Great race coverage Casey!

peterpen wrote:Fantastic stuff, Casey! Thanks so much for doing this - please keep it up!

Glad you enjoyed it. Not sure when I'll get a chance to do it again though. Most races when I'm working as an official I'm to busy to do lap by lap coverage. At today's gas prices I'm not sure how many other races I can get to on my own dime to do race coverage.

Fantastic stuff, Casey! Thanks so much for doing this - please keep it up!

Great job Casey!!

Well thanks to everyone ( anyone??) who followed along at home. Sounds like Chris Coble was the person who got the worst of the crash on the last lap with a possible broken wrist.

This will be the last post of today's coverage.

2 to go - And the crowd is starting to build on the start finish straight. The gap is down to 13 second as Scott McKinley from AMD is at the front of the field starting to push the pace. Riders are starting to explode off the back of the group as the pack puts in a big effort to bring the break back.

1 to go - THe break is down to 2 adnd the Gap is down to 5 seconds. It looks like the break will not survive to the end of the race. At turn 3 the break's gap is down to 2 seconds. a lot more riders were rolling by off the back of the pack a the bell was being run.

Finish - The field has to deal with the dog leg jog shortly before the finish. Race radio says there was a crash on the decent on the back side of the course. The field will probably be shattered coming into the finish.

Brian Bosch from CVC claims the win as the front of the pack was well thinned probably due to the crash. A well scattered pack is still roling through the finish area, Looks like Jackson Stewart came in second and Andres Gill Came in third. The field was so spread out at the finish the officials picked the top 14 riders by hand.

5 to go - Tim Granshaw Morgan Stanley is at the front. Looks like the field is resigned to having this come down to a field sprint.

4 to go - Coming up on an hour 12 race time and 3 riders have slipped away from the pack. Jackson Stewart, Jared Barrilleaux and Tylor Gough are the 3 leaders making a late attempt to escape.

3 to go - With 3 to go the break has a15 second lead with no organized chase forming in the field. Did the CA Giants use up all their chasing ability in the effort to bring Wolberb back a few laps ago? The Gap opens up to 17 seconds by turn 4 so the break was continuing to gain as they throw themselves into the all or nothing move.

8 to go - Wolberg has seen his lead cut to 11 seconds in just 1 lap by the Nor Cal powerhouse that is the CA Giant Strawberry Team. There is no messing around when the Giants put their whole team on the front and grab the race by the throat to take control. Even Eric was looking back sensing what was closing in behind him.

7 laps to go - And the field is together in les than 2 laps the Cal Giant team was able to eliminate a 20 second lead by Wolberg. Now that the pack is back together the CA Giants have let some of their riders drop back in the pack a little to rest up for the final push to the finish.

6 to go - Now that the pack is together the pace seems to have slowed just a bit but through the downtown area the field was well strung out.

13 to go Wolberg has opened up the gap to 13 seconds. The pack is actually bunching up indicating that they aren't chasing very hard. Through mot of the downtown area Wolberg is out of sight of the main field. The field can probably still see Eric on the backside climb.

12 to go - The TT machine that is Eric Wolberg is going at full steam. Eric has a 16 second lead over a solo chaser and an additional 6 seconds over the pack. Wolberg is a multi time TT Champ of Canada and he can certainly hold this advantage if the pack doesn't put in a full chase effort.

Max Jenkins from CAl Giant is the solo chaser

11 to go - Wolberg has now opened up a 22 second lead. the pack isn't strung out in single file like you would expect during a hard chase. Eric will have no competition for this next prime lap. Eric has been turning laps in the 2:44 range the last several laps.

10 to go - Eric is riding on the rivet but he slowed down by 2 second on that lap and the pack gained 2 seconds on that lap. The Pros have been racing for 56 minutes so far and we are still seeing riders dropping out of the race.

9 to go Eric's lead is 20 seconds but bad news for Eric the CA Giant Strawberry Train has just gone to the front to start rereling Eric back in. Have the Cal Giants let Eric get to big of a gap or will they be able to bring this race back together???

17 to go - Wolberg is still at the front but he is the head of the pack. A lot of riders are still hanging in there and the pack remains well strung out every time they come into view of the finish line.

16 to go - Uthman Ray was barely hanging off the front. At the back of the pack another rider cam by the finish line indicating that he was done for the day.

15 to go - Aaron Cox was the leader of the pack. Looks like BPG/ Montano Velo is making a big effort to fly the colors at the front of the field all day long. for those of you keeping score we just reached the 1/2 way point of the race.

14 to go - The heat is getting to the stage crew with a lot of bad joke being told. Eric Wolberg turns in a lap of 2:38 and has a 5 second lead. Wolberg has been trying to break this race open for quite a while but so far no one has wanted to join Eric off the front. The pack is also quick to respond to every move Wolberg has made.

