At the cycling championship criterium races held at MSU April 13, two MSU cyclist’s finished in first place. In addition two bikers finished first for the season, and the team finished first overall in the conference.
Cyclists said the event was a great way to end the season.
“I invited as many people as I could and they came out to support me so I was happy about that. I wanted to put on a good show on our home turf and I’m glad that I was able to do that,” Anthony Sequera, business management junior, said.
About 30 students and community members came to the race that ended prematurely due to a passing, and brief, thunderstorm.
“I love this course, I love the turnout. We had great weather and the community really came out and supported us as well,” Coach Charlie Zamastil said. “They brought their dog, they brought their kids, had signs and everything. It was amazing.”
Despite their efforts, for one team member to place first, Sam Croft, geoscience sophomore, finished fourth.
“I was trying to lead him out, but he wasn’t there in the end, and I wasn’t going to let the UT guy win,” Tony Baca, finance and marketing senior, said.
Zamastil agreed with Baca.
“We did want Sam to win. Tony can’t just sit up and let Sam pass him because then he lets other people pass him too, so I was hoping Sam would have a little better shot in the sprint but overall I can’t complain. They looked really good out there,” Zamastil said.
In class B, Cameron Lowery, nursing sophomore, said he tried to lead Sequera into a first place finish, but a cyclist from ACU ruined that plan.
“My goal wasn’t really to do well in the sprint, it was actually to try and lead a teammate out,” Lowery said. “We had a guy jump in our group and it kind of messed up our rotation, so I didn’t get to lead him out, which caused it to be a three-way sprint instead of just one-on-one.”
But it wasn’t only other cyclists that made the race challenging. Cyclists said the 40 mph winds made the race even harder than normal.
“There was a time where I literally thought I was going to be blown off my bike because of some of the gusts,” Sequera said. “When you’re riding here I would always try to have somebody at my right side because the wind’s blowing that way and I want somebody to block the wind.”
The men and women’s class A groups, along with Angela Streadwick in class B, will compete in the CapTech USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships, May 2-4 in Richmond, Va.
Full disclosure: Sam Croft has been a designer for The Wichitan.
MSU RESULTS
April 13 Criterium Races
Men’s class A
- 1 | Tony Baca
- 2 | Cory Scott
- 4 | Sam Croft
- 5 | Sean Brown
- 6 | Ricky Randall
- 12 | Caden Burross
Women’s class A
- 1 | Maddie Steel
- 2 | Ashley Weaver
Men’s class B
- 3 | Cameron Lowry
- 4 | Anthony Sequera
- 7 | Collin Buerger
- 10 | David Bearett
Women’s class B
- 2 | Angela Streadwick
