Race Report: Moose Jaw Spring Classic

Three STCr's: Tom "Breakaway" K., Brent T., and Darcy G., and one loyal girlfriend, Stephanie, (she's with Brent. Tom's married and I'm, well, not doing so good in that area of my life. But I digress...) made the drive to Moose Jaw for the first Sask Cup race of the season this past weekend. Here's a recap of the proceedings:

Hill Climb TT: The first race, held under sunny skies, was a short, 3 km TT with a sharp, 12% climb out of the coulee at the end. We all laid it down as hard as we could, with Tom crossing the line in 3rd, me in 4th, and Brent in 5th. A good solid start for all of us.

Murray GM Crit: After grabbing some post-race food, going on a tour of Tunnels of Moose Jaw and soaking in the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa, we headed to the loacl GM dealership for the crit. Clouds were rolling in, and the rain started coming down, but the crit went ahead as scheduled.

This is probably the most unique course I've ever ridden. The course was coned right in the dealership parking lot, weaving around the inventory. At just over 500 metres long with six turns, it was a tight, twisty course with a good chance of crashing into the side of a GMC truck. But, Brent and I managed to stay upright, with Brent showing great form in front of his fan club from Regina for third place finish, and me rolling in for 7th with an SK junior who rode an awesome race. Tom was the smart one, cheering from the sidelines. Even with the rain coming down, I don't believe there was a single crash in any race.

Road Race: Sunday afternoon's road race started at the 15 Wing air base south of Moose Jaw. A fairly flat course with a couple of punchy climbs, a lead group of eight formed about 5 km in. "Breakaway" Tom went on a solo effort for about 7 kms, Brent and I ran some interference, but he was caught by the pack after an unfortunate detour at one of the turns. At the base of the final climb I misjudged my line in the corner, grabbed too much brake, got slightly gapped, but managed to chase back for 5th place. Tom rolled in for 4th, and Brent was 8th. Of special note are the two young juniors and the 71 year-old master's racer who hung with the lead group. It was very, very impressive.

Congratulations to all the winners in all the Cats, and a big thanks to Western Cycle Development Team, the Moose Jaw Pavers, and the Saskatchewan Cycling Association for putting on a great race. It was a bit of reunion for me, as I working at a college just west of Moose Jaw for a few years, and got to touch base with a lot of old friends.