In their last week of the Texas training camp, Team Skyline landed their first results of the season. After racing a Thursday night training crit in Dallas, followed by the Fair Park Crit, Garrett Olsen picked up the first win of the season at the Jesuit Ranger Roundup, with Ryan DeWald taking second.
Thursday Night Training Crit
After an easy ride in the morning, DeWald and Olsen lined up for the Thursday Night Training Crit in Dallas as a tune up for the weekend’s racing. While not an official race, it was a good chance for the guys to get the race paced accelerations of a crit environment in their legs, and prepare for racing at night at the upcoming Fair Park Crit on Saturday. It was a chilly night, but it didn’t keep riders and local cycling fans away. The four corner crit was using flood lights that you would see in constructions zones to light up the corners.
Team Skyline pushed the pace the entire night. With two to go, things were getting a little sketchy with everyone trying to get to the front. As the pace slowed and riders started to mark each other, they knew it was a matter of time before someone maked a move. One rider made the move, and the race erupted again. Olsen began to chase, taking on the wind along the entire straight before the final sharp turn to the line. A few riders were able to get ahead of him in the final corner, but Olsen came around the outside to claim 4th on the night. DeWald was not far behind in a solid 7th place finish.
Fair Park Criterium
As the sun set Saturday, the winds picked up and drizzle came down on the course at the historic Fair Park grounds in Dallas. A small field set out to race the fast, flat, one mile course in the shadow of the Cotton Bowl. The 4 corner course was almost a parallelogram in shape, featured a more than 90 degree turn before the sprint to the finish.
It was another hot start for Olsen, which immediately caused the field to go single file. DeWald took a flyer, leaving Olsen to sit in until he was caught. Using team tactics, as soon as DeWald was caught, Olsen jumped off the front. The aggressive start burned some matches early for Team Skyline, and when a group of four got up the road, neither DeWald or Olsen could bridge up to them.
“We shattered ourselves and when the move went up the road, we didn’t have enough to go with it,” explained DeWald. “We were forced to regroup and chase.”
DeWald began the chase and split the field, taking Olsen and three other riders with him. Up ahead, Bret Crosby (Giant South On Road) continued to drill the pace into the wind, trying to catch the back of the main group and lap the field. The Skyline group hovered at 30 seconds back as Crosby’s group caught the field. Two laps later DeWald and Olsen’s group caught the field, giving Crosby enough time to recover as he made his way to the front. Crosby then took off again, leaving little time for Team Skyline to recover if they had any hopes to catch the leaders.
“It was super intense,” said DeWald. “I was pushing a big gear, into some big wind.”
The effort proved to be too much for the pair and they were unable to bridge up to Crosby, who in the end, took his second win of the year.
While the duo go into every race hungry for the win, the Fair Park Crit had a different goal that the two achieved. Instead of just going out and trying to drill the pace for race tempo training, they were working on team tactics and communication, something that will be very important in future races.
“We never really worked together, communicating in a race,” explained Olsen. “This was the first time that we weren’t out there just to train side by side. That extra communication made a really big difference.”
Jesuit Ranger Roundup
With one last race in Texas before heading to Florida, Team Skyline was determined to get a result. The strategy for the race was to work together to shut down any breaks, and go 1-2 at the line.
Instead of jumping off the front from the start, Olsen and DeWald road a more calculated race to control the flow. As other riders tried to break away from the pack, Team Skyline brought them back to keep the race together.
“We wanted to take control of the race from the very start,” said Olsen. “We took control and any breaks that went up the road, they looked to myself and Ryan to bring them back.”
At about 15 miles in, DeWald made a move off the front with Denis Rugovac (Team Dukla Praha) after a section of rolling hills. While the pack was busy marking Crosby, Olsen rolled off the front and joined his teammate in the breakaway, taking a few other riders with him.
“I knew we had separation, so I drilled it at the front to make Crosby work to get across,” said DeWald. “We had a group of five or six rotating and working well together.
Crosby and Collin Davis (Plano Athletic Cycling Club) were able to bridge up to the Skyline led group with a few others to make it a 13 rider break. The groups continued to work together for the next 40 miles.
