PHOTO UPDATE: I took a bunch of photos at the race. I put them up on Flickr just to make it easier.
Click on photo for more pictures
I have to say it was a great day for racing. The day started with the men's 3/4 race and it started off fast. Guys were getting dropped on the first lap. With a starting field of 80, only 20 made it to the finish (you got pulled off the course pretty quickly, as it was going so fast). Iron Hill had a great day with 5 riders in that finishing pack. The guys rode hard (and you can thank Jim for that hard start). About half way thru, a solo break got away and it stuck. He had a great gap averaging about 20 seconds and he just kept a strong tempo the rest of the race.
Matt finished in the pack, one place shy of a payout (but better than last year) and he looked great in the race. Marty finished the highest and congrats to Keith for his finish (Keith crashed on the first turn last year). Kyle and Jason also made it to the finish with great finishes! Great job guys!!
We caught the end of the women's pro race and I understand there was a pretty bad crash in that one. By the time we caught the race the field was down to about 15 riders (and I think they started with about 50... haven't verified that tho'). A lot of attacks on that one and it was a very exciting final couple of laps.
The men's pro race also got off to a very quick start and watching them race as the sun slowly set was fabulous. Those guys even warm up fast! Again, the pace started high and the pack got thinner and thinner as the sun was setting. A two man break got away and it stuck with a final move on the final straight... a perfect strategy. A stunning, exciting race. I actually tried to get photos of the men's race, but due to the speeds, the photos all came out blurry (which is how I accidently got the video).
Everyone was beat by the end of the day, and my throat is a little gruff from all the cheering, but it was a fabulous time. Great job by the Iron Hill Brewery for hosting one of my favorite races (to watch.... glad I wasn't racing!)
Here's a link to the Philly Inquirer with a video of the Iron Hill guys leading off the cat 3/4 race.
