Uberti World Amateur Criterium Champion

Short on time today, so lets get right to it. I'll do the weekend preview tomorrow.

KOREA: Changwon - Changwon World Amateur Criterium Championships Chris Uberti (Panther) formerly of West Lafayette, IN, now living and working in Columbus, OH was invited to race the World Amateur Criterium Championships in South Korea this past weekend. We let him take up the story: "Why racing in Korea? Well first of all the race organizers are paying the way for a bunch of Amateur racers to come out here to do there race, plus I had a bunch of Vacation days I needed to use before the year is up.

The race itself is titled "Amateur Criterium World Championship" which probably carries about as much meaning as any ABR world championship."  "I'm not sure this particular World Championship was any sort of sanctioned world's (they couldn't provide insurance and no licenses were required), but they paid my way out there and the race had $13,500 of prize money, so it certainly had enough money for an Amateur World Championship".  

"The last five laps things were getting nervous. I committed myself to staying at the front despite having to use a little extra energy. I even chased down a leadout that had turned into a breakaway going into the bell lap.

Coming into the last corner I was sitting on the front just riding tempo, knowing that getting boxed in by a swarm would be the end of my race. I waited until a few riders from the Storck group attacked on the inside going into the last corner. I jumped across the road into 3rd wheel. Fortunately the Korean's aren't quite as cut-throat when it comes to wheel stealing as Americans. I went through the last corner 3rd wheel.

Chuck Hutchenson an American rider from the Armed Forces team was second wheel and attacked pretty much right out of the corner. I immediately jumped on his wheel. After a few seconds I glanced back...we had a HUGE gap. He motioned me to pull through, knowing it would be tough for the field to catch us I pulled through pretty easy baiting him to open up the sprint first, he did. I got up onto his wheel and from that point on the slingshot was engaged, and you don't mess with the slingshot."

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