On Friday night a 7 person Hopkins cycling team drove into Blacksburg, VA for the Virginia Tech RR and Crit, unfazed by the blizzard they hit on the drive down and the 30 degree temperatures. The next morning, Katie, Eric, and Janine made it to the course at 7:30 only to find out that the bitter race officials had cancelled due to ice on the road. The team enjoyed the extra sleep, but headed out in the afternoon to take advantage of the Virginian countryside and the below-freezing temperatures. Cliff, Nathan, Ryan, and Jake showed up the race officials by riding for 3.5 hours in the 20+ mph wind, taking on some nasty climbing and nearly freezing their "bippies" off, as Bolster would say. Also, Jake was given the "trooper of the day" award for his toughness in that ride. Gou and Katie, dressed in as many layers as possible, enjoyed a few hours of rolling Virginia hills, but eventually needed to be rescued after huddling next to an open post-office for 20 minutes.Ê That night the team was joined by James and Faisal, who showed their commitment to cycling by driving 5 hours for the next day' s 30 minute criterium.

The criterium on Easter Sunday went ahead as planned, despite the 28 degree weather and 15 mph wind. The mile course took place in a corporate parking lot and featured a slight incline and decline on both sides of the almost-square lot, 5 bearable turns, and one sharp turn close to the finish that took out many strong riders.

The Men's C race started well, with Eric, Jake, Faisal, and James representing Hopkins. Once the pack began to separate, the conference director, Ruth, acting as the race official, began to show her fondness for pulling people. The riders put up a good fight, but Eric, Jake, and Faisal were finally pulled after a grand total of 9 minutes on the course, placing 22nd, 25th, and 28th respectively. James was fueled by the leftover excitement from his 20th birthday celebration the day before and went neck-to-neck with the competition to score in 2 primes and secure a strong 8th place finish.

Next, Janine joined the Women's B field for a race that ultimately only 4 women were allowed to finish. Janine worked with a Navy rider and a Georgetown rider in order to hang on for 19 minutes before their last lap was called, and placed 9th overall. In the Women's A race Katie showed off her strength and pacing ability by leading the pack for the first 5 laps. After Katie placed in the first prime, a UVA rider led a break that spread out the competition for the rest of the race. Ruth pulled the slower riders from the race, but Katie matched up with another strong rider and worked her way to a 7th place finish.

The day ended with an eventful Men's A race, featuring Cliff, Ryan, and Nathan. The race started well, giving the riders time to learn how to take the final turn at break-neck speed (and the many riders that didn't figure it out were taken out by hay bales and/or other riders). Cliff put in a solid effort, placing 28th, and took advantage of his early finish to help cheer on his teammates. Ryan did a great job of sticking with the main pack until he gave the crowd something to talk about by blowing out his wheel on the infamous turn. Even after a stop at the wheel pit, he was able to jump back into the competition and place 18th. During all this, Nathan had an impressive performance when he led the main pack in catching a breakaway with a 10 second lead. He was holding steady in the front of the remaining pack of 12 riders for the last 30 minutes of the race, and would have certainly finished beautifully if he hadn't flatted with 4 laps to go (again, on the dangerous turn). Even with his flat he had a very successful race, placing 10th and scoring in 4 primes.

Criterium Results:
All in all, Hopkins put out a solid performance on a technical crit course that helped keep the team in the running to be conference champions (currently ranked third!). And even though the combined race time of all the team members adds up to less than 5 hours total, they get huge props for competing in conditions that kept many riders from other teams at home.

Men's C, field of 32: James (8th - primes: 2nd, 4th), Gou (22nd), Jake (25th), Faisal (28th)
Women's B, field of 12: Janine (9th)
Women's A, field of 8: Katie (7th - primes: 3rd)
Men's A, field of 29: Nathan (10th - primes: 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 4th), Ryan (18th), Cliff (DNF)