Downer Classic Criterium 2010
Ever since I was a kid I looked up to the guys who raced Downer. The atmosphere is great with huge crowds, live music and lots of cash up for grabs. The back straight is lined with old trees and beautiful homes a few blocks from Lake Michigan and the finish straight rolls right past Cafe Hollander, a few restaurants and lot of bars (this is WI, after all). There also a long history of racing at Downer–I think this is the 40th year. There is typically a large mid-race crowd prime-this year over $5000! I’ve placed on the podium here in 2009 but that was racing masters. This year I wanted to try to make it with the pros. Fortunately, I was able to stay in with the leaders and finish w/o too much trouble. I was concerned about crashes, especially in turn two, which is a near hairpin. Luckily, this year the group was solid and no one went down (at least that I saw). The team rode very well and I tried to get John Acker to the front with 4 and 3 to go but I only managed to just get him inside the top 20. Matt, Jason and of course Kevin rode very well. All made their way near the front on a few occasions. Morgan tail-gunned the entire race but finished w/o looking worse for the wear. The guys learned to communicate better and gained confidence as the series wore on. Everyone was pretty tired but the team is meshing well and we’re all looking forward to racing together more soon.
Hup hup, Wheel & Sprocket!
