Harlem Rocks

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6/14/08 - Current members of Columbia cycling and several alumni took on the Harlem Rocks criterium.

The category 4 race did not go the Lions' ways. Corey Williams (in his Columbia kit) and Steve Marks (riding for NY Velocity) rode comfortably in the pack for the first few rain slicked laps. After an attack flew, and stuck, Williams knew it was the move of the race. He followed a surge on the outside that looked like a solid counterattack. Marks followed suit. But Williams hit a puddle and crashed! Marks had to brake and turn, crashing and flatting out. Cycling is fickle.

The category 3 race was better for a few of the Lion alumni. Jake Burns and Chas Berckmann (now riding for Merrill Lynch) took turns at the front and put some pain into the group. Their field stayed together so they both went back to conserve for the sprint. Unfortunately, a late crash slowed them and they had to hustle back into position. It was too late. The sprint went to another.

The women's race was also interesting for alumnae Caroline Gaynor. She is transitioning back to cycling from triathlon and an injury has kept her speed miles low. She went right to the front at the start, hoping to stay out of the crashes that had riddled the previous races and keep a lid on the pace. But the other women were onto her and Gaynor was soon in trouble. She'll be back when she's healthy...

The category 1-2 race was star studded. It included Tyler Hamilton (Rock Racing), Fred Rodriguez (Rock Racing), Ivan Dominguez (Toyota-United) and Columbia's own Dave Wiswell. Dave spent most of the spring in Belgium racing for a continental road team and has just recovered from the flu. So, a fast start with this country's best caused him to take a conservative approach at the start. With about half the race down, he tried a few attacks that were shut down by the teams. When the sprint came, he lined up but a pulled pedal caused some interference and Dave had to slow.

Despite a lack of results, the current past members of Columbia Cycling enjoyed seeing each other and dreaming about the future... a Columbia USCF team would be a pretty good outfit...