The Glendora Twilight Criterium
What the heck happened to the unusually cool morning, i ask. By the time the afternoon hours came around, particularly the two o'clock hour when the first race (women's cat 3/4/5) of the first Glendora Twilight Criterium got underway, cool was a distant memory, and typical August hot was back. I mean sure I, along with many others, were saying "cool, local racing again!" But, you know, different "cool" entirely. I saw a guy finish his race, collapse down on a patch of shady grass and just melt into it; it only took a few minutes and he was gone. I never knew such a thing could happen. Just a sort of shadow, a darkening of the grass where he'd lain, was all that remained.
The only thing as hot as the air temperature was the racing action. No less than two of the pre-main event races saw breaks not only succeed, but succeed in such glorified manner that the escapees lapped their respective race fields, some of them lasting virtually the entire race. Others, most notably the Cat 3 race were fantastic displays of team strategy, with still others ending in field sprints that had everyone watching from the sidelines on their feet cheering their favorites. In that Cat 3 race, the host team - Go Fast, seemed to come in with a plan, with Fabricio Curtis going away very early, solo. The spectators had already witnessed some duo success stories in earlier races and, with four more Go Fast teammates doing their best to hamper the chase efforts back in the bunch, must have been wondering if this would be the first solo win of the day especially as, lap after lap, Curtis kept the gap he had built. A solo win was not in the card, though, and eventually the group came back together. Once it did, the second part of the plan was put into play, as Curtis's teammate, Alex Rodriguez took his turn jumping away. Like Curtis, Rodriguez too, quickly opened a big gap, a gap that would not be closed by those who still wished to chase, giving Rodriguez, Curtis and the Go Fast team a very deserved win. Tim Gutierrez (HitSquad Racing p/b Birdworx) was best of the rest, finishing 2nd, and Egan Little (Velo La Grange) 3rd.
The women Cat 3/4/5 race was the first of the afternoon and, though it evolved into the appearance of a two racer attack, it was more a matter of attrition with racers gradually falling off under the relentless heat, humidity and pace. There were multiple reshufflings, but eventually, eleven became seven, then five, three, two and finally one. Bailey Hinz (Go Fast) and Courtney Sullivan (Incycle MAMIS) must have sensed that victory was in their grasp as they circled the course lap after late lap, much like a vulture might sense its next meal while circling high in the sky. At the end Hinz, from Las Vegas, showed that she had a little more to give, opening a lead and taking a solo win, while Sullivan held off any last second threat from what remained of the chase to finish 2nd. Rebecca Nishide (Team Endure Racing) finished 3rd.
The men's Cat 4/5 race was the second of the afternoon, and brought out the second largest field of the day, only eclipsed by the gathering for the men's Pro/1/2/3 race. This was the first race with a true breakaway win, with Ryan Karlsberg (unatt) and Rafael Montiel (Southbay Wheelmen / Chevron) not just breaking free of the bunch, but lapping the field to boot. Once that happened, we might have expected that the two would relax the remainder of the race, sit in and wait for the final lap to challenge one another for the win. While Montiel might have been fine with that, young Mr. Karlsberg had other ideas and immediately rode through the bunch to continue his attack. On this day 2nd would have to suffice for Montiel. Meanwhile, sensing opportunity when it came knocking, Alexander Conn (USC Cycling) made his best effort to latch on to the wheel of Karlsberg who continued to extend his lead. The smile on his face as Karlsberg crossed the line one final time was well deserved. Conn's quick thinking earned himself 3rd spot on the podium.
Cat 4 1st and 2nd round turn 2
The heat of the afternoon was really beginning to be felt by the time the Masters 50+ and 60+ race took to the start line and, as we see time after time, age is no excuse for slowing down (no, i was not out there with them, so i suppose i must excuse myself from that sentiment). Anyway, this combined field, and though there were some surprising DNF's, did a much better job of keeping it together all the way to the end. Not that there weren't attack attempts now and then, but those were quickly neutralized by the most veteran of the day's racers. Patrick Bos (HitSquad Racing p/b Birdworx) grabbed the 1st place prize from the 50+ field, followed by Anthony Freeman (Big Orange Cycling) in 2nd, and Kevin Phillips (Ironfly) 3rd. Alan Flores (Creative Blue Racing) won from the 60+ers, with Jon Nist (Titan Racing / Cadence Cycling) 2nd, and Michael Araluce (Davis Phinney Foundation Masters Cycling) 3rd.
Always one of the most competitive races on any give day, if not also one of the fastest, the Masters 40+ Cat 1-4, had its share of former national champions who we might have expected to challenge for the win. Unfortunately for them, big Max Hernandez (Go Fast), Eric Anderson (Bahati Foundation), and one of the Shockwave riders (whose name i regrettably did not get), had plans of their own which did not include waiting for a bunch sprint. The Shockwave racer could not hold the relentless pace of his fellow attackers and, eventually, fell back into the fold. Hernandez and Anderson, though, continued on to lap the field. Once that happened a field sprint finale was assured, and with 1st and 2nd already wrapped up (only the order still to be determined), everyone else was simply racing for 3rd. As might have been expected by many, Charon Smith won that sprint and the 3rd place that came with it; Anderson was able to out-duel Hernandez for the win.
David Worthington interviews Steve Hegg
Go Fast success
The sun was setting, and the lights were coming on when the women's Pro/1-3 race took their turn to circle the course. Perhaps it was marginally cooler by then, aided by a bit of an evening breeze, but i don't know, by then i was dragging myself from photo op to photo op as it was. Those women though, they sure did not look like they were much affected. Holly Breck (L39igion of Los Angeles) got things going with the fastest of starts, a solo attack allowing her to collect money prime after money prime as lap by lap the race wore on. With the likes of Colleen Gulick (Team Skyline / Cadence) Chloe Patrick (UCI CTW / CYNISCA Cycling) and Shelby Tinstman (Incycle) three of many contributing to the chase, Breck's time alone, though lengthy, was doomed to ultimately be limited. The resultant field sprint finale, saw Gulick take the win by a narrow margin from Breck, with Patrick 3rd, Tinstman 4th, Mary Joyce Monton (Golden State Blazers) 5th, and Courtney Sullivan, capping her earlier 2nd place finish with a 6th place finish here.
Women Pro/1/2/3, Holly Breck
Women Pro/1/2/3, chasing
I was done by then, hungry, thirsty and, if there was any possibility of getting out to the Sunday races, i was going to have to forgo the men's Pro/1-3 race which, none-the-less, was won by Justin Williams (L39ion of Los Angeles) from Alex Akins (Waldo Racing) 2nd, Amaette Iffliok-Obong Nsek 3rd, Romero Giovanni 4th, Jacob Timmerman 5th, Cory Williams 6th, and all the others. It must have been some speed fest, as seventeen of the starting racers (some big names among them) did not finish - only twenty-nine of the starters managing to survive.
One hundred eighty photos made it into the race album, which is here.
By the way, congratulations (and thanks) to Go Fast, Patrick Caro, and the City of Glendora for bringing racing back to our local foothill communities. If today was any judge of what might be possible in the future, this first Glendora Twilight Criterium was a great success.
the best thing about downtown crits - extra spectators cheering everyone on
Really enjoyed your write-up on the Glendora Twilight Criterium your descriptions of the racing atmosphere, the lights, and the crowd energy make me feel like I was there. Thanks for sharing all the little details that bring the place to life.
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