Wheels on Willy Criterium

WISCONSIN: Madison - Wheels on Willy Criterium - RESULTS PHOTOS PHOTOS In it's 26th year, racing returned to Madison's southeast side for racing on Willy St, where the Chronometro bicycle shop was located until recently, home for Team Brazen Dropouts. The course is a fast, rectangular one with a false flat on the start/finish stretch (uphill naturally), and a sharp downhill between turns 1 and 2. Typically one of the first big races of the year, this year with a $4,000 total purse ($1,000 for Pro 1/2 paying 12 deep), it repeatedly draws riders from all neighboring states. The weather this year was near perfect for most of the day with the exception of a thunderstorm that shortened both the Master's 1/2/3 and Junior races.

One would speculate that the fast turn 2 located at the bottom of the downhill would be the most difficult part of the course to negotiate, however it was the pan flat, turn 3 that caused the majority of crashes either due to the manhole cover in the apex, or folks running out of room on the outer curb. This was a particularly troublesome spot during the Master's 1/2/3 race as the thunderstorm approached and the wind gusted to 40+ mph.

 

Once the weather cleared, the Cat. 3's were let loose for their shortened 30 minute race, and they did not waste any time, easily posting the fastest laps of the day. Crashes were trouble some in this race as well. Race winner Innokenty Zavyalov (Basso pb Tonka Cycle) of Minneapolis stated in a post race interview that near the end of the 3's race, a rider went down right in front of him, forcing evasive 'cyclocross action'. The positive side effect of this was a shot of adrenaline that coursed through is veins enabling him to easily take the field sprint. He also won the 3's race the day before up in Neenah, WI.

 In the Pro Women's race, after a half dozen or so laps of 'test' attacks by various teams, New Zealand rider Hayley Giddens (ISCorp p/b Intellgentsia Coffee) was sent off the front and blocked for by her team mates. Giddens easily rode to a solo victory while two other IS Corp riders snuck away late in the race to secure the podium - Holly Mathews (3 wins this year already) and Andrea Pether (2012 WI State Criterium Champ). The field sprint for 4th place was snapped up by 18 year old Valentina Paniagua (miss spelling of her name in the results is suspected) of Colombia who is riding for ISCorp p/b Intellgentsia Coffee. She is an upcoming rider on both road and track recently competing in El Salvador and Costa Rica (LINK) Just beaten by Paniagua, and in 5th place was Abby Reuss (SPBRC) of St. Paul who was the only non IS - Corp rider to crack the top 7 places. She also won the Neenah Criterium the day before.

This brings us to the top race of the day, Men's Pro 1/2 which started with a field that was 85 riders strong and pretty much stretched the entire start finish straight in early laps. Heavy pressure on the front made for miserable racing in the back, in addition to the occasional crash or flat tire on the still damp course following that thunderstorm just 45 minutes earlier.

 Colton Barrett (Texas Roadhouse) fruitlessly set off on his own for a few laps, but was able to pick up all the cash primes. While the pace never really relaxed, and numerous attacks were launched, the race did come down to a field sprint that was hotly contested by Barrett and Chad Hartley (Sharecare).
It took the photo camera to tell 1st from second and even Colton and Chad could not tell who won.

 

After a cool down lap, Hartley now celebrates his well earned victory.

 

Men - Pro/Cat 1/2/3 - 19-29
	Place		Name	City, State				Team
	1		Chad Hartley (1 - Cat1)	Fox Point, WI				RACC pb GG
	2		Colton Barrett (2 - Cat1)	Indianapolis, IN				Texas Roadhouse Cycling Team P/B Motorex
	3		Chris Arndt (3 - Cat1)	Wauwatosa, WI				Lakes Area Physical Therapy
	4		Brandon Krawczyk (4 - Cat1)	Waukesha, WI				Revolution Cycle/Twin Six
	5		Michael Woell (5 - Cat1)	Minneapolis, MN				Freewheel Bike
	6		John Acker (6 - Cat1)	Sherwood, WI				Team Wheel & Sprocket
	7		Anthony Olson (7 - Cat1)	Kasota, MN				Mitsubishi Laser/Grand Performance
	8		Lionel Rocheleau (1 - Cat2)	Waukesha, WI				RACC pb GG
	9		Dan Teaters (8 - Cat1)	Green Bay , WI				RACC pb GG
	10		Bryan Fosler (9 - Cat1)	Madison, WI				KS Energy Services / Team Wisconsin

Women - Women - 19-29
	Place		Name	City, State				Team
	1		Hayley Giddens	Wanganui				ISCorp Cycling
	2		Holly Mathews	Madison, WI				ISCorp p/b Intellgentsia Coffee
	3		Andrea Pether	Lake Geneva, WI				ISCorp p/b Intellgentsia Coffee
	4		Valentina Panaguia					ISCorp Cycling
	5		Abby Ruess	Saint Paul, MN				St Paul Bicycle Racing Club