2008 Results

Columbia Uses Depth to Take Fourth Overall and the Lead in the Ivy League Cup at Season Opener

March 2 - Columbia kicked off the season in style with a bigger and deeper team and a bag full of race tactics.  This combination of strength and strategy vaulted the Lions to fourth overall for the weekend and into the lead of the coveted Ivy League Cup. See our glory in pictures.

The first race of the weekend was a fast, wet and flat individual time trial. The rules banned the use of any aerodynamic equipment.  But that didn’t stop Emily Shin’s small stature and titanic strength to weight ratio.  She crushed the women’s category B race. Brian Gabele powered to second in the men’s B race.  The first race also exposed the theme for the weekend: depth.  Joe Bylund took second in the men’s C race and was followed in third by another Lion, Dave Roche.

The second race of the weekend was a wind swept, four-corner criterium.  The fourth corner was particularly challenging being off camber, 90 degrees and gravel-filled. The men’s C race was one of the first and Dave Roche made sure everyone knew that Columbia had something left after the ITT. He broke away and soloed to victory.  Check out our pictures page and you will see the damage Dave wrought.  That was followed by a barrage of attacks launched by the Lions of category C. Although they misfired in the final sprint, the message was sent.  In the men’s A race Alex Bremer joined four other men in a break that had serious star power.  Alex took more prime points than a math major could count.

The last race of the weekend was a fairly tame circuit race. Shin looked set for the win but a flat on the last lap KO’d her in the women’s B race.  Fortunately her teammate Carrie Savage, in her second mass start race, held on for a surprising seventh.  The men’s C team had some impressive attacks but nothing stuck.  Then came Columbia’s killer Bs. Tony Hall went up the road and the Lions came to the front to block.  They created a wall that the Mongol hordes couldn’t have crossed.  The break failed, but the field became very wary of the Lions and tried to break up the front on the last lap, to hamstring our sprinters.  Brian Gabele put in a supreme effort and sacrificed himself to bring the group back together and set up the sprint Matt Kraushar led the Lions out… and they roared taking third, fourth and sixth!

Next weekend the Lions will travel to Philadelphia for a challenging series of races. The Lions took their first race weekend win their last year.  Can they repeat?

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