 |
George Eugenio, Jeff Lancero and Frank Gatdula
of the Luzvimin Racing Team |
Unfortunately there were only three of us
in the 35+ 3/4/5 race. It was a very nice day and we had our favorite location next to the bank.
We had a pop up canopy for even better shade.
George Eugenio and Jaimer Rodriguez from Los Angeles came to race the elite 4 and 35+ 3/4/5.
Our three man team had a plan to stay in the front in the 35+ race. George Eugenio, just
fresh from his elite 4 race, was our inspiration to work hard. We positioned ourselves in the top 20 in
a 100 plus field. I think we started with more than 100 masters! The biggest field I've been in in my racing
career - as an amateur. It was so large that I could hear the announcer telling the spectators
the peloton was like a train occupying the whole .7 mile course.
Anyway, I tried to enjoy the race while I could because right at the very start,
the pace was so fast it strung out the whole field before making
it back to the start/finish.
It was so fast that I quickly slipped to the back on the second lap. It was amazing to
see my speedometer going at 30-32 mph at the straightaway while making the turns
at 25+ mph.
George Eugenio was so strong he was able to battle it out with the big boys and cat 3's
in the front while I was hanging on for my dear life in the back. And this in only in the third lap!
I was hoping it would slow down after three to four laps but it just got faster. So after
the fourth lap I decided to join some of the guys that were dropped earlier and waited for them.
I was also lucky Jeff waited for me to pull me back to the pack but it was just too hard and too
fast. At one point we were chasing at 27 mph but it seemed as if we were being chased from
behind by the front of the main pack. It was that fast and it was strung out the whole time.
There were about 30 of us who would have loved to stay and finish the race but the officials decided
to pull us out for safety reasons.
Everybody knows the Davis Criterium is a very technical and fast race. I've been trying to finish
this race with the pack for the last 10 years and have not been successful. There is something about
this race that makes me come back every year, knowing that it is a hard course with lots of crashes.
I'll be back next year to try my luck again and see if I can finish the race with the pack.
