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With the U.S. Capitol in the background and Pennsylvania Avenue freshly repaved, some of the country's best cyclists battled it out in yesterday's ING Direct Capital Criterium. But while the main attraction was the presence of a number of professional racers -- including Garmin-Chipotle rider Christian Vande Velde, who placed fifth in the Tour de France -- the event capped off what has been a strong year in local racing for area riders and teams.
The morning started with a 35+ Masters race, which was won by local strongman Ramon Benitez of Immediate Mortgage in a daring two-man breakaway that shot free of the main pack on the second lap and stayed away for the remainder of the race. The second event, a Cat 1/2/3 race packed with the area's best cyclists, ended in a sprint finish that was won by Todd Hipp of Battley Harley Davidson.
The day's marquee event saw over 100 of the country's best riders line up to tackle 65 laps on the technical eight-turn course in downtown Washington, including a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue that featured a sweeping 180-degree turn. Among the teams represented were Vande Velde's Garmin Chipotle, Toyota-United, Kelly Benefit Strategies, Rock Racing and local favorites Battley Harley Davidson. While riders and teams jostled for position and launched a number of attacks and counter-attacks, no breakaway stayed away for long. The race ended in a sprint-finish, with Australian rider Hilton Clarke and Canadian Dominique Rollin, both of Toyota-United, taking first and third, respectively. Freddy Rodriguez of Rock Racing claimed second place.
Local racing has seen a strong year in 2008, with a number of impressive achievements. The CSC Invitational celebrated its eleventh running in June, attracting a number of national teams and Magnus Backstedt, the powerful Swede who rides for Garmin-Chipotle. With the Capital Crit now on the schedule, the Washington area has two pro-level races each year.
In August, Bobby Lea, a Maryland native who races for the Rite Aid Pro Cycling Team, competed in the Olympic Games in Beijing in the Madison, a track cycling event. (He also made a name for himself when he appeared in the Beijing airport wearing an air-mask provided by the U.S. Olympic Committee. The Chinese and the USOC were none-too-happy when pictures appeared in the media of the masked Lea; USOC eventually apologized to him for throwing him under the bus during the flap.)
Local team Battley Harley Davidson had a banner year, raking up enough wins to be ranked the top amateur team in the country. And on top of the many races in the region that keep cyclists busy from March through September, the Tour of Washington County in June brought the first multi-stage race to the area.
With Lance Armstrong having announced his return to professional cycling, there is sure to be a spike in local interest in racing. And with a number of great teams and competitive events in the Washington area, there is more than enough to keep amateur racers and budding pros busy.
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From one "budding pro" to another, well done.
Looking forward to next year. See you at the gym.
solid post. there were good crowds all around the race course and I'm sure we'll have even greater numbers next year when the event has developed a bit of a following. Maybe we'll get to see the Mayor in one of next year's races...
According to the organizer's website, this race was 85 laps.
Politburo,
They announced it was 65 laps when the race started. I don't know if they made a mistake on the website or made a last-minute change the day of the race.