Pizza Box Turns into Plates & Storage Unit
Another weekend of racing and it was another success for Allegiant!
Saturday, at Rosena Ranch, we had guys racing Masters 30+ 4/5, Elite 4’s, and Pro1,2. And on Sunday we had guys doing the Elite 4’s and the Pro1,2.The Rosena Ranch Circuit Race consists of a 3.74 mile loop with elevation gain of 1,950-2,150 feet and grades of 2.5-3.7%. The course runs along the 15 freeway near Glen Helen which is known for some good cross winds as the day goes on.
The first to arrive was Pete Makowski who raced Masters 30+ 4/5 doing 6 laps and drilled the final lap to take the first podium of the day - 2nd place! Pete will now be racing Elite 3’s for the rest of the season! Congrats to Petey!The second to go was Ryan Okeefe racing Elite 4’s (also 6 laps) with Pete Makowski. Unfortunately, Petey is not a robot and had only half a tank left after his first race but managed to help by chasing a break for Ryan to take the second podium of the day - 2nd place!
The last race of the day was the Elite Pro1,2 with Ken Hall, Andy Bestwick, Klaus Gaar and Charles Luib. The race started with a few attacks and a response from Andy and Klaus which made Ken and Charles to be able to sit in and relax. A couple were thrown by Andy as well to try and make it stick but nothing happened. Finally, after a few tries, a break sticks and a few bridged which made it form a 10-man breakaway. Unfortunately, no Allegiant caught this one and the race ended with the main group sprinting for money. Charles Luib earns the money taking 17th and 23rd for Ken Hall in his first ever Pro1,2!
Sunday’s race, The Redlands Bicycle Classic’s Downtown Criterium, was a bit different. It had a great mix of technical turns and historic buildings.
The first race of the day was with Ryan Okeefe in the Elite 4’s racing smart and didn’t do a thing until 7 laps to go. Ryan bridged to a one-man breakaway and eventually had to work solo for 6 laps and staying away to take 1st place! (I believe he had enough time to zip up, call his mom, and throw his hands up in the air as he crossed the line.) Ryan will now have plenty of points to do a couple more races for experience and upgrade to Elite 3 this season to race with Pete Makowski and Addison Fuller! Congrats to Ryan, our Cipollini!
The last race for us was in the Pro1,2 with Charles Luib. The course had an additional turn(s) for the Pro1,2’s and the race was shortened to 60 min. It made the race fast and very technical, but Charles managed to hang on for dear life and finished 47th. It was the first time for Charles, but I think we can tell he had a blast after finishing with a big smile on his face.
Good weekend for Allegiant!
Also check out Ryan’s finish in the E4’s on youtube!
next stop: Sea Otter.
follow my team’s blog for more pics and race reports! it’s exciting, you’ll get likes from it and possibly a reblog.
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*BEST WEEKEND*
this is the first time i’ve done redlands and no, i didn’t win nor did i podium in the pros this weekend but my teammates did a fantastic job! i was super stoked when my mate ryan okeefe finally got a taste of the W in his category! i sensed that he was getting burnt out of racing and maybe that’s why i was super excited for him. it takes a minute to actually learn how to “race” and i think he’s finally got it. not only did he place 2nd at rosena ranch on sat but he also won 1st on sunday at one of the biggest race in socal called “redlands classic.” he couldn’t have picked a better race to win, really.. he got himself a jersey and a medal. i’m honestly quite jealous since i never got a jersey or a medal for winning valley of the sun’s stage 2 a few years ago! all i got was a check…
on a brighter side (for me): the pros’ prize money goes 20 deep.. i at least got in the money at rosena ranch placing 17th and earning a check that paid for gas and hotel which means the trip was basically free. (…this can really be a good part-time job!) today, though, was a bust. yesterday’s race was so hard that i couldn’t do much today other than sit in and get dragged for about an hour. good training for sea otter, though ;)
watch for allegiant’s elite U27 team! with matt shackley, addison, and ryan okeefe on board, we’ll be murdering fools like there’s no yesterday.
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