March 27, 2005
Jefferson Cup Road Race
Charlottesville, VA
Photo © RichmondCiclismo.com
Christoph Herby, of Snow Valley presented by Seal-On, stayed off the front of a hard chasing field to win the drizzle soaked premier 70-mile Jefferson Cup road race. The race is set in the rolling hills south of Charlottesville, Va. on March 26.
Among those keeping the main field close was his team, said Jon Wirsing, captain of the Snow Valley squad.
“I didn’t want the break to get more than three or four minutes up the road,” said Richmond’s Wirsing. He described what he called “two-up attacks” when two of the squad pushes the pace. Once caught, another two from the squad counters.
“I worried about Christophe being in a break with too many others,” Wirsing said. He said he worried if Herby could shake all of the cyclists in a large break.
Being chased by your own team didn’t bother Herby who knew all along what his team would do in that situation.
“One in seven is not a guaranteed win,” Herby said of his seven-man break. “We did what we had to do to increase the odds of getting a Snow Valley guy across the finish line first.”
Wirsing said he also worried about only having seven of 11 healthy, or 100 percent, riders for the race. And the Snow Valley riders were recovering from what Wirsing described as a “tough training camp” last week in Ashville, N.C.
At the end, the only person between Herby and the field was jubilant team-mate Kyle Walmsley.
The course, a 10-mile loop just north of Scottsville, is a favorite among Charlottesville locals. Herby is studying environmental sciences and urban planning at the University of Virginia. As a rider on the U.Va. Cycling club, Herby said he hopes to win the collegiate nationals.
Among the local Richmond area racers in the premier men’s race, RichmondCiclismo.com’s Matt Forbes took 12th as he sprinted with the main field.
“I’m really psyched for the team this year,” Forbes said. “I thought we did well, although I thought we did miss a couple of moves. Still, we had five Ciclismo guys right there.”
Towards the end, Forbes said he could see some riders ahead of the field but he couldn’t see if that was the breakaway at the front or riders chasing.
Jennette Williams of HPC/List/Cardinal won the women’s combined category 1,2 and 3 race for the third year. Another University of Virginia Cycling club member, Andrea Dvorak tried to ruin Williams’ “three-peat” but fell short.
Another highlight of Richmond area cycling was Richmond Ciclismo’s David Anderson’s category 4 win. Anderson also won the category 4 Dismal Dash Time Trial on March 20. That race was Anderson’s first as a category 4. Also, that race was after moving up as a category 5 when he won and placed second in early season South Carolina races.
For spectators at the finish line, Anderson’s finish looked like the perfect lead-out for another rider. The second and third place rider didn’t try to pass as Anderson crossed the line.
Ciclismo’s Matthew Kleiman placed 8th. Team Cobblestone’s Pascal Fernandez and Nick Blend placed 12th and 13th respectively.
Ciclismo’s Jon Gaudio and John Hessian placed ninth and 11th respectively in the 30+ race.
In the 40+ race, Team Cobblestone’s Jim Strunk and James Revere respectively placed 8th and 15th . Team CSK / Central Virginia Cycling Club’s Steve Hetherington placed 13th.
Also locally, Ciclismo’s Tony Hall placed fifth and Bob Haufler placed 8th in the category 5 race.
A list of the Jefferson Cup results can be found at www.bluewheel.com.
This article is presented by Richmondciclismo.com
