Columbus Crit/ Fort Benning RR Race Report 

by Matt Reeder
Date: August 30-31, 2003
Place: Columbus, GA

The Boneshaker's Team had a good showing this weekend in the Columbus Crit and the Fort Benning Road Race. 

Richie Hunt, Eric Anderson and Matt Reeder raced in the Downtown Columbus Criterium on Saturday. The 97 degree heat on a flat course with no shade made for some tough racing. Despite a punishing pace that never let up, Richie hung on for all 50 minutes +5 laps of the Cat 2/3 race for a very respectable field finish. Matt and Eric raced in a chaotic Cat 5 event. Matt got on a 3 man break that went early in the 30 minute +5 lap race. The break stayed away and intact for the first 22 minutes, lapping much of the field. One of the breakaway riders crashed, and then Matt cracked at about 25 minutes when the heat got the best of him. Some combination of lapped riders and the field caught him; he finished in this group and was placed 3rd. Eric narrowly avoided a nasty crash to ride very well, controlling the pace of the field and marking all attempts to bridge the break. He finished in the field. 

Matt and Eric both rode the Fort Benning Road Race on Sunday with excellent results. The weather didn't let up, and it was hot enough to convince the race officials that all of the races should be shortened by one lap. So the Cat 5 race was 33 miles rather than the scheduled 55. The peloton was very reluctant to do any work, so Eric and Matt found themselves doing nearly all of the pacemaking from the beginning of the race. On the steepest climb on the course an attacker got off the front and opened up a sizeable gap. The field couldn't organize to chase him down, and he stayed away for the win. In the chase group, Eric and Matt continued to set the pace for the duration of the race. Aside from some excruciating climbs, the race remained uneventful, with a one man break followed by nine chasers ahead of the main field. Eric came on very strong in the last 3 miles of the race by setting a very high tempo and then still having the gas to execute a perfectly timed lead out for Matt to win the field sprint. Matt took 2nd place and Eric finished 9th. The Road Race was a nice ending to a great weekend for the black jerseys: Eric and Matt brought home two top ten finishes for the team and both moved up to Cat 4!