TdBurg Stage 2 Recap

STAGE 2 RECAP - 2009 Tour d Burg

 

The peloton had an early departure today, due to the evening time trial following the morning's 75 mile road race, exploring the roads of northern Rockingham county, and the southern country roads of Shenandoah County. The riders left downtown Harrisonburg with spectators lined ten deep along main street on their way to the first timed section, over the infamous Hopkins Gap.

 

The first timed section of the day would hold a lot of cards, due to sprint time bonuses awarded at the end of the section. The early pave section did not do much to string out the peloton, but the steep slopes of Hopkins gap quickly separated the bunch into three groups separated by 15 seconds each, which would later regroup on the backside of the gap.

 

The lead group included all the GC players except for Boone rider Drew S, who would be in one of the many small chase groups, desperately trying to limit his losses. The 15 mile, high speed roll out to Fulks Run provided plenty of time for the ponies to jockey for sprint position, but it all came down to tour experience and local knowledge, as Chris Scott claimed top sprint honors and a minute time bonus. The other GC contenders gaining valuable time bonuses were Dirty D and Jimmy Mac, continuing their upward creep into overall contention.

 

After a long parade north, the peloton regrouped at Orkney Springs, to begin the second racing section. Faced with a sheer gravel wall to start the race, the peloton shattered. Two groups formed on top of the gravel ridge, but prior to their cohesion, the route entered tight and sketchy downhill switchbacks, allowing four riders to escape their hard charging rivals. Fawley, Dirty D, Keefer and stage pony Ryan Leech shot free of the chasers, assaulting the downhill with reckless disregard for their or anyone else's safety. Their efforts were all for naught though, as the route was sabotaged by the Virginia State Police, who commandeered director Carpong's aerosol cans,m in compliance with President Obama's newest environmental regulations. In light of these unfortunate events, the section was neutralized, leading many riders to question why they worked so hard. The riders union and tour committee met in secret at the neutral of the Ethiopian Embassy to Chrisscottistan in the hopes of finding an amiable solution. Should an accord not be reached before the start of stage three, the future of the tour is in jeopardy.

 

When the weary peloton finally reached Rocktown, they had nothing but another race waiting for them. The 3.5 mile route featured super tight, technical trails, giant rocks and waterballoons lobed by irate course marshals. Even though the TT lasted less than 16 minutes for winner Dirty D, it still proved vital to the GC, because of large time gaps. Notably, the TT cleared the way for the JV Squad to climb into the top two spots on the GC, as well as solidfy their lock on the coveted DFL, which was handed off to Wild Oates by Mark Veerman, due to medical reasons that his physician would not disclose, due to the delicate nature of the issue. With the squad now bookending the GC, there seems little hope for the rag-tag Cupcake tea, despite their reclamation of the KOM jersey.

Chris Scott
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