COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 19, 2001) -- The chilly, wet streets of downtown Colorado Springs couldn't dampen the spirits of the best collegiate road cyclists in the United States. The criterium marked the first day of competition for the 2001 U.S. Cycling Federation's (USCF) National Collegiate Road Cycling Championships, May 19-21.
In the men's Division I race, the riders took off fast from the start, posting lap times of under two minutes and reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour on the .9 mile course. After 20 minutes of racing, Dan Holt of Marian College had the lead, as the riders split into two distinct packs with 30 seconds between them. Several riders shared the first place spot until the 25 minute mark when University of California-San Diego's Peter Knudsen and Mark Ernsting of Midwestern State University broke off from the field.
The two helped each other distance themselves from the other riders, increasing their lead to 46 seconds with three laps remaining.
"I didn't know which break would stick, but I knew I had the opportunity to advance and had to go when I did. I'm not a strong sprinter, so I didn't want to finish in a pack sprint. When Peter and I got out there by ourselves, I just wanted to establish a consistent pace," said Ernsting.
Knudsen made an attack off the front with two laps to go, but Ernsting wore him down and pulled even on the last lap. Ernsting pushed on the final lap and Knudsen couldn't follow, giving the Midwestern rider national criterium title.
"He (Knudsen) attacked and I just had to dig in and stay with him. I think I had an advantage over a lot of these guys because I've been staying in Breckenridge (Colo.) for the last two weeks and training up there," said Ernsting.
Knudsen settled for second, while Ernsting's teammates helped the college finish strong for the day. Midwestern scored three finishers in the top 10 -- Ernsting with first, Bruning Rangel took third and Rory McAdams finished 10th.
"The course was fast and (the race) went okay," McAdams added. "The change in the altitude was a little tough, but we just had to cover the front and watch everything go off."
Second place finisher Peter Knudsen said that his team was a long way out and worked together smoothly.
"If I had more oxygen, it would have been better, but it was a tough day," Knudsen said. "I tried to attack at the end but it was a little early, and I have no sprint. The sprint is not for me, so I knew if I could get a good gap and peel off I had a chance, but he's a good rider. This is an individual event and even the best teams only have one strong rider so riding alone wasn't a challenge for me."
The women from Division I and II raced together in the first event of the day, with University of Wyoming's Sarah Konrad popping off the front on the second lap. The women's field separated quickly into two packs, separated by 25 seconds after only 15 minutes. The lead changed several times until Konrad pulled away from the field on her own, distancing herself by as much as 57 seconds with 15 minutes to go. By the time she had one lap to go, Konrad had put one minute and 50 seconds on the field. Konrad took a decisive first place, followed by defending National Criterium Champion Lara Kroepsch of the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Konrad, a graduate student and Division II rider who came to the event as the only female representing Wyoming, said that she's been riding in some USCF National Racing Calendar (NRC) events this year.
"I saw nationals as a really good opportunity for me to get in some good racing before I head to Elite Nationals next weekend," Konrad said. "I never really had a defined plan because I just have to react to what other people do. This was definitely a big change with the rain and big field, but I wanted to wait to break away. There were a couple of attacks early on but nothing too hard. When I went later on, it really wasn't very decisive. I just attacked and took off but when I looked back, no one was there."
Kroepsch had the motivation to catch Konrad, but knew a solo attempt would be useless.
"I really wanted this race bad, but it was a hard day because of the conditions on the roads. When I saw Sarah go I wanted to go with her, but it was a little too late before I realized it and knew it would be really tough to go after her by myself."
The men's Division II race was a close one from start to finish, with one large pack rounding the course together. Aric Hareland from North Dakota Southern University kept up at the front for the majority of the day and gave University of Montana's Mark Legg a run for his money. Also pushing the field were the hometown U.S. Air Force Academy riders, Sam Troge, Brad Ames and Ben Vickers.
After racing for 70 minutes plus five laps, Legg powered himself to the front for the win and the men's DII criterium national title. USAFA riders finished second, fourth and ninth.
Legg, who hails from New Zealand, is nicknamed "Old Man Legg" by his friends because he is a 33-year-old sophomore. He said that he's been racing for 20 years, longer than some of his competitors have been living.
"I felt really good and made sure to cover the moves and pace myself. I wanted to get in a good breakaway because I have good speed in the sprints and it's easier to do that in a small group. I knew that I had to be first going into the last corner so I made my move on the small hill and gave myself a comfortable 15 meter lead for the win," Legg said.
After the soggy beginning to the championship event, riders head out to the USAFA campus Sunday for the road race. Held on a course modeled after the 1986 World Road Cycling Championships, the nine-mile loop will include 950 feet of climbing on each lap. The women will race five laps and the men will complete seven. The women's Division I and II event takes off at 11 a.m., followed by the men's Division II race at 1:45 p.m., and the Division I men at 1:50 p.m.
2001 USCF NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ROAD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS, MAY 19, CRITIERUM, COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.
Division I Men: 1. MARK ERNSTING (Midwestern State) at one hour, 20 minutes and 6.1 seconds; 2. Peter Knudsen (University of California-San Diego) @ 0:00:5.4 back; 3. Bruning Rangel (Midwestern State) @ 0:00:45; 4. Ian Dille (University of Texas) @ same time; 5. Jeff Angermann (University of California-Davis) @ same time; 6. Jeff Johnston (Texas A University) @ same time; 7. Judd Van Sickle (University of California-Davis) @ same time; 8. Daniel Larson (University of Florida) @ same time; 9. Ryan McDermitt (University of Colorado-Boulder) @ same time; 10. Bobby Lea (Penn State) @ same time
Division I Women: 1. LARA KROEPSCH (University of Colorado-Boulder) at one hour, two minutes and 24.4 seconds; 2. Carolyn Donnelly (University of New Mexico) @ same time; 3. Kirstin Fisher (Colorado State University) @ same time; 4. Karen Bockel (Colorado State University) @ same time; 5. Alice Pennington (Oregon State University) @ same time
Division II Women: 1. SARAH KONRAD (University of Wyoming) at one hour and 35.6 seconds; 2. Michele Smith (University of Rochester) @ 01:53.60 back; 3. Alison McNulty (Washington University) @ same time; 4. Kate Sherwin (Dartmouth College) @ same time; 5. Lauren Gaffney (Vanderbilt University) @ same time
Division II Men: 1. MARK LEGG (University of Montana) at one hour, 20 minutes and 46.1 seconds; 2. Sam Troge (U.S. Air Force Academy) @ same time; 3. Gregg Germer (Collin County Community College) @ same time; 4. Bradley Ames (U.S. Air Force Academy) @ same time; 5. Dan Swanson (Minnesota State University) @ same time; 6. Gen Koaure (San Francisco State University) @ same time; 7. Michael Voight (Colorado College) @ same time; 8. Aric Hareland (NDSU) @ same time; 9. Ben Vickers (U.S. Air Force Academy) @ same time; 10. Robert Gannini (Emory University) @ same time