With two laps of the nine mile course to go, riders started to try and make some moves off the front. Each time, the moves were brought back. Crosby tried pushing the pace when he would rotate to the front, but the group of 13 continued to stay together. Davis and another rider were able to slip away while the group started to fragment. Other riders tried to make moves, while some lost contact off the back. DeWald, Olsen, and Rugovac started to up the pace to bring Davis’ group and Jake Boone (Dallas Racing) back to what remained of their group. On the last lap, Crosby attacked. DeWald grabbed the wheel of some chasers, and when they reached Crosby, DeWald countered. He caught Boone, and accelerated to push on to the two leaders. Olsen was able to make it to Crosby with other riders, but got boxed in and saw Crosby start to chase DeWald. Crosby made up ground on DeWald, but as he came within 30 feet, the Skyline rider shifted and accelerated away. Crosby linked up with Boone as Olsen joined three other guys that started to chase. Olsen dropped his group and was able to bridge up to Crosby and Boone. On an incline, Olsen pushed the pace and was able to start to gap Crosby.
DeWald saw Olsen moving to catch him, so he slowed up to get his teammate on his wheel. When the two linked up, DeWald started to drive the pace to catch the leaders who were in sight about 600 meters up the road. The leaders we no longer working together and the Team Skyline riders were almost able to catch on, when Davis dropped his break companion. DeWald and Olsen caught the dropped leader, and the three began to work together to catch Davis.
DeWald continued to push the pace with Olsen on his wheel and launched passed DeWald to get on Davis’ wheel. Davis kept looking back at Olsen as if they were racing the track, and at 800 meters to go, Olsen came around Davis, who could not respond. DeWald continued to push and was able to pass Davis as they approached the line to take second.
“It was a great day for Team Skyline,” said Olsen. “We were able to work as a team and get some cohesiveness on the day, especially after tactical blunders we had the day before. To turn it around, super happy.”
“I’m definitely stoked because I was struggling,” said an elated DeWald. “I’ve only really been on the bike for three weeks after the harsh Pennsylvania winter, and now I’m soloing off the front of the race at 70 miles in. My legs are definitely coming around.”
Thank You, Kenneth Hintzen
Again, Team Skyline could not have raced without the help of Kenneth Hintzen of Dark Horse Racing, who provided feeds all through out the race.
“Kenneth fed us at Lago Vista both days, and again today,” said a thankful Olsen. “It was critical. He gave us feeds every lap, and was our satellite team member.”
“Kenneth works with a lot of junior riders, which is something Team Skyline is working on as well,” explained DeWald. “He has been a great resource and help to the team.”
On To Florida
Team Skyline is making their way to Florida to prepare for their first big race of the season, the Delray Beach Twilight Criterium, on March 22nd. The event kicks off the USA Crits series, which Team Skyline hopes to feature prominently in all season long. The following week, they will be racing Tampa’s 6th annual Gasparilla Criterium, another USA Crits race, before heading back to Pennsylvania for a short homecoming. Hopefully by then, winter will be over and training can continued unimpeded.
Jesuit Ranger Roundup Results – Pro/1/2/3
- Olsen, Garrett – Team Skyline
- DeWald, Ryan – Team Skyline
- Davis, Collin – Plano Athletic Cycling Club/PACC
- Wert, Michael – GS Tenzing
- Boone, Jake – Dallas Racing
- Dodge, Steve – Dark Horse Racing
- Powers, Christopher – Matrix Cycling Club
- Crosby, Bret – Giant
- Cloutier, Tyler – Cutaway – Felt p/b Angus Dentistry
- LaBauve, Jeffrey – GS Tenzing
- Rugovac, Denis – TEAM DUKLA PRAHA
- Heintz, Mandy – Guru Cycles p/b Haute Wheels Racing
- Hayden, Danny – FRESH Racing
- Ryan, John – Knobbies & Slicks Bike Shop
- Davis, Jason – Giant
- Ishida, Enoc – Dallas Bike Works
- Bates, Kolt – Dallas Racing
- May, Jefferey – Dallas Racing
- Lantz, Pete – Tulsa Wheelmen
- Trimble, Nathan – Dallas Racing
- Angeles, David – Matrix Cycling Club – DNF
- Biwan, Adam – Plano Athletic Cycling Club/PACC – DNF
- Borski, Stephen – Plano Athletic Cycling Club/PACC – DNF
- Hodges, Shawn – Plano Athletic Cycling Club/PACC – DNF
- Lange, Robert – Matrix Cycling Club – DNF
- Reynoso, Jared Matrix – Cycling Club – DNF
- Murray, Christopher – Hagens Berman Cycling – DNF
- Quezada, Richard – Dallas Racing – DNF
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