report by: Andy Munas
The Wilmington Grand Prix is a big event that keeps getting bigger every year. In year’s past, it was just a criterium – albeit a very very hard crit. This year the race has grown into a 3 day Omnium Race: a Time Trial, the Criterium, and a Road Race. The New England Category 2 racers opted to race closer to home this weekend (which worked out perfectly – they helped bring home a win for Peter Bell at the New England Classic – Lake Sunapee Road Race). But it left me flying solo for this Category 2 Omnium weekend, but I was ready for anything.
The Time Trial was held in a downtown park in Wilmington, DE and featured at least a dozen very technical turns, cobblestones, and one very steep cobbled climb… all packed into a short 5 kilometers. I arrived early to set up a tent, because the weather was calling for storms throughout the day. And the weather did not disappoint – if it wasn’t a torrential downpour, there was always the threat just on the horizon. As I warmed up the rain and sun fought a battle that luckily, the sun won just in time for my start. As I got to the start, I knew it was going to be tough because the course was still soaked and it was still drizzling on and off. I prepared myself for each corner thinking of them as resting points so I didn’t go too hard and take myself out on the slick cobbles and pavement. The rest was a matter of going as fast as possible, taking it right up to the red-line, and it was all over in 7 minutes and left me in 10th when all was said and done.
My effort in the Time Trial rewarded me with 10th in the Omnium for the weekend. This was perfect coming into the Criterium, because I knew that the top Omnium guys would be watching each other and the race would be predictable but still within reach if I could get a good result. The race started extremely fast as it always does, and the field had split in two by the half way mark. I was careful to stay in front of splits the whole race, but always trying to conserve energy on the demanding 8-turn, hilly course. The conservation paid off, with no significant splits occurring in front of my position and I was ready for the inevitable field sprint. I am not the best field sprinter in the world, but I muscled and out-smarted my competitors to get into the 5th wheel with only two turns remaining. I was ready for a go at the podium, when the rider in front of me gapped a wheel and started losing ground with 300 meters to go. I had to go a little early, but still was able to come around and hold off the rest of the field for 4th.
After the Criterium, I was sitting solidly in 2nd in the Omnium, with only the road race remaining. The road race was a mostly flat affair, that meandered south and hugged the swampy coastline of Delaware, before hitting the Dover Air Force Base and turning back for Wilmington. I was tired from the past few days, and with no teammates I was content to try for the field sprint again. There was one “hill” on the bridge over the canal to the Port of Wilmington and it served as the King of the Mountains sprint line. I avoided going for this sprint, which cost me missing out on the big breakaway of the day that left with 20 miles remaining on the return trip over the bridge. This move consisted of 10 riders to start, but the field was charging fast and brought back all but 2 of these riders right before making the turn back into Wilmington. I hesitated one moment too long on the last turns of the race, and found myself caught behind a rider crashing into barriers. I managed to slip by, but had to sprint around so many people just to reach the front of the race again. By that time, we were crossing the finish line and I found myself in 25th place.
The disappoint of the road race sunk in when I saw the results. If I could have finished in the top ten, I would have been on the podium, maybe even won the race overall. As it stood, I had to settle for 7th in the Omnium, but that’s bike racing – sometimes luck plays a factor.
