you can find them here.