Salina Road Race

Another great race on Saturday!  Our team traveled west three hours to Salina, Kansas.  Temperatures were good - 70 to 80 degrees.  Sunshine prevailed.  Weather is always a factor though and this race was no different.  Winds from the south were 25 - 45 miles per hour.  The course was a 54 mile loop.  The first 20 miles were straight south...right into the wind. 

The race started shortly after 9 AM.   Shawn Morelli was our only female racer.  She raced in the women's open.  This is essentially an all category race.  Any woman of any ability can enter.  After the women started a gap was allowed and the men's 4/5 race started.  Our team had a strong presence there - 5 men. 

The race into the wind was strange.  The pace was low as no one wanted to work super hard only to have everyone else benefit.  We had a straight pace line with only 1 - 2 lines.  The wind battered the riders from side to side.  Causing much stress.  Many riders went to the front simply to lessen the stress they were feeling in the bunch. 

After 20 miles, the race turned west.  Now we had a violent cross wind.  The pace went from 13-17 mph to 26 miles an hour.  Strangely the riders were relieved with the faster, more stable pace.  You could sense the nerves smoothing out.  After five or so miles we turned north.  Now the pace became violently fast.  The field was ripped apart.  Speeds averaged over 40 miles an hour as the group climbed the gradual hills of western Kansas.  We completed a series of jogs north and east.  Alternating between tail and crosswinds.  The lead group dwindled down to five riders.  Spencer Wallace was second, Mark Ramsden was 5th.  Brendan Sheehan was 12th, Kris Howell was 14th, and Marc Welde was 15th.  Great result! 

Shawn Morelli went to the front of the ladies field in the last 10 miles.  She simply rode away from the other women.  Shawn soloed to victory beating the second woman by 4 minutes!  Amazing! 

Big thanks to Roger Harrison who traveled to Salina to take pictures of the race.