This weekend saw both GamJams squads in action at the Poolesville Road Race and the Fort Lee criterium. Both venues provided opportunities for GamJams riders to stand on the podium. At Poolesville, GamJams GS racer Paul Rades took third place in the Cat 4 event, while Greg Wittwer took third place honors for the Cat 3 squad. Larry Byvik, also of GamJams/Pre-Reg.com p/b Cutaway Clothing, took second place at the Fort Lee Criterium.
Early action at Poolesville saw Paul Rades and Nate Hakken working together in the Cat 4 event. They worked well with each other in the opening laps to watch the field dwindle to a manageable number of survivors. In the final miles, Rades says he launched an attack on the rollers by "gradually ratching up the pace to gauge who might wanna join a break." It turns out that this move splintered the field and set up a very small group for a sprint. Rades, holding the lead until the final 200 meters, could not withstand the counterattack of two other riders and rolled across the line in third place. In his words, however, the move was a "calculated bet that more or less worked out" and "that's as good as racing gets."
In the Cat 3 event, David Kirkpatrick and Greg Wittwer found themselves alone and unafraid as some sort of virus took out the rest of the GamJams squad. Seriously, the omens were not good as an early morning stream of "I have a fever" e-mails circulated among the team. Undaunted, the two racers lined up and raced as aggressively as possible. In the end, with two riders away on a break that would prove successful, Wittwer found himself in no-man's land as he had tried to bridge up to the leaders. Realizing it was an "all in" moment, he says he "clicked the bike down a few gears and just kept looking for the top of the next hill, the next curve, or the feedzone." As the kilometers went by, Wittwer's advantage over the peloton held steady and he crossed the line in third place with seconds to spare.
Entering her first race ever, Katie Kirkpatrick took fourth in the Women's 3/4 event. Though details have yet to be reported, special mention must be given to this auspicious beginning to her racing career. Team GamJams looks forward to having more women join her to help develop the women's squad.
Sunday gave Larry "Life Alert" Byvik and Wittwer a chance to work together at the Fort Lee Criterium. Wittwer says the pace was "faster than fast" but steady. With three to go, Wittwer had visions of a Poolesville repeat and launched a solo effort. This effort, however, was reeled in with a lap to go. It had the desired effect on team tactics, however, as it gave Byvik the perfect set-up for a three-up sprint. Byvik showed why he's been successful in the sport for such a long, long time by taking second place and still giving credit to Wittwer for the teamwork.
It was a successful weekend for both GamJams squads and one that will undoubtedly help the team carry momentum into the upcoming races.
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