Carolina Cup

This past Sunday, we headed to Greensboro to race in the Carolina Cup. This was the 37th running of the Cup, which bills itself as the "longest running bicycle race in the South." The Cup is raced in the Greensboro Country Park, which is located in the historic area near the Guilford County Courthouse. The Cup course is a 1.6-mile loop through the park, making it either a long criterium or a short circuit race, your pick.

Hamming for a self-photo by Amy before the racing ensues.

Waiting to take the start line for the men's Category 5 race, my first mass-start race since 1994.
Ready to roll out for the 25-minute Cat 5 event. The field heads through the start-finish area after completing the first lap.

Coming through on the first turn.

Concerned that Amy would not be able to get good photos of me in my first crit in 15 years, I allowed the field to go on ahead of me so that the shots wouldn't be cluttered. As I cross the finish line above, it is clear that my strategy worked. Taking the glass-is-half-full approach to my post-race analysis, I did not finish last and at least managed to finish ahead of the guy wearing a t-shirt and sneakers and using toe clips. Also, I did not get lapped. This is a dramatic improvement considering I got lapped in 100% of the crits I entered in 94.

After the men's Cat 5 race, Amy toed the start line with the Category 4 women for a 25-minute event.
Employing a slightly different strategy than I, Amy chose to stay with the leaders during her race. Above, Amy comes through the first lap and heads into the first left-hand turn in 5th position.

In the first photo above, one has a nice view of the start-finish stretch (the red fencing and tents on the back of the pond), the first left-hand turn, and the start of the first and longest climb on the circuit. Amy's approach to this section of the course was to take the safer outside line through the first turn and then use her climbing skills to move to the front of the field on the climb. The first photo shows Amy beginning to move up the pack, and in the second she moves to the front during the steepest section of the climb as it turns left.

Approaching the last section of the first climb, positioned perfectly near the front. Among many positives, Amy stayed with the front of the field for the entire race. While the course is not technical in a tight, criterium sense, it is challenging in that it has several short hills, the longer first hill with a left-turn in the middle, and a winding layout, making it difficult to get in a rhythm. It is a scenic and beautiful setting for a race.

Coming through the first turn at the start of the final lap. Unable to both cheer loudly and take photos at the same time, I did not take any photos of the finish. Amy finished just behind the lead finishing group, capping an excellent day in her first criterium-esque race.