Fiordifrutta under-23's

Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks contingent of under-23 riders put in an excellent showing last week at the nation’s premier under-23 events. Oliver writes the below race reports:

Stiler-Cote Podiums at Espoir National Road Race Championships, July 3rd

Four Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks riders traveled to College Station, Texas for the US under-23 national championships. The course was a 50km mostly flat, heat shimmering highway loop that was pounded for four laps totaling 200k, notably the longest espoir nationals in the history of the event. With temperatures over 100 degrees and high humidity the course provided little shade for the 125 starters, and most of the riders knew a long grueling race of attrition was at hand. An early break went from the gun which started with seven riders, among them Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks rider Oliver Stiler-Cote, but by the beginning of the second lap only four remained out front with the gap staying steadily around 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Oliver and the other three riders stayed away for the whole race while the field played tactical games. Mike Dietrich, Josh Gewirtz, and Josh Anthony often covered promising looking moves, but the field never seemed to get a chase group organized. It wasn't until 10k to go that the long time leaders were caught by an aggressive group of three when Darby Thomas, Mike Voigt and eventual winner Jon Erdeyli bridged to the four leading breakaway companions. In the finale, the three pairs of fresh(er) legs that caught Stiler-Cote took out the top 3 places and Oliver was just able to grab a podium spot finishing in 5th. Pieces of the shattered field came in several minutes later with Dietrich winning the sprint from his group and grabbing 20th after a long hot day in the sun.

Top Finishes at Four Bridges of Elgin, July 5th

After nationals, Mike Dietrich, Josh Anthony, Josh Gewirtz and Oliver Stiler-Cote made a 40hr stop at Chicago’s O-hare to compete in the only UCI ranked under-23 race in the states. The competition was nearly the same as nationals but with the added challenge of several Canadian teams and the returning champ Victor Rapinski (Saturn), fresh of his win at the Fitchburg-Longsjo classic the week before. Mike Dietrich went in an early move, grabbing the mid race prime (very lucrative). After some other riders caught his breakaway the winning break of seven split from there and never looked back.

Dietrich made the front group but was caught in a crash when Darby Thomas went down in front of him in a corner. With the race getting blown apart all over the course, Fiordifrutta/Wheelworks found themselves behind, no longer having a rider in the leading group. Oliver Stiler-Cote and Mike Dietrich jumped into the second group with just a few laps remaining of the five-mile course, but the gap was over one minute to the leading five riders and they seemed to be charging hard. Dietrich was working hard on the front hoping to reel them in, but without a group effort by all twelve in the chase group it seemed doomed. In the end Stiler-Cote got away from the chase group in the closing minutes and took 6th place with Dietrich just behind in 12th. Josh Gewirtz was third in the field sprint and posted 20th giving the team three top twenty results and surely 2nd in the team competition (but alas, there was no prize except for the winners!).