Taking it back to the sixties…Hammering on the steps of the Capital

The 2nd Annual Common Criterium offered a fast, well-spectated race. The race boasted the claim that it is 1 of 2 of the only cycling events in the U.S. that is held in a State’s Capital.

I went into this race with a bit of anxiety from witnessing some carnal crashes in a few earlier races. However, after the race started it seemed that we were rolling the corners very quickly and safely. Just prior to the start, Dan Klein had informed me that he suspected he had a frayed cable near the housing of his rear shifter and was losing all shifting. Nonetheless, we rolled to the start line with high hopes for the day. I was very active early in the race, getting in a few feeble breaks that just seemed to all have the wrong equations. For the most part, the race stayed together. With about 20 minutes to go, I saw Danny rolling back into the field after taking a mechanical lap. It is a good thing Danny is well-versed in the art of riding single speeds. His cable was in fact frayed and had snapped midway through the race; he was now riding with a solitary 15/53 gear.

With about 15 minutes to go, Ray Dybowski and Dan Klein got away with three other people including Jim Bruce and Bryan Adams. Accessing the situation from the rear, I started to sing the classic Willy Wonka limerick, “We’ve got a golden ticket…We’ve got a golden ticket and the race in the bag”. I was sure I was now defending the winning break. However, with about three laps to go some successful bridge attempts began. By the 2 lap to go sign the break had fizzled out. I started to work on getting myself in position to sprint, but due to two separate crashes on the last lap I was thrown toward the middle of the pack. Bobby Dobbie (fresh of his broken collarbone from Kensington) was able to sprint himself to a 10th place position.



While some may view this season for the Wolverines as a “building” year when compared to the dominant days of Wholes Foods, we do offer some of the strongest camaraderie Michigan cycling has to offer. We drove to this race in the comforts of a 30 foot RV outfitted with a healthy stock of barley juice in the fridge. Post race we enjoyed some great laughs and some celebratory beverages (for what, I don’t know). Helmets off to Scott Kroske for his hospitality!