April 29, 2005 - Adelphia and Collegiate Racing

Huseby 2nd at Adelphia Grand Prix, Plymouth, MA – April 17th

It was a beautiful day - the nicest of the year and in the 70's. There was nothing to complain about. We had a healthy sized field and three of us representing Fiordifrutta. Donny Mills, Matt White and I were the riders for the day. In the past, this race has always started fast. Team alumna Matt Svatek has initiated a break from the start that stayed to the finish. We knew this was something to watch for. The plan today was to be conservative as there were four or five teams with more than six riders.

On the first lap there was indeed an effort by several to get away. I followed knowing that something this early was unlikely to remain away and we were all caught immediately. On the second or third lap on the descent, my bars slipped and I thought immediately that a bolt had broken as I had hit a severe bump in the road. This altered my hand position seriously and made it necessary for me to ride in the drops for much more of the race than I would normally. Luckily everything was intact and it didn't move again for the rest of the race.

As the race progressed, small groups tried escaping, but it was not to be. Finally, with about 7 laps to go, it started heating up. People were starting to get tired and the Louis Garneau team - a.k.a. the Green Goblins kept sending guys off the front. Finally it stuck and one of their riders was clear. No one made a conscious effort to chase and he remained up the road. With about 4 laps to go, there was a feeling of anxiety in the field and it was apparent that the end of the race was upon us.

Several teams got to the front and drove the pace. We caught the Goblin off the front, and just as we caught him, another Goblin launched. Donny and Whitey got to the front with two laps to go and strung it out. It was great. We were closing in on the pursued. With less than a lap to go we didn't have much left. I was sitting behind these guys and was waiting for the ensuing field sprint. Next, Whitey got back on the front and road off by himself. No one could catch him for nearly half a lap! This was a perfect situation for me as I could just sit in and follow towards the front. I sat in fifth or sixth spot ready to go.

The finish at this race is a long winding decent with a gradual riser and than another swoop down to the finish. I maintained my position down the treacherous descent (it's all broken up pavement) and as soon as we got to the bottom, we had caught Whitey. His effort was tremendous. I waited and then went. I sprinted as hard as I could and crossed the line in 2nd in the group and third overall as the Goblin had somehow managed to stay clear.

Josh Gewirtz writes the following race reports from collegiate racing in Colorado. Gewirtz now leads the Rocky Mountain Conference in points and his hoping to maintain that lead throughout the rest of the season.

New Mexico Race weekend - 3rd for Gewirtz

Clouds and intermittent showers were presented to riders during the opening race of the collegiate season. The days individual time trial saw Josh Gewirtz take 4th place while using no TT equipment. The hilly course was well suited for Gewirtz and he was pleased with his first hard race effort of the year. The next day’s hour-long crit saw a fast race with many riders wanting to prove themselves in this season opener. With 45 minutes remaining Gewirtz broke away with TIAA Creff members Dan Bowman and Zach Graboski and one other C.U boulder rider. The Quartet quickly gained a commanding minute and half on the field and were away for good. In the sprint it was the C.U boulder riding getting the victory, followed by Bowman while an out-teamed Gewirtz had to settle for third. All in all, a good race weekend for Gewirtz.

Gewirtz 3rd at Golden Criterium:

Another criterium in beautiful Golden Colorado was in store for Gewirtz. After taking a tour of the Coors brewing factory and enjoying all the complimentary beverages that this now legal Fiordifrutta rider thought appropriate, he was ready to tackle this flat, open, industrial park crit.
Due to the nature of the course, and the fact that most Colorado amateur teams have little idea as to how to race together, a field sprint was the inevitable answer to this frustrating race. Gewirtz positioned himself in fifth wheel for the last lap and waited to long for the sprint. Due to this tactical error he was unable to take the win but garnered 3rd place for the day.

Another 3rd at Colorado State University Criterium:

The oval criterium course is infamous for being a fast, technical race. However, Fiordifrutta’s Josh Gewirtz was willing to take whatever this course would dish out. 15 minutes through the hour long race Gewirtz found himself in a 12-rider split. Unfortunately the split had 9 riders from C.U boulder, Zach Grabowski, and two others from C.S.U. Not liking the odds of the group, Gewirtz and Grabowski made a pact to attack the break. After 30 minutes of relentless attacking, the group was whittled down to 5 riders, with both Gewirtz and Graboski happy with the work thus far. In the final lap, Grabowski attacked and Gewirtz quickly covered it and countered. Unfortunately Gewirtz could not hold on and had to settle for third place yet again.

Fort Lewis Race Weekend – 2nd for Gewirtz

This evening criterium was broken up into heats of 35 riders each due to the short technical nature of the course in which 20 from each heat would race in a finale. The opening heat saw Fiordifrutta’s josh Gewirtz break away with two other riders and easily qualify for the final. The final heat was aggressive from the start, but Gewirtz, with his relentless attacking broke away with 5 Fort Lewis riders and one Air Force rider for company. Out manned and outgunned, Gewirtz non-the less rode to a 2nd place finish in the group sprint of 5. Pretty bummed about missing the win by half a wheel, but happy with the effort.

The Fort Lewis road race saw collegiate riders tackle a 60-mile race with 5500 feet of climbing. Gewirtz weary of his climbing form, hung in till the half way mark content with his college teammate, Todd Nordbloom covering the first 10 man move of the day. Mid way through the race, Gewirtz now feeling comfortable on the climbs made it up to the lead group of 10 only to find 3 riders off the front with a commanding 4 minute lead. Gewirtz decided it best to race for 4th than risk blowing trying to catch the break which had just 7 miles left of racing. In the final 1.5 mile 13% climb to the finish, Gewirtz attacked his group of 10 to take 4th place for the day. He treated himself to a tasty Burrito and a coke for his effort.