Cat's Hill Race Report

This report from Cat's Hill was was filed by our crazy Australian, Jono Coulter :)

Photo by Ken Conley:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwc/collections/72157600182223161/
More photos of the boys on the hill at
http://picasaweb.google.com/robmacneill/CatSHillCritP12

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Sugar CRM Cats Hill Classic
Race: PRO/1/2
Date: 5 May 2007
Los Gatos
90 minutes 40 laps
Team: Ted Huang (17th), Pete Dinolfo (24th), Dominic Giampaolo (32nd), Jono Coulter (33rd), Tracey Colwell (34th)

Saturday the Webcor/Alto Velo Elite 1/2 team raced one of the biggest local events of the north Californian calendar, the CRM Cats Hill Classic. This 90 minute crit in downtown Los Gatos, CA features a 100metre climb at 23% gradient- basically a wall that we had to do 40 times!! Webcor Ted HuANG was actually our best finisher, but he asked me to write cos he could see me bounding around with excess enthusiasm like an eager puppy after the race. The hype and the atmosphere at this race is amazing, every man, woman, child, dog and squirrel was around the circuit shoutin screamin and sinking Sierra Nevada pale ale. Doms wife Maria had laid out a picnic at the KOM line. Julie Colwell and Skyler, Liam and hadlee were shoutin their best "Go Dad"s. Webcor Greens from various categories and Webcor tifosi speckled the sidewalk all the way up the wall. The wall was electric, a tunnel of noisy encouragement from which the riders could draw energy each time they turned their bikes inside out to get up it. Full gas.

Pre start and everyone is trying to elbow each other out of the way. Ted was called to the start line as a previous Winner of Cats Hill. Legend. We also had the feisty terrier that is Pete Dinolfo, the DOMinator Giampaolo, and our very own former president and perennial hardman, Tracey Colwell- straight from being soccer dad in the morning. Webcor/ Alto Velo was primed and fierce and from the gun Dom and Pete were front runners just drilling the pointy end and latching onto anything that moved. You can see from the race fotos that Green was all over it. Dom is in nearly every foto just biting the race's head off.

The early part of proceedings was marked early by Brian Bucholz who stole a march and gathered a hefty bunch of KOM primes, before Tracy started to relive the glory days and countered solo, with a bunch of guys including Mike Sayers (BMC) goin across to him. Next up it was Ted then Dom and Mega Pete just biting at everything and every time we go around the peleton is just snaking single file down the straight and our guys are in the front. Even after repeated surges (Ted was racing like 10 men) our guys weren't even dropping a third of the way down the field before hitting again.

Ive got to say my Giant TCR Advanced from Bike Connection just sailed through the race, where comfort, precision handling and component function are paramount. Guys were dropping chains and gears and bouncin and crashing all over the place and the Go Greens just rode over the cracks in the pavement at 40miles per hour like we were sailing.

7 laps to go and Webcor Jono senses his first opportunity to make an impact in the race and throws down towing Sayers (BMC) across to a USA development kid that was away on his own. BPG and Lobor throw one each of their guys in the break and Webcor shuts the peleton down. Anyway the break fart arses around arguing who should do the work and i think "stuff this" and just drill it to the wall. Whack the BPG guy counters and we ride around the next lap balls out like its the final lap. Except its four to go. I get shelled next time up the wall letting the whole team effort down and Ted has to launch out of the peleton to get across. No deal. He gets there just as the single file peleton slithers across. Its all together heading into the final and we have spent all our bullets. And cookies too. Nothing left. Not even crumbs. Ted comes in 17th Pete 24th, Jono, Dom and Tracy roll over together for 32nd onwards.

Although I bear the responsibility of letting us down from what may have been the ultimate break, the guys should be proud for making the race. We played a card in the final that didn't work but it was a battle the whole way and but for certain race circumstances could have landed us close to the pot of gold. Or even in it, as may soon happen, like jubilant Go Green leprechauns.

Just have to thank the boys for laying it on the line, and also all the Webcor/Alto Velo supporters and cycling family (Sara for being our swanny, Erin, Phyllis, Ileana and Bob, Al W, Bo and Amy, Dave and Peggy for lending me the entry fee plus beer money) that made this race so exciting for the little boy from Oz. Can't wait for Cats Hill 2008 and all the races in between now and then.

Rah!

Jono

PS how classy was watchin Karen drill the Womens Pro race afterwards? Hoh!