Jan. 2, 2005 – The North Shore of St. Croix has everything a cyclist looks for in a racecourse. The 12-mile loop has blazingly fast descents, a series of thrilling serpentine turns, a long climb, almost unlimited places to attack one's rivals, and on Sunday, wind.
In the first race of 2005, the Elite category riders raced three laps.
According to a press release from the V.I. Cycling Federation, the first lap and a half were marked by consistent probes by the two strong teams in the field -the Cruzan Sprockets and STX 340. Animating the action were Gabe Weber of the Sprockets and Juancito Gario of 340. On the long Rust op Twist hill, Tom Guthrie of the Sprockets attacked on a false flat, and sensing no response from the other competitors, decided to press home his advantage with a long solo effort. With the help of teammates Weber and Sue Brown, Guthrie held off Gario to capture his first win in more than a few years. Gario reduced the 30 second gap down only six in the last five miles to take second, with Weber taking third.
John Frongillo again won the Expert category, for his second win in as many races. He will be rewarded for his victories by being promoted to the Elite category, where he can test his mettle against more experienced competition.
Mike Klein took the win in the Sport group, capping off a remarkable weekend, by winning a bike race less than 24 hours after completing the VI Pace Runners Millennium Marathon, held in Frederiksted. Scott Fricks, still recovering from a fall in the previous race, took second, with STX 340 rider Bevern Sage finishing third.
The next race on the calendar is a Two Person Time Trial, to be held Jan. 16 at 7 a.m. on the Airport Loop on St. Croix. The unique format of this event, pitches two riders against the clock and other cyclists, over distances of 6, 12, or 24 miles. For more information, call 773-8456.
Complete results were:
Elite – 36 miles
1. Tom Guthrie 1:49:16
2. Juancito Gario 1:49:22
3. Gabe Webber 1:49:24
4. Sue Brown 1:49:27
5. Danney Fontenelle 1:52:53
6. Glenn Massiah 1:53:24
Expert – 24 miles
John Frongillo 1:12:17
Sport – 12 miles
1. Mike Klein 39:41
2. Scott Fricks 41:17
3. Bevern Sage 41:35
4. David Fleming 41:39
5. Brian O'Reilly 42:36
6. Thomas Blake 47:25
7. Paul Gillette 47:42
8. Mike Hill 50:42
9. Tesha Distad 58:48
10. Linda Whitaker 58:53