22 to go the field is together Jackson Stewart from BMC was at the front as the field came through. Matthew Beebe from Webcor has called it quits and dropped out of the race.

21 - Andres Gil is leading the pack as the prime bell is rung again.

20 - Scott Nydam from BMC picks up that last prime. Nydam i listed as being from Denver which makes him ineligible for the Nor Cal championship today. The Motor official is reporting more riders who are just riding off the course on the back side. The breeze has mostly died down so the Temps are rising.

19 laps to go. There should be a law that says use a pun go to jail. One of our officials would get life if that was the case. Uthman Ray was the pace setter last lap. Not as many attacks as you might expect going into this race. The pace has been constantly high which would make a break pretty hard,

18 - Just when you though things would remain calm Eric Wolberg comes to the front to shake things up. Eric picked up a prime for his efforts and had a smalll gap

With the heat and speed we will probably start seeing riders getting shelled off the back in just a couple more laps.

27 laps to go - THe officials are picking on our volunteer announcer. Paul Penn is still off the front by himself and he picks up another prime prize. Going into turn 4 Paul looks over his shoulder and see the pack close by so he shuts down the motor and rejoins the pack.

26 to go - A new solo rider is off the front Sean McBride has a 5 second lead. Once again we have several 2 place primes which the officials are trying to get out of the way early. Eric Wolberg is now off the front with a 5 second lead. This move will set off the alarm bells and get some riders a bit worried. Wolberg is strong enough to hold off the field by himself if the pack is lazy and lets him get a large enough lead.

25 - Wolberg still in front and still clings to about a 5 second lead. The field is still well strung out and I saw several riders pouring water on themselves trying to cool down.

Already we have someone in the pit looking for a new front wheel. ACtually it looks like our pit person is in for an accident.

28 to go - Ryan Wong was at the front of the break. Some of the local big guns are in S. Cal today at the Manhattan Beach, another event that has live internet coverage

27 to go - Paul Penn is still at the front of the race and still in a break with a small gap.

Unfortunately Reg is not going to be able to get me full results in a format I can post to the net.

The Pro men are lined up and last minute instructions ( and correcting number placement ) is taking place. It looks like a large field probably lose to 75 riders. No start sheets yet. A good crowd is forming along the start stretch.

And we are off to the races. OK my guess was a little low. WE have 86 riders in the race. The Pros will be going 30 laps which will be a sufferfest in these Temps and with that hill on the back side. THankfully for the officials the breeze has started up again a little bit.

29 to go - Here they come already we have 4 riders off the. On of the rider off the front is Paul Penn who spent most of the day ar Fremont yesterday off the front of the Pro race. The opening lap was 2:44

Finish - Here comes the lead Moto Chris Wire from Safeway takes the win. Will have to wait for the camera to sort out the next couple of places. We will have a 20 minute gap before we get the final race of the day started.

Behind Chris Wire our leader we had
Steve Reaney CA Giant Berry
Larry Nolan AMD
Jason Dunlap Specialized

3 to go - The field is together but still a bit strung out.

2 to go - So this will probably be a bunch sprint Clint Gaver has been at the front of the field the last couple of laps setting a pace that everyone seems to be happy with. It has been a long hard race for Andrew Robertson from Team City. He has been lapped once and is off the back again. Gots to give him credit for hanging in there though.

1 to go - The BEll is ringing and the group is together. Carter Schmeck and Craig Roemer were the two riders at the front driving the pace into the last lap.

Eric Wolberg is currently dropping off his wheels in the free lap pit as he gets ready for the Men's championship

5 to go - Bubba Melcher pips Kevin Metcalf for the last prime of the day. Kevin and Bubba have about a 12 bike length advantage. The breeze has died down and now it is starting to get down right hot.

4 to go - The field is together but Metcalf is still working hard near the front. THe heat should start taking it's toll on the riders during the last few laps of this race. THe back side climb is probably a lot more fun no in the hot sun.

8 laps to go - the break is now down to 2 as the for other escapees find themselves back in the pack. The two leaders are trying to hold onto a 3 second lead. A number of riders have been shelled off the back already as the big motors at the front are keeping the pace fast.

7 to go - The previous chasers have been caught and AMD's Kevin Metcalf goes on the attack again. By turn #4 Metcalf has been joined by another rider and they have a 6 second lead.

6 to go - Metcalf and Richard Juarez are the two riders at the front and they hold onto a slim lead.

11 to go showing on the lap cards. - Things are startng to heat up. THe 3 riders are still off the front and it is an AMD rider who is the third rider in the break. There are now two chasers inbetween the lead and the pack and then the pack strung out chasing hard. The field is single file as they go through turn #4.

