Rio Goes 1 and 2 in the Boulder Omnium!
From May 17th to 19th, 2024 the Boulder Omnium saw the return of the Jamestown Time Trial to a triplet of events which also included the Louisville Criterium and state championship road race at Superior Morgul. With some of the team at Pro Road Nationals for the weekend, the riders from Rio Grande Elite Cycling based in the greater Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins area sent members to all three events, with the state championship and overall omnium in mind.
On Friday, Sam, Alex, Henry, and Cole took the start at the Jamestown TT, running from the base of Lefthand Canyon at route 36 up to the finish a mile from Jamestown proper, roughly 7.5 miles of gradual uphill. On the first warm afternoon of the summer, wind would surely play a role, but the interfering mountains made for a less-than-straightforward pacing strategy. Although a west wind was promised, the start was fast, and it wasn’t until the intersection with Olde Stage Road that the swirling cross/headwinds would play a role. In the end, Sam, Cole, and Alex took the top three spots on the podium, starting the weekend off well.
Alex Marr’s Strava after a good day out on the TT bike.
Saturday saw a new cast of characters, with Gabe and Tayne joining the fray. The Louisville Criterium is a classic course on smooth roads, with a few nontechnical corners coming down from the start/finish and a sharp right-hand bottlenecked turn leading into the long drag uphill to the finish. Early on, Alex got into a move with Jameson Ribbens, who had won the race the year before, and a member of the Primal Audi team, who always send numbers to local events. Despite the strength of a move with two of the best teams, it was brought back around 15 minutes in, and the ensuing next 45 minutes saw many fruitless attempts at a break in what would end up as one of the fastest editions of the race in years. In the sprint, Henry led Alex out, but just a tad early, and the two settled for 6th and 7th respectively, with Alex now in the overall lead.
Sunday was the main event. The Superior Morgul Road Race course is deceptively difficult - a short, out-and-back circuit done 7 times, resulting in a relatively quick elite race at only 50 miles. The rollers on the way out and back are small, but add up quickly over hard day. Sam, Alex, Cole, and Henry took the start, with the win on the day and the overall omnium in mind. The team was confident - the course is not technical, and with the three top spots in the TT, clearly fitness would be on their side. Regardless, the race played out much the same as the day before. A few strong moves would go, but be brought back, with many of the same players on either side. On lap 4, with Sam riding the front and bringing back anything unfavorable in impressive manner, Cole tried to launch over the larger hill on the way out, with Henry just behind dropping the wheel for long enough that a move might go. There was briefly a selection of about half the field, but lack of cohesion in the front meant that the race was soon back together.
Our riders for the Superior Morgul Road Race.
With one lap to go, the field was tiring - attacks were not quite as strong, hesitations a little longer. Cole took the turn fast into the beginning of the last lap and managed a gap, which strung out the field behind and lasted three-quarters of a lap before a smaller group was back together. At this point, it looked like a stalemate, and the last lap was fast but not aggressive, until the very last hill. Henry came to the front in an attempt to set up a 3k-to-go flyer for Cole, but things stitched up whenever Cole tried. In a last-ditch attempt, Cole let Henry’s wheel go with about 2k to go, and only Ethan Overson followed. The hesitating field behind let the gap balloon, and it was soon clear that the front two would battle for the win. Once first or second was guaranteed, Alex came to the front and tried for a sprint, but the major players were soon on him. With momentum on his side, Cole countered Alex’s move and benefitted from a late-race hesitation from the field to end up third on the road with 1k to go. There was not quite enough room to catch the two out front, but Henry and Cole rolled in for 2nd and 3rd respectively, Overson taking the win and Alex 6th behind. In the end, Alex and Cole would take first and second in the omnium, and close out the Colorado road racing season (and an intense spring of racing) motivated and riding cohesively as a team. Spirits are high leading into the Baker City Cycling Classic in mid to late June, in addition to the rest of the team’s summer/early fall schedule.
The final podium for the Superior Morgul State Championship road race with Henry York in second, and Cole Tamburri in 3rd.
The final podium photo for the overall Boulder Omnium, with Alex Marr taking 1st place and Cole Tamburri taking 2nd place.
-Written by Cole Tamburri