Steel City Endurance Racing

Butler County Stage Race

July 17-18, 2010

Butler, PA

Race Report by PG

On the weekend following Tour of the Valley, Steel City racers lined up again for a second stage race weekend in a row! Last year the Renfrew Ras was so much fun that we were sure that extending it into a stage race would not disappoint. The Butler County Stage Race was a 2-day race with a 6.5 mile time trial and criterium in Butler on Saturday, followed by the road race around Butler County airport on Sunday. Racers included Quigley, Kate, Greg, Jim and me.

The time trial may have been one of the most fun time trial courses I’ve ridden. Instead of a traditional out-and-back, more-or-less straight course, this one had twists and turns, went into a park and over brick pave. It was a scorcher, and at 6.5 miles, all you do is just pedal as hard as you can, all the way until you’re back at the uphill finish. Many of us rode it Merckx style, as it was so technical that it was not known how helpful riding an aero frame would be. For Quigley, this was his first time trial, although by his solid 3rd place performance you would never have known. In the women’s TT, Alaina Gurski (CAWES), from Philadelphia, rode a scorcher, and took first, almost catching me before the finish line. Kate rode fast and placed solidly in the middle of the field, feeling good about her race. After the time trial, the team recovered in the shade, and drank cold water all morning and early afternoon. It was HOT – so keeping cool was key. Then in the afternoon it was time to line up for the criterium.

The criterium was an entertaining course as well: downhill into a 180 degree hairpin, then uphill (the finish of the TT) into a nice 6 90 degree turns on the brick pave. Again, Quigley put down a solid performance in the Men’s 4/5 30 minute criterium, coming in 3rd. Early in his race, James Thompson (unattached) took off off the front, and was not caught the entire time. The rest of the race was contested by a group of 4 guys, of which Quigley was one of them. After the scorcher, in which many men pulled out of the race due to heat or were pulled from the race after being lapped, Quiqley came in a solid and fast 3rd. (In case you haven’t noticed, this man’s on fire, people!)

In their races, Greg and Jim both suffered from an upper respiratory infection, and due to the heat and poor ability to breathe, they wisely pulled themselves from the mix and the remainder of the stage race. While a midsummer cold is highly unfortunate, we know they’ll rest and make a solid recovery for the remaining races and Millersburg!

The women’s 35min crit was exciting, as Alaina Gurski, rode super aggressively, taking off off the front, got reeled in, then went off the front again. Having taken first in the time trial, she again “TT’d” the crit, and took first in the second race of the series. While the race started with a chase group of myself, Emily Mackey (TriState Velo), Stephanie Swan (Iron City Bikes) and Jackie McKay (Team 53×11), Emily was next to plunge off the front, and having just pulled a lap, I didn’t quite have the legs to go with her. She finished second, and took 2nd in the GC standings. The 3 of us worked together and went for  the bunch sprint in the end, myself taking a tough 3rd over Stephanie and Jackie. Kate Bennett also had a SOLID performance, hitting the corners well and conquering the heat that day.

After team dinner, Saturday night was dedicated to recovery, as Sunday brought a challenging road race. Having ridden Renfrew Ras last year, I knew that the climbs would break up most fields and decide the race. If you check out the elevation profile (see map to the right), you’ll see what I mean!

Again, Quigley had an amazing performance, working with the chase group after rider Thompson, and taking 2nd in the road race. His superb performance placed him 3rd in the GC! Our women’s road race was exciting as well. The race stretched out each lap on the climb, with a break forming and chase groups behind us. Emily Mackay climbed the QOM like a gazelle, with me taking 2nd and Gurski, even after her outstanding work the day prior, taking 3rd. Major props also have to go to Stephanie Swan from Iron City Bikes, who fought her way into the lead group every lap, and totally worked to help keep us off the front. In fact in the 4th and final lap, after the climb, when the rest of us started to feel it in our legs, Swan picked up the pace at 5k to go, and kept driving our train towards the finish line. The break held till the end, and as we came around that final corner into the uphill sprint finish, Stephanie even still picked up speed. Had the finishline been any earlier, she would have had it for sure. In the end I crossed the line first, then Emily, Stephanie, and Alaina. It was a fun road race, and left the women’s GC top 5 finishers as: Alaina Gurski, Emily Mackay, me, Stephanie Swan, and Jackie McKay.

All-in-all this was a great race weekend. It was such a great time hanging out with ‘mates and cycling friends and racing the streets of Butler. Steel City Endurance would like to thank Ed Johnson (Ag3r) for all his hard work in hosting a fantastic stage race in Pittsburgh. With challenging courses that were closed to traffic, as well as rolling enclosure racing in the road race, this is definitely one of the region’s highlights. We can’t wait until next year!

Final Results can be found on the BCSR blogspot here.

Photos courtesy of Fred Jordan. More of his photos can be found here.