Race Report: Rolling Thunder
Redmond's Not the Only Good Spot for an Evening of 'Cross
MISSOULA, MT- The Garden City played host to the 2nd Annual Rolling Thunder Cross Race, hosted by the University of Montana Cycling Team on Saturday night. There was a great atmosphere and the racing was exciting and entertaining. The first race was the Men's B and it looked to be a competitive one. The pre-race favorite was Bob Presta (ENSO Racing) but he would just miss the mark, finishing up in second place.
He was overtaken by a flying Chris Connelly (Montana State University Cycling), who used superior technical skills to distance himself from the field. Holding on for third, was Erik Digby (Five Valley Velo). He benefited from a great start, and showed determination holding onto that third spot. In fourth was Kyle Shannon (Five Valley Velo) who had a nice solid race. Murphy Woodhouse (Five Valley Velo) battled with Matt Shryock for fifth, with Murphy winning the last podium position.
Next up were the women's and master's races. Chance Cook (Flathead Cycling) took a huge lead and never let up in the master's race while looking impressive all race long. Holding true to form, John Weyhrich (Five Valley Velo) was second, followed by John Fiore (Montana Velo), Scott Smith (Rimrock United Racing), and Tom Sullivan (Five Valley Velo). Tom traded bikes halfway through the race and powered through most of the field to take the last podium spot.
In the Women's A/B race the battle many had anticipated never played out. Lisa Curry (GAS/Intrinsik Architecture) took the hole shot and never looked back. It was the most impressive performance of the night as she dominated the field and made the technical sections look easy. In second, was crowd favorite Heidi Gaskill (unattached) who had a solid race, and wore a sweet outfit. After Heidi, was Michelle Richardson (Montana Velo), Allison Bealle (unattached), and Megan Gaskill (Five Valley Velo).
There were all sorts of surprises in the Men's A race as Clint Muhlfeld (Sportsman's Ski Haus/Cannondale) was in control all night long. Even with a couple mechanicals, when Clint was on his bike he looked like he was in charge. Doug Shryock (Northern Rockies Orthopedics) gave him a challenge, but it just wasn't meant to be. The closest Shryock got was when Muhlfeld switched bikes allowing him to pass before the pit of despair. Shryock held the lead for a couple laps while Muhlfeld slowly reeled him in. Muhlfeld sat on Shryock's wheel a while as road tactics came into play. Muhlfeld waited until the right moment and gapped Shryock for good.
In an impressive third place was Frank Gonzalez (Montana Velo). At one point Gonzalez came painfully close to catching the two leaders and he looked strong from start to finish. In a surprising appearance, Jamul Hahn (Northern Rockies Orthopedics) took fourth. He flew through the course, and didn't really have to defend his position.
John Curry (GAS/Intrinsik Architecture) rounded out the top five. It's a case of what might have been for Curry as he had a dropped chain on the first couple laps, falling out of the top ten. He battled all race long however and was able to pass people to finally finish fifth. The battle for sixth was fun to watch as Toby Meierbachtol (University of Montana Cycling) ended up overtaking Ben Parsons (Sportsman's Ski Haus/Cannondale) in the final barrier section.
