Falcon cycling starts road season in Golden

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Len Carera
  • Cadet Cycling Club officer in-charge
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The Falcon Cycling team started the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference road season with races hosted by the Colorado School of Mines March 16 in Golden.

Eight riders competed in five different categories. The team's star was Caitlin Sullivan of Cadet Squadron 20 who finished in second place in her first road race.

The course was a one-mile, eight-turn loop on the Carnegie Mullin University campus and included three fast downhill turns and a steep, 11 percent-grade climb to the finish line.
Races started early in the morning with the return of Brandon Shaw (CS-32) in the Men's C Race.

The women's B race looked like it would be won on the first lap but the race lasted 25 minutes, and Sullivan was able to pass all but one rider to take second place.

The men's B race lasted 45 minutes; Max Bierman (CS-11) started from the back of the 31-rider field. He showed off his improved bike handling skills, taking fast corners and casually passing riders on the climbs to work his way up to 10th place in his first B Race.

The women's A race, also 45 minutes, was a battle for third place after lap one when riders from Fort Lewis and Colorado Mesa took off early. CMU's Ariane Horbach, a freshman top-10 racer, won. Jasmine Hansen (CS-17) placed 5th.

The men's A race lasted 60 minutes and almost finished as quickly as the women's A race.

A lead pack of nine riders broke early, trying to leave behind remaining field of 38 riders. They succeeded after three laps, but Stefan Zavislan (CS-28) rode hard to grab a 10th place finish.

The team will compete in a circuit race at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and a criteria at the Stazio Ball Fields in Boulder this weekend.

Both races are hosted by CU-Boulder.