2014 Ontario Spring Classic GP: The Race Goes On

"The race goes on, race goes on

Cadence keeps pounding a rhythm to the brain

La de da de, la de da de…"

(with all due apologies to Sonny Bono)

What happens in that gap of time when the bunch races through the start / finish and disappears around the first turn, coming back into view some time later after rounding the final turn. Is there an agreement to soft-pedal, or does the race go on. Ask anyone who has ever been dropped along the backside, away from the prying, accusing eyes of spectators, and they will tell you the race goes on.

When the race disappears from view, there is still plenty going on around the finish line too. Thinking. Thinking about the last race, thinking about the next race, thinking about next weekends race. There is talk of team tactics. There is laughing, and gossiping, eating, and smooching. Basically everything you might expect. Then the race comes into view; attention turns to the action at hand. For as long as the racers are in view, anyway. And so the cyclical course of focus continues, lap after lap, for the duration of the race.

Sometimes when the race flashes by, someone will yell out "you've got to move up, you gotta move up." No, wait, that was from a movie. Well, any way there often are shouted words of advice, or encouragement, especially during the Junior races. Sometimes you have to wonder how much of the talk they actually hear. There was this one race, not long ago, at which someone shouted my name each time I went by. Damned if I know who it was, but I heard it. I was off the back, and it was easy to hear.

Anyway, before this post gets any more weird, lets just get on to the Flickr link - only a select seventy-four are in this one, though there are more on the computer if you don't see what you were looking for. Photos are from the Juniors today, Men 13-14, Women 15-18, Men 17-18, as well as the Masters 50/55+, Cat 4, and some Masters 45+.

Ooops, didn't quite get that one but, can you guess who won the 50+ race?

Jr. Men 17-18 - 1st Ivan Venter, 2nd Chazmichael Morales (Team Rokform), 3rd Efren Flores (LUX/Specialized by Cynergy)

Jr. Men 13-14 - 1st Weston Giem (Major Motion Cycling Club), 2nd Erick Tapia (Bahati Foundation / Win Team Racing), 3rd Eduardo Cruz (Major Motion Cycling Club)

Jr. Women 15-18 - 1st Hannah Swan (Strive Racing), 2nd Rachel Cross (Incycle Racing p/b Full Circle), 3rd Rachel Swan (Strive Racing)

Masters 55+ - 1st Bradley Jones (BBI-SIC Cycling), 2nd David Fetah (Pinnaclife Racing Team), 3rd Jim Williamson

Masters 50+ - 1st Craig Miller (BBI-SIC Cycling), 2nd Marvin Hall (SOS Foundation/Trek), 3rd Bradley Jones (BBI-SIC Cycling)

Cat 4 - 1st Bernard Labansat (PAA-Remax), 2nd Davy Alfaro (S2C/Primal), 3rd Stephen LaCasse (Southern California Velo)