Joseph Sheehan Road Race

Joseph Sheehan Road Race
April 29, 2012

Terrific race Sunday despite the horrible weather.  We had thunderstorms and 50 degree temperatures at 7 AM.  Our volunteers did an awesome job completing the registration of over 135 racers who crowded into the Metropolitan Steakhouse to escape the cold rain.  We lined up the dozen automobiles which would lead and follow each peleton and prepared for the race.  Riders bravely donned their rain capes and with grim determination prepared for a 52 mile ride across the hilly and windy terrain between Leavenworth and Atchison.  The riders started.  Great categories including the men's category 5 which had 49 riders.  Rules preclude category 5 fields from having more than 50 riders for safety reasons. 

Our phenomenal volunteers went straight to their road guard positions.  They stood in the cold rain preventing traffic from running over the racers.  They made sure that the racers knew precisely where and when to turn.  They provided waterbottle hand ups at the 25 mile mark.  They made certain that the Leavenworth and Atchison Sherrif's Department knew where and when to expect the racers and coordinated their efforts. 

The racers quickly made their way to Atchison along Santa Fe Trail Road, Millwood Road, Wise Road, Rawlins Road, and at Patriot Street in Atchison they turned to return to Leavenworth.  The category 1/2/3s had a three man break away that started very early and seemed to survive to the final climb.  The masters had a solo break away.  The men's category 5 saw Art Mathisen escape the field on the very first climb.  He decimated the field, overtook the men's category 4 field and went on solo for the victory.  The women's category 1/2/3 saw another Santa Fe Trail's Racer escape.  Shawn Morelli attacked in Atchison, crashed at the turn and still went on to solo for the victory on Government Hill.

I am very proud of our team.  Erica Haas took second in the women's 1/2/3.  The super large men's category 5 field saw Sean Smith in 6th, Doug Harding in 7th,  Marc Welde in 9th, James Lee in 25th, Matt Doolan in 26th, and Jose Mendez in 31st.  The men's category 4 field saw Spencer Wallace take 7th, Mark Ramsden in 9th, and Kris Howell in 15th.  The ladies category 4 field; Ann Parthmore took second and Jennifer Smith took 5th.  Great job by all these riders just to race, and placing this well was fantastic!  This is the first JSRR that we have won both a men's category and a women's category! 

Special thanks to Metropolitan Steak House who fed and sheltered cold, wet, and tired bicyclists, their families and volunteers.  Special thanks to Roger Harrison for course set up, marking, supplies and generally being Roger.  Thanks to Paula Cole for her terrific organization, her determined effort to dot every I and cross  every T.  Thanks to my wife Barb who was the "Angel of Registration".  Thanks to everyone who volunteered, put up with stressed out riders and a stressed out promoter.  Thanks to our sponsors at Country Club Bank in Leavenworth for their generous prize donations.  Thanks to Ally Zeck of State Farm Insurance on Delaware Street in Leavenworth,  Ally also graciously donated prize money for this race. 



Race Results