10 to go - THe break is now up to 6 riders as the two previous chasers and an additional rider were able to bridge the gap on the back side. The 6 rider break has a 13 second advantage. A couple of riders are in the pit. One rider had a flat rear wheel but the oterh rider didn't get a free lap for tired legs.

9 to go - Again Reg is slow getting us the start sheets so it is hard to identify all the riders in the break. The field is still clining onto abouty a 10 second lead but the field is keeping up the pressure trying to bring the break back.

I have added some photos from the Pro women's race at http://homepage.mac.com/casey_k/PhotoAlbum2.html including the finishline image of the battle for 2nd through 4th.

The masters 1/2/3 race has just gotten underway. It looks like we will have a break due to the cancelation of the relay race. Will try to get the complete results from today up during that break.

Once again the local wind machine is kicking it up a notch to make spectating great and riding a bit tougher.

Already the field was strung out nicely after just one lap. There will be 6 prime bells rung during the race.

Larry Nolan leads the long line of masters across the line at the end of lap #2. so we are doen to 14 laps to go. The prime bell was rung as Larry came across the line.

13 laps to go - AMD and Safeway have riders in the two man break. Kevin Metcalf is the AMD representative in the break. The break has a 5 second advantage going into turn #4. THe back side climb must be getting tougher as the temp starts to ride. The climb is wide open with no shade.

12 laps to go - The break from the last lap has been caught and replaced by a new group of 3 riders. Team Spint and EMC have 2 of the 3 riders in the lead group. Again we will be having primes during most of the laps of the race.

Finish - And Lloyd is still by herself at the end. Lloyd finishes7 seconds in front of the field. Proman got second place and it was a tight battle for 3rd and Proman may have made it a clean sweep.

Kirstin Drumm Proman finished 2nd
Tracey Ford Proman gets 3rd
Flavia Oliveria gets 4th

2 laps to go -- Rachael i extending her lead. The songbird is flying free from the pack. Rachael is now 18 seconds up on the chase and the chase is just a few bike lengths in front of the pack. At turn 4 Rachael is still 18 seconds in front but the chase has been caught by the pack.

1 lap to go - It looks like our new Women's Crit champ will be Rachael Lloyd. She maintains a 14 second advantage going into turn #1 on the last lap of the race. TIBCO is on the front of the pack chasing but I think Rachael's lead is a safeone.

4 to go - With the breeze and the hill these laps tend to be longer than what we see at a lot of Crits. The lead Moto is coming and the field is still tightly bunched. Flavia Oliveria was on the front keeping a steady pace. Looks like this will be another bunch sprint. Will Tracey Ford make it two weeks in a row. She won at Burlingame last Sunday and she might be the rider to watch for on the final lap of the championship.

3 to go - And Proman's Rachael Lloyd has broken up the race. Rchael is off the fron by herelf with a group of 3 chasing. Rachael is 8 seconds in front of the 3 chasers and the chasers are 7 seconds in front of the pack. The chase has a Webcor rider and a Metromint rider in it.

And the field is all together and it is Elis Bradshaw From Metromint poundin the pedals at the front applying pressure to the rest of the field.

I think I got off on the lap count earlier since the field will be seeing 6 as they come through next time. It will also be anotehr prime sprint.

THe breeze is still blowing pretty good. It makes for good spectating conditions but not good breakaway conditions. THe field is tightly bunched Jane Robertson rolls through to pick up the prime.

Proman has 3 riders int he race Webcor has 4 riders, Metromint also has 4.Those are the largest teams in the race and wll probably be the ones to animate things over our last 5 laps.

5 to go now and Los Gatos/ Easton/Speciliazed's Jennifer Van Muckey was at the front and rolled through to pick up our final prime.

8 to go and now Velo Bella is forging ahead by herself. The Metronmint rider is in no woman's land between the lead and the pack. The Velo Bella lead is at 8 seconds and now Proman is at the front of the field leading the chase.

7 - Monica Nielson has been the Bella off the front these past couple of laps. Her lead was a very slim one though as the field is getting close to brining her back into the group. By turn 4 the lead is down to 2 seconds.

The delta breeze is really starting to kick up now. That will make it hard on any breakaways but should make the Temp a little more bearable for the riders. Proman still with a solo rider off the front but she was looking a little tired. The field has just seen 12 to go

11 to go and we will hopefully have start sheets in a couple of minutes Proman is still clining to a gap but it is a new Proman rider at the front. Rachael Lloyd has taken over the lead position. As the riders go into turn #4 Rachael is extending her lead. Metromint was at the front leading the chase.

10 to go and we have some new faces off the front. Velo Bella has taken over the lead. As the riders go into turn #4 Velo Bella has been joined by a Metromint rider. This move might put Proman on the defensive and force them into being the chasers instead of the attackers.

