The Warren Wilson Cycling Team loaded up the van and trailer to head to East Tennessee to compete in Milligan University's road race weekend. Overnight rain brought damp chilly conditions to Saturday's road race. First time road racer Isaac Denzer managed to hang in with a fast Men's B/C field until he got popped of the back and subsequently popped a tire taking him out of contention. Oscar Rathmann got off on the wrong foot and had a nasty spill over the railroad tracks early in the race, he fought back for over 30 miles to no avail. He still managed to finish despite the adversity and getting stuck at railroad crossings. Jasper Schmook dug deep to stay with the group early on but eventually came off the back of the race however he managed to finish and it was his longest ride ever on a bike. Liselot Voordouw set out for her Women's B/C race and managed to pace herself well for the 22 miles, able to have the legs at the end to pass another rider to finish 4th on the day. Will Hove rode well in his Men's D race and was able to push himself and pace better than he has previously taking a healthy number of gummies with him stuck to his bike.

Sunday's Criterium race in Downtown Elizabethton, TN was a freezing start to the day but luckily the sun showed through to start warming things up nicely. The riders set out in the cold morning to practice the course. Emily Fredrickson and Liselot set off in the Women's B/C first with 30 minutes of racing. Liselot was able to stay in the group for the beginning, and once she was off the back worked with another rider to pace themselves. Emily started the race with a bang as she set a fast pace on the front, quickly realizing she needed to save some energy she dropped back to cover numerous attacks from other riders. With one lap to go she went all out and was able to sprint for 3rd place. Liselot gapped her companion rider on the last lap and put in a healthy distance to finish in 5th place in Women's C's. Will again showed improved pacing in the Men's D race to stay with the pack early on and push himself hard when he was riding solo, a great performance. Oscar Rathmann and Jasper Schmook were next in the largest field of the day Men's B/C. Both Oscar and Jasper did well to stay in the group early as the pace was ferocious. Oscar stayed near the pointy end of the field following wheels and allowing larger teams to duke it out for positioning. Jasper found another rider to pace with off the back of the group to chase with. Amid a crash Oscar was forced off course and ended up not taking his free lap, instead clawed his way through multiple groups to can the main bunch with 1 lap to go. Upon reaching the group he kept his momentum and blasted through the field to lead out the
race. Flying a touch too close to the sun he had to give up positioning through a corner but did not come off the bike. Jasper bested his rider by staying consistent as well as not getting any mechanicals. A great learning experience and a great weekend of racing. We're looking forward to competing at Ring of Fire at Carrier Park here in Asheville and the upcoming Tiger Town Classic in Clemson, SC. Stay tuned!