2016 Majestic Criterium

What if you threw a crit and no one showed up? Well, for one thing it would suck. It would make you wonder if it was worth the effort.

Is this what the death of USAC looks like? Probably not, but it certainly does not inspire optimism. Kudos, though, go out to Majestic Cycling for finding a venue where they could do more than just your boring old four-corner layout. And while those who came out to race, beneath the a sun that had some bite to it, may have found it easier to dig in for a placing, I wish there had been more. At one point I realized the birds in the trees were making more noise than the wheels and chains of the passing peloton, not to mention the hush from the scattering of spectators.

It was not all discouraging, thankfully. The racing action was still there - both the Masters 55+/60+ and the 45+ fields spit out successful 2-man breaks, while both the Cat 4 (once they got going) and Junior 17-18 races were full of attacks and counters.

Unfortunately the small size of the fields did not afford great opportunities for photos of actual competition - there are some, but the majority are, or will be when the album is ready, of individual riders. I wish there were more, if for nothing else than as acknowledgement of the efforts of Majestic; that will need to wait for next time.

Michael Birditt and Steven Strickler made their own little break and drove it all the way to the end where...

we had to be reminded that they did not need to contest the finish against one another - same race, different category - Birditt (60+), Strickler (55+)

In the 45+ race Marvin Hall gave a lesson in cornering with speed, and then, by outsprinting the field, pulled a broom from his back pocket, sweeping the podium for his G3 Foundation/Trek team - teammates Josh Gruenberg and Steven Strickler having already taken the top two steps.

The Flickr album has seventy-one photos in it, all from the Masters 55+/60+, Masters 45+, Cat 4, and Junior 17-18 races.