University Hill Crit

Race report by Shawn Lortie

The Uni Hill Crit has its roots back in the Coors Classic Stage Race, when top national and international racers tackled the circuit that featured some fast descending and technical cornering around the famous University Hill area near the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. The race has not been run for the last 7 years, but race promoter Without Limits Productions felt the time was ripe to bring back this classic crit.

The day started out with steady rain during the morning races, but by mid day, things began to dry up, leaving the course dry for both the Men’s and Women’s Pro races. The course has changed a bit from the Coors Classic days, but all the essentials that make this course unique compared to the typical office park crit were still in place.  The figure eight style course included a fair bit of climbing from the start/finish line to the top of the course, then some fast descending with three or four tight corners leading back to the finish line in front of the historic Fox Theater.

In the Womens Pro race, Gwen Inglis and Kasey Clark of Team Primal/Map My Ride, took early control of the race as they worked together to build a gap.  As the two continued to increase their lead on a chasing field, Inglis flatted and was forced to retrieve a new wheel at the pits. Fortunately the incident occurred coming into the start finish area so the exchange was fairly quick. Inglis was able to rejoin Clark and the two finished up the race together, with Clark in first, Inglis in second, and Susan Einberger in third.

In the Men’s Pro race, Team Juwi Solar/First Solar once again flexed some muscle and controlled the race from the start. Juwi Solar/First Solar riders filled 4 of the top 5 finishing spots, with only Jon Tarkington (Natural Grocers) able to break into the fold for a third place finish. Early in the race, Greg Krause (Juwi Solar/First Solar) dropped the hammer and went on a solo breakaway.

As the laps ticked away, Krause’s lead grew. Back in the pack, the rest of the Juwi team sat in, with no need to work to bring back the break. Eventually Tarkington had enough and launched a strong chase effort to bring Krause back. Keith Harper (Juwi Solar/First Solar) went with Tarkington and the two quickly put a gap on the rest of the field.  The two rode together the rest of the race, but with no help from Harper, Tarkington was not able to bridge up to Krause. In the end Krause took the win and Harper beat Tarkington for the second spot on the podium.

Overall it was a well run race, and although the weather undoubtedly affected racer turnout numbers, it would be great to see this venue stick around for a while, as both the course and the location make for fun and exciting racing and great spectating possibilities.