January Nats
|
|
|
| Date: | Sunday, January 31st, 1999 |
| Time: | Registration from 11:00am to 11:55am, ride starts at 12:00 noon |
| Location: | Knightdale, NC |
| Distances: | 42 miles (One controlled pace warm up lap) |
| Laps: | 7 |
| Cost: | $5 (Top seven places split all collected funds) |
| Conditions: | No rain. Weather channel predicts RDU high temp of 40 or more. |
| Classes: | Single start (A & B race if over 100 riders.) |
| Contact: | Mike Kinney (919) 469-3914 m-p.kinney@MCI2000.com |
| Directions: |
South, North & West of Raleigh I-40 exit 306 NC 70 towards Smithfield Left at first light Auburn Knightdale Rd Right at T-Stop Grasshopper Rd Registration at T-Stop Smithfield Rd.
East of Raleigh |
This is the end of winter fitness cycling check for cyclists in the Raleigh area. Pay to play. It costs $5. All the money is returned to the winners. One woman and one junior collect their funds. The men split the cash among seven cyclists. The one warm up lap prevents stupid dumb cycling. No one is going to wreck for $150.
First you register from 11-12. Cyclists are flexing and telling how they plan to take it easy. The riders line up for the high noon start. The first lap is controlled. This helps the large group of 30 to 100 cyclists know the course and ride together tightly. The break away starts immediately. The great cyclists separate themselves. The peloton reacts. Sometimes it chase and recover. Sometimes it let those crazy cyclists go. Major chases try to catch the break away. The peloton gets back to a reasonable pace after the break away is out of sight. The fun starts again as another group breaks away from the peloton. It is amazing how money motivates. The sprints are brutal on the up hill finish. The winner always cranks the rest of the riders off his wheel. The main peloton has the ultimate sprint. It's a huge group. There is pride at stake. Such a fun winter fitness event.
Background: This ride goes back to the early '80's. Dave Leduc, Old Man, won a 1997 USCF national championship jersey. The January Nat winner rides the recovery lap in that jersey. Ronnie Hinson has won the most Jan Nats. Fred Gonzalez, 1996 USA Oly mpic cyclist, is one of the bigger name winners. It as so cool saying that I raced against Fred. It was so cool talking with Fred before his Tour du Pont time trial. Typically, the Canadian team come up from Southern Pines, NC. The VA cyclists bring a tough group. Chapel Hill cyclists set a good single file tempo in the main peloton. All the collected money goes back to the poor starving cyclists. Come on out and enjoy the fun.