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2nd Place EXPERT
Men Senior II 27-34
Ransom Weaver - GUY'S BICYCLES |
Date: June 3, 2001 Event: Guys Racing Summer Classic Name: Ransom Weaver City: Philadelphia State/Province: PA Country: USA Age: 32 CLASS +/or Age group: Senior II Men 27-34 |
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Category: Expert
Team: Guy's Bicycles
XC Race Bike: Schwinn Homegrown
Tires: IRC Mythos
Email: weaver@lrsm.upenn.edu
Did you do anything special (apart from the whole training lifestyle) to prepare for this race?
I skipped rowing practice this morning
Did you like the way Guy's ran each category separately to reduce traffic due to the large turnout?
It was no sweat getting by the slower Sr1's. 3 minutes was plenty of time for things to get stretched out.
Were you happy with your choice of tires?
I don't have any others, but they seemed to work well. I like mud anyway.
What was your favorite part of the course?
I especially liked the part early in the lap where, after zipping down over a wooden bridge, there was a low hump where you could catch some air before rolling up a bigger set of humps. Whee! That and the Sandy fast parts.
Were you strong from start to finish?
First lap I seemed to be moving well, with Johnny Guentner the only one following. Then I had a minor fall and Johnny caught up after a bit. We were together for the first 2 laps, with him gapping me up the steep bits and I would roll on again after a while. Then I had a few incidents of chainsuck and I lost him. After I figured out how to ride the whole lap in the big ring, things got going smoothly again. At the finish after 3 laps Ryan DeWald (post flat-fixing) caught me and I latched onto him for the last two laps. That always perks me up when I can follow a pro. Guentner's ride was unstoppable though (would have been 3rd in pro, and had to pass the whole Sr1 field?)
Did you have any interesting experiences during your race (exchanges with competitors/spectators)?
I almost knocked Kristine Oesterling to the ground, but she was fortunately good natured about it. Everyone was great about letting me by when I was chasing Guentner.
When did you put the hammer down?
I tried to get as far up as I could at the start (5th or so into the singletrack) then moved to the front and tried to groove it in. Then when Guentner came up I was just working to hold on to him.
Did you have any unusual problems?
Chainsuck! But given the conditions that doesn't really qualify as unusual.
How would you rate the course?
It was fab and I really didn't mind the slipperiness.
Were you happy with the way the race was run?
Its hard to imagine it going off more smoothly, even with the slight delay (1/2hr?)
Is there anything you would like to add?
Thanks to all the Guy's volunteers from the road and multisport groups for making it all happen so well.