Tour de Bloom, Wenatchee, Washington

[Lister Farrar]

Jay Contends for Win before Delayed Wheel Change Slips Him to Third

Jay Lamoureux showed his all round ability with great rides in all three widely differing stages of the tour de bloom on the weekend. If not for a puncture in the road race when he was with the race leader and behind only a few points that he could have made up if not for a misplaced wheel vehicle, Jay could have won this weekend.

In the stage 1 massed start hill climb he rode all but the eventual winner off his wheel, just losing the sprint by moving off the inside line and a leaving a gap for Cameron to come through to win by less than a length. In a 4 mile hillclimb that took 20 minutes, half a wheel is tactics, not legs. Jays time would have put him 11th in the pro 1-2 race.

In the stage two criterium downtown after dark, Jay showed his strategic ability, riding comfortably in the bunch as others forced the pace. With one to go he jumped clear, and almost made it. He came out of the last corner leading, but his back wheel jumped on some bumps after the last corner, and he lost enough momentum for three riders to catch him. Trevor Stothard of the CSI Talent Development program and Red Truck won, and Cameron second. As this was a points omnium, not a time gc, winning points was key, not getting time gaps. Jay was now a solid second on the gc.

Stage three, was a different course, and race, again, a 68 mile road race on rolling terrain on a high plateau, where wind was the main factor. Or should have been. Instead it was poor placement of the wheel vehicle that decided the day and the weekend for Jay. He flatted when riding in the same group as the leader, at about 40 miles. And after eventual second overall Trevor Stothard had been dropped. The wind and rain were blowing hard; the car was rocking and tumbleweeds rolling by while we waited in the feedzone.

Jay waited in the wind and rain for two minutes before the wheel vehicle came up to him, during which time Trevor went by him. How is it the race leader and #2 can't have a wheel vehicle closer than that? To add insult to injury, the organizer had earlier turned down my offer to use my car as a wheel vehicle.

Once he got the wheel, Jay tt'd like a mad man and caught 6-7 dropped riders, who he organized to chase, then beat in the sprint. Just 4 minutes down on the Stothard group. And in much better shape than third finisher, and overall eventual winner Cameron who finished very hypothermic. Jay only had to finish two places ahead of Stothard to keep second, and only three places in front of Cameron to take the win. What might have been...

U15
Sarah Van Dam wins girls overall, Ethan Pauly 4th.
Tripleshot was well represented, with 5 riders, second only to Vancouver's Devo, who brought 14. The U15's had a great weekend, enjoying all three stages, and the usual shenanigans like the pool, pizza out, and the Blossom Festival carnival.

The u13 and u15 girls and boys rode together, which made for a good sized field as some of the u13s are quite strong. More details later.

results: http://gcracingllc.com/2014-tour-de-bloom-omnium/

[Andrew]

great race report Lister and congrats to Jay and all the TSC riders