Race report compliments of Brian Batke.
For most racers who have now hit or passed the magic age of 30, Masters Nationals is probably the biggest event on the calendar. It’s an opportunity to test yourself against top racers from around the country, with the title of National Champion on the line for the winner. This year, Louisville, Kentucky hosted Masters Nationals, and Carbon Racing sent a squad of Shawn Adams, Brian Batke, Samantha House, and Dan Quinlan. If only all could race together: with the exception of Shawn and Sam in the tandem time trial, everyone would be racing in separate categories.
The first day of road racing action saw Sam crash in a tight, off-camber turn as she attempted to bridge to what would prove to be the winning breakaway. Fortunately, the result was only some lost skin. Next up was Dan in the men’s 30-34 road race — at 65 miles the longest race of the event. Carbon Racing’scolors were prominent, as Dan made the winning 7-man breakaway as the field behind blew up into small groups. Each time through the feed zone, the effects of the heat could clearly be seen in the faces of the riders. In the uphill sprint the to the line, Dan was overtaken but held on for an impressive 5th place and a spot on the podium steps. Shawn contested the men’s 35-39 race, which saw some strange action as the field marked favorites such as defending champ Paul Martin. After the initial break was brought back, further attempts were chased until a single rider slipped off the front andsoloed for the win. Shawn finished safely in the field. In the men’s 45-49 race, a 3-man break escaped only 5 miles in to the race. Many riders, including Brian, were hesitant to work too much too early because of the next morning’s time trial. As a result the breakaway built an initial lead that was never significantly closed. With the first 3 spots gone, Brian opted to pull out with 5 miles to go in order to save something for the next day’s TT. The TT was held on a “rolling” (read “hilly”) stretch of highway south of Louisville. Nothing about the course was flat. An initial 1.5 mile uphill section was followed by a succession of rolling hills and a final 40+ mph downhill finish. Proper pacing would surely be important. Upon arrival racers were unfortunately greeted witha 2 hour delay while the organizers found sufficient marshals to control cross-traffic on the course. This caused a reset to everyone’s pre-race routine, and riders could be seen fueling up on Egg McMuffins from the McDonald’s across the street. It was either that, or Dairy Queen. When Brian came across the line, he had posted the then-fastest time in the 45-49 group. But as more riders finished, Brian’s time was pushed farther from the top, ultimately down to 6th. It was very close though: a difference of only 2 seconds separated 4th through 6th places. And only 11 seconds from 3rd to 6th. Those are the kind of results that make a time trialist ask, “what if?” Sam and Shawn then climbed aboard the tandem, anticipating painful climbs andscreaming descents. They successfully managed both, finishing an impressive 3rd, only 2 seconds from 2nd place. In the final criterium action at Churchill Downs, Sam lined up in what would be the largest women’s field of the day. Sam could not get in a good position for the majority of the race missing the attack of the eventual one and two spot riders. Sam finished in 8th place. Congratulations to local racer Jane Evely (Summa) who in a photo finish won the 2009 National Title.
Dan Podiums at Nationals
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