May 30, 2011 – Quad Cities Criterium, Rock Island, IL
Cat 3 Recap:
The last race of the weekend brought with it sunny skies and a temperature in the 90’s, with a stiff wind to boot. Perfectly harsh conditions and one more opportunity for KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin to assert itself as one of the premier cat 3 road squads in the Midwest.
60 or so riders showed up for what was the largest crit field of the weekend. The course was a flat 8 corner downtown run with no significant straights, which on this day included a headwind on the finishing stretch. Various attacks were initiated by other teams throughout the first half of the race, most of which were brought back by KS, setting a relatively high pace that never seemed to give. About two thirds in, rider Ryan Fay from xXx Racing – AthletiCo would ride off the front, never to be caught, for the solo victory. Jon Heile gave chase but wasn’t able to bridge, settling for a solo 2nd place while just holding off the charging field. Kelby Shaw would win the field sprint in what was yet another strong race by the boys in red.
For the third day in a row, KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin was represented on the podium – today with not just one, but two riders. A great team effort, and a wonderful weekend for the club.
Results:
2. Jonathan Heile (KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin)
3. Kelby Shaw (KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin)
14. Travis Miller (KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin)
17. Joseph Maloney (KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin)
50. John Reynders (KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin)
54. Mark Norton (KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin)
55. Brian Stoveken (KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin)
Kelby Shaw and John Heili celebrate their podium finishes at the Quad Cities Criterium.
After what seemed like an eternity, the bottle is open. Well done.
Your 46th Annual Modern Woodmen Bank Quad Cities Criterium podium finishers
Pro 1, 2 Recap:
On the hot humid day more typical of the Midwest in July than Memorial Day, over 100 racers lines up in Rock Island, IL for the 46th Quad Cities crit including the KS Energy boys in red: Bryan Fosler and Nicholas Frye.
Even with several professional and pro-development teams at the start line, the major player of the day was the heat–by the time the race started, the temperature was well into the 90s, with the heat index closer to the 100 degree mark.
While the pace was slow to start, the Peloton effectively split following several volleys of attacks nearly halfway through the 50 lap crit, allowing almost twenty riders up the road. The breakaway was then attacked again by Team Aerocat, instigating a 3 man move which lapped the field with only several laps to go. In the end Nick ended with a solid finish in the field, and Bryan Fosler succumbed to the heat within the last few laps.
See more photos on our Flickr slideshow.