Wood County’s windy wickedness welcomed the Wheelmen’s season-opening time trial at Otsego Park.  The conditions made for an early season time trial that was on the wrong side of brutal.  A tempestuous north-northwesterly wind whirled with violent veracity, yet the buffeting blasts failed to dampen the determination of twenty-eight riders. With appalling audacity the gusts grumbled and the gales groaned, but their feisty fierceness failed to quell the quickness of the Club’s Hard Men.  

To no one’s surprise Thourot triumphed over all.  If Matt's performance had to be described by a mere single phrase, it would be The Consistent Crusher!  Despite Matt-The-Monclova-Motor‘s radically reduced spring training schedule, he dramatically displayed the stoic strength and astonishing ability developed over the past fifteen-plus years of disciplined training and relentless focus.  His effort out-paced up-and-coming Club star Brent Goetz by more than three seconds per mile. A commendable feat given the evening’s conditions and Matt’s well-ensconced middle-age.

With his runner’s-up performance, Brent Goetz painted the self-portrait of the Wheelmen that will eventually wrestle away the reigns held by the Club’s current cadre of Hard Men.  At the start of only his second season of racing Brent was just seventeen seconds shy of riding a sub-twenty minute time.  Certainly, with his best years still in front of him, that marker will soon fall.  Brent’s ride reveals a remarkable evolution from this time last year, where under near ideal conditions Brent rode 2:23 slower.  Not only does his single season’s rapid gains portend his potent potential, but more importantly it emphasizes the mental acuity he lends to his training.  Brent’s disciplined, focused, consistent and methodical approach to training very much mirrors that of perennial Fast Man Matt Thourot, with whom he also shares a very similar sense of relentless competitiveness.  Look for Brent to begin challenging the times of Matt--if not this season, then next.  

Dan Ritter has  shown some stellar performances in prior seasons, and his ride tonight displayed a return to that flawlessly fine form.  Jeff Crawford rode supreme on the long grades of the Blue Ridge Parkway during the Club’s recent spring training trip to Asheville, N.C., and his ride tonight was a radiant reflection on that capital conditioning.  Tonight he rode ten seconds faster than at this same event last season.  Pio exhibited his ageless athleticism with a time equal to that of least season’s first event, an accomplishment even more remarkable given his sixty hour work weeks.  Nationally accomplished swimmer [and standout triathlete] Andy Gerken made a big splash tonight in reminding those that may have forgotten:  his sporting strength does not dry up just because he’s exited the pool!  Team Defiance members Mick Poncsak and Jeff Nixon finished inside the top ten overall, and reminded many stalwart Wheelmen of their need to no longer neglect their time trialing.  Rounding out the top ten was Jer Walker, who impressively did so by riding just a standard road bike.  

No photos from tonight’s race, as race sign-in required all my time and attention.  

Note:  Official time is calculated by subtracting the Start Order from the Finish Time minutes.