CYCLING COMPETES AT YALE'S LUX ET VELOCITAS

The University of Delaware cycling team headed to New Haven April 10th and 11th for Yale’s Lux et Velocitas. After a strong weekend of competition the team finished 9th in the overall team omnium, taking many top 10 finishes throughout the weekend.

On Saturday, the team showed up early for the Individual Time Trial, the event that has quickly become the scourge of their existence. Graduate student, Andre Rauh turned in the best time for the team, coming in at 12:09, earning him 7th in Men’s B. Other scoring rides were from club president, Alex Szela (12:36, 7th in Men’s C), senior, Frank Lao (12:44, 15th in Men’s B), and junior, Kendall Prowse (14:12, 14th in Men’s D). Next up was the “Race the Rock Circuit Race,” featuring a 4 mile loops over the “The Rock.” Kendall and Ralph were the first to go in Men’s D. Kendall finished 23rd while junior Ralph Merritt was forced to abandon due to a collision brought about by an ill-timed pass. Shortly thereafter, the Men’s C1 field took to the roads, where junior Jake Rubin and Alex sure made their presence was felt. After being there near the front the whole race, Alex finished 7th and Jake 11th in one of their best results of the season! Junior, Becca Gripp was next to go in the Women’s C circuit race, logging in another top 10 finish and scoring valuable points in the women’s omnium. Andre and Frank put the hurt on in the Men’s B race. Andre came through with a 1st place finish (his second win of the season), while Frank brought in points finishing 12th. Senior, Eran Preble and junior, Steven Francisco were part of the 64-person field that was A race. After getting caught behind some slower riders, Steven ended up finishing off the back for 36th. However, up at the front, Eran managed to score another top 20 finish, coming in 15th and scoring critical points for his Nationals bid and for the team.

Racing resumed on Sunday in East Rock Park with a flat, 5-corner criterium. Again, Men’s D1 were the first to go, where Kendall raced a smart race to finish 18th. Jake and Alex got started really strong in the C1 crit. A chocolate Easter bunny was up for grabs in the first prime, and Jake spared no expense in ensuring that it became his. Jake and Alex managed to finish inside the points in 14th and 24th places, respectively. Becca was next to go in the women’s C event. After dangling dangerously close to the back for most the race, she managed to stay ahead of the splits and finish in 8th place, another top 10 finish for the weekend! Andre and Frank returned Sunday looking for blood. They struck early and often even with all the work they put in during the race, Andre and Frank got stellar results of 3rd and 5th place, respectively. This race marks the end of Andre’s brief foray in B’s as he is heading to A’s next week! The Men’s A race turned out to be a long exercise in conserving energy and being a part of the action up front. The team reinstated the zebra kits in A’s for the first time in 5 years and ensured that the zebras ran together. Eran and Steven stayed active during the race, launching attacks, following moves and staying near the front. While neither of them got into the break, they found themselves in good position for the sprint, and finished 9th and 10th, for the first top 10 finish in A’s for both men!

The team performed excellently this weekend, finishing 9th in the overall team omnium. Currently, they are ranked 6th in the ECC for overall season totals, but with some luck in the coming weeks, they will be able to break into the top 5. For complete results for the weekend click here.

The team wants to give a big shout out to their hosts Georgia and Bret for being so welcoming and awesome over the weekend. The food was AMAZING and your generosity was greatly appreciated.