The Pro women are lined up and they are getting their final instructions. Paula Mara is the Chief Ref and she has just given us the starting whistle.

And our lead motor is approaching to complete lap #1 15 laps to go now and the field is together 3:11 was the time for the first lap.

The sceond lap has been completed and the first of 8 prime laps has been rung. Again due to the many prizes they have to give away each prime will be a two placer.

13 to go an one rider is off the front by about 5 seconds. It is a Proman rider but unfortunately I don't have a start sheet yet so I can't identify the rider.

Bell lap 1 to go 1 to go 1 to go Kyle Paterson just got a flat but it happened well after the free laps are over.

The pack was together at the bell And it is a bunch finish and John Wilk comes across the line in the #1 position closely followed by Robert winder and Aaron Paterson.

Next up our first Championship event of the Day the Pro women's race. The race will start in about 6 minutes.

We still have a few riders fighting hard off the back of the pack trying to regain contact. These are riders who got cught behind the crash and have been chasing ever since. It is a relativly cool day for Vacaville. Just a bit of a breeze now kicking up along the start finish that is keeping thins very comfortable.

3 to go - 4 riders with a little bit of a gap but the break is not well organized and the pack is strung out single file trying to bring the break back. The gap is 3 seconds as the riders disappear around turn #4.

2 to go and we now have 5 riders in a small group still clinging to about a 3 second gap. By the time the group got to turn 4 the gap was gone and the field all together but well strung out.

7 to go just got a report of a crash on the back side of the course. That explains the riders who are now off the back. So far no one has come back to the free lap pit. Now one rider has reported to the pit.

6 laps to go and the prime bell rings out again Julian Martinez was at the front of the field setting the pace. Looks like this race will come down to a bunch finish as we haven't seen any real atempts to get off the front ( at least no attackes that have survived where we can see from the start finish.

5 to go a prime pick and 2 riders a 4 second gap. Jess Raphael and Julian Martinez are the two with the slim lead off the front. At least they both picked up a prime prize for their efforts on that last lap.

4 to go and the break has been caught Gregory Gambetta was at the front a the group and took first place in our last prime.

Aaron Hunter makes it two primes in a row as he was the #1 Cat 3 rider across the line once again. The officials have made it 3 prime laps in a row. Can Aaron also make it 3 in a row?? Again it was a 2 place prime with John Wilk rolling through getting the second place prize.

Good sprint for our 3rd prime. Joseph Trujillo was off the front but he was caught just before the line by Robert Winder. That last lap was completed in 2:44.

9 laps to go as the riders come to the start/finish again. The pack was well strung out.

8 laps to go and the prime bell is rining again. The field a little more bunched than on the previous lap. The lap tme was down to 2:50

An the Cat 3s are underway with their 14 lap race. The race was reduced by two lapt to try and help get back on schedule. There will be 5 two place primes so the officials will start rining the prime bell after only 1 lap of raceing.

The opening lap was completed in 2:57. The course is advertised as being 1.1 miles in length. From the start finish area you can see the riders in 3 different portions of the course. ON the start finish, just after they have gone around turn 1 and after the riders go around turn 3 and heaind down a short straight towards turn 5.

Lap two completed in 2:41 Aaron took 1st place in the first prime and Rob Cady took second so both of those riders have picked up prizes already after only 2 laps.

THe Cat 3/4 women have just finished The top 3 finishers were.

Aimee Baker Protech racing
Christina Showler Unattached
Karla Kingsley

Will see about getting the rest of the results and earlier results up on the NCNCA road page in a bit.

THe Cat 3s are currently lining up. 47 riders listed on the start sheet.

Bell lap for the Cat 3/4 women. The pace picked up to 3:13 Lesley Jensen leads the group through the start/finish as the bell is rung. Only one more trip up the climb for hte Cat 3/4 women.

An off the back bunck of 5 riders was just give the bell so they can sprint and finish a lap early. The schedule is running just a tad behind so the officials are trying to catch up. By finishing the off the back group early we will be able to get the next race started a little earlier.

We are now at 2 laps to go THe field is still tightly bunched as they just finished the last lap in 3:15 Lauraleen Fenech was at the front of the group setting the pace.

Three laps to go and the pace slows down a bit. The main pack is tightly bunched as most of the 32 starters are still in the min bunch.

We are down to 4 laps to go in the women's 3/4 race. The main field is together with some riders off the back.

THey say a picture is worth a thousand words. Since I'm lazy and don't want to type that many words I have posted some photos from around the course to give people an idea of what the course looks like. The photos can be found at http://homepage.mac.com/casey_k/PhotoAlbum2.html I'll try to add some moe photos from the later races.