The Team: Justin Miller, Trevor Jahn, Eliot Toumey, Britton Park, Michelle Hance, Jason Sohn, Christopher Anthony, Nathan Gross, Mark Zhao.

Standout results

Justin Miller:1st, Men's Cat 3

Jason Sohn 1st, Cat 4/5; 3rd, Men's B/C/D

Britton Park: 4th, Women's B/C

Michelle Hance: 7th, Women's Pro/1/2/3 ( = 2nd, Women's Cat 3)

Christopher Anthony: 9th, Men's B/C/D

Write-Up

by Jason Sohn

Short One Day Weekend

The 21st Annual Marian Midwest Cycling Classic was just a Saturday of crit (or short circuit) racing. With the Indy Cycloplex (race venue) being only an hour away from Purdue, it was a short drive. Furthermore, the weather was warm and pleasant, so it was a stress-free weekend of successful racing.

Jason Sohn wins Cat 4/5photo by Mark Zhao — Jason Sohn wins Cat 4/5
photo by Mark Zhao

Marian's Home Race

There was no denying the numerical and geographical advantage that Marian had over the few collegiate teams that showed up (many did not). In the Men's B/C/D race, a Marian duo got a gap on the field and held on. Nevertheless, Purdue secured a podium with Jason Sohn (Men's B) winning the field sprint. In Cat 4/5 domestic race, which was near maximum capacity (75 riders) there was much less control of the pack as in the collegiate race. No breaks went clear and Jason Sohn won the field sprint again, netting first place.

The most thrilling win, however, goes to Justin Miller (Cat 3). He says, "coming into the stretch before the final corner, I had the opportunity to hop on a train to the front and get on the second wheel around the corner which set me up perfectly for the sprint. I got really really lucky". Justin may say it was luck, but his power profile in the last minute of the race shows there's more to it than that. Winning a sprint into a block headwind so strong it brought down the finish line barriers while holding off a pack of Marian riders is no joke.

Britton Park (Women's B/C) wrote, "There were 4 girls in my race: 3 Marian girls and myself. I told them to pretend that I was racing for Marian too (it didn't work)". She added, " I knew Marian had some tricks up their sleeves, but I didn't let that stop me from having fun!"

Well-earned BBQphoto by Jason Sohn — Well-earned BBQ
photo by Jason Sohn

Brisket

Hank's Smoked Briskets, a takeaway BBQ joint near Indy Cycloplex, gets two thumbs up from Purdue Cycling Club for their delicious briskets (obviously), ribs, and unique potato salad. If you're ever in Indy near the Indy Cycloplex (Major Taylor Velodrome), you ought to try it out.

Laughs

"Michelle, your calf is the size of my quad." -Andres; part of a series on "Michelle, you're huge!"

"Do you regularly take acid before bike races?" -Chris Santos (Disclaimer: no acid was involved).

RACE REPORT: Marian Midwest Cycling Classic