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Hit the road pedaling

FLC cycling picks up two wins and builds toward nationals

Colorado Mesa stormed the gates of Fort Lewis College’s Squawker Classic over the weekend, winning four of the six events.

FLC took first in the other two races to start to build momentum toward Collegiate Road Nationals on May 2-4 in Richmond, Va.

“I think it was a great team effort,” FLC road coach Ian Burnett said. “It seemed like they really started to bond after a couple of weekends racing together.”

Renan Maia capped the weekend with a victory in the Collegiate Men’s A road race Sunday for the Skyhawks.

The course started in FLC’s Business/Education Hall parking lot before wrapping around Rim Drive, College Drive and climbing back up 8th Avenue to the starting line.

Maia’s teammate Andrew Hammond broke away early, but Maia chased him down.

“He’s really strong going down the hills, but on the climbs he’s not very strong,” Maia said. “He was helping me out going down, and on the climb I just passed him. I went as hard as I could all the way to the end.”

The pair rode together for much of the race’s middle laps before Maia scorched ahead for the last three and easily finished in first.

FLC’s Zack Noonan finished in second, and Mesa’s Samuel Phillips came in third.

Dean Haas came in fourth place for the Skyhawks, while Colben Preble took 15th.

Mesa’s Ariana Horbach took first in the Collegiate Women’s A road race before the men’s event.

She broke away early before falling back to the pack behind FLC’s Sydney Edmunson, who led for the race’s middle stretch before eventually finishing fourth.

“In the beginning, I wanted to split the bunch a little bit to make it going,” said Horbach, a native of Bucholz, Germany. “We dropped a couple of people, and then I kept it up because I know I can sprint good.”

Air Force’s Jasmine Hause took second for Air Force and Colorado State’s Melanie Beale came in third.

“I was able to get in a break with three other girls, and out in the open towards the end, I didn’t have it,” Edmunson said.

Sofia Gomez-Villafane finished seventh for FLC and her teammate Ivie Crawford was right behind her in eighth.

Criterium

Mud caked Hammond’s face after he finished the Collegiate Men’s A criterium in second Saturday.

“I think it’s hilarious. I can feel it all in my teeth and all over me,” Hammond said. “I feel like I need to go take a shower.”

The field had to deal with the mud for the entire race, which resulted from steady rain near the end of the women’s race.

Bill Golembieski from the University of Colorado finished third behind Hammond.

Noonan took fifth for FLC while Maia finished 12th, Colben Preble 13th and Natan Cavalca 17th on a slick course.

“It was a little bit slower than it would have normally been,” Hammond said. “Just because everybody was trying to be careful through the turns.”

Mesa swept the top three positions in the Collegiate Women’s A criterium, which wrapped up just as the rain was intensifying.

Lexi Millard came in first, Horbach second and Ariana Dittmer third.

Gomez-Villafane picked up FLC’s best finish in sixth while Edmunson came in seventh, Crawford eighth and Madeline Chaves 13th.

Time Trial

FLC wasn’t happy with its time trial performance its last time out at Air Force.

The Skyhawks redeemed themselves on a familiar course Saturday morning.

They won the Collegiate Men’s A time trial in 24 minutes, 49 seconds and finished third in the Collegiate Women’s A time trial at 30:06.

The course went from the intersection of La Posta Road and River Road 13 miles almost to Highway 550.

“We rode out here (Friday), this exact course there and back,” Haas said. “I’ve ridden this probably like 100 times, you know it like the back of your hand.”

Mesa won the women’s time trial in 29:52, and Air Force came in second at 30:01.

The Mavericks also came in second in the men’s event in 25:03 while CSU finished third at 25:09.

kgrabowski@durangoherald.com

Apr 13, 2014
Regis finishes off FLC late


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