With only a couple of weeks left on the domestic cyclocross race calendar, Donnelly Aevolo rider Lance Haidet is firing on all cylinders! This past weekend he collected a very muddy silver and gold medal at the always challenging Ruts N' Guts event in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Going into this weekend, Lance had been doing some heavy training, but hadn't pinned on a number since the Pan-Am Championships. He was a bit unsure how the legs were going to feel at race pace. It's safe to say the legs were feeling pretty good.
Lance's teammate Gage Hecht took the weekend off from racing to recover from his European trip and continue is preparation for U.S. Nationals.
All smiles at the start. "I have been training super hard since the Pan Ams and was curious how my race legs were going to feel. You can feel good when training, but racing is a whole other beast." - Lance Haidet
Playing poker. "Saturday was super sloppy, and very windy, which definitely made for some tactical racing. I wanted to be on the front for the technical muddy sections, but also wanted to be on a wheel to hide from the wind. As a result, there were definitely some serious mind games being played out on course." - Lance Haidet
All it take is one little mistake. "From early on, Michael Van Den Ham and I were duking it out at front. I definitely felt in control and strong the whole race, but I just didn’t seem to have the pop to get a gap. It came to down to a serious battle on the last lap. I was able to get around Michael going into the final technical section on the course. I was completely redlined, and unfortunately made a little mistake when trying to bunny hop the last muddy ditch on course, and he was able to get back around me. The final sprint was super quick, and I just didn’t have enough to come by him. I was happy with how I felt and was satisfied with second, but of course, wanted the win." - Lance Haidet
Grip it and rip it. "It was super windy on Sunday. The course conditions were definitely still muddy, but because it was so windy, some lines started to dry up and get a bit tacky. I had a really good start and knew I was feeling good." - Lance Haidet
Sometimes you need a little luck. "By the end of the first lap it was down to Eric Brunner, Michael, and myself. On the second lap I came unclipped mid-bunny hop and totally stacked it over the second barrier. Luckily, I was in the front, so I held up the other two guys as well! " - Lance Haidet
All in to win. "Eric, Michael and I were riding well and each one of use kept pushing the pace. Eric started to fade at the mid-point of the race, and Michael and I continued to battle. I saw my opportunity with about one and half laps to go and went all in. I was able to open up a 15 second gap by the finish." - Lance Haidet
Giving thanks. "Huge thank you to the Ruts n’ Guts crew for putting on another awesome race weekend! It’s always such a fun event and rad course. And thank you to our team mechanic James Sullivan for keeping the bikes dialed and being the best one-man pit crew! Now it's time to head home for my last two weeks of school, finals, and a last little tune-up before Nationals!" - Lance Haidet
Rider Tire Selection and Pressure
Lance Haidet (Sat. + Sun.)
Front: PDX WC / 21 psi
Rear: PDX WC / 22 psi
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Team Schedule (Tentative)
Rochester Cyclocross – Rochester, NY
Jingle Cross World Cup – Iowa City, IA
Trek CXC World Cup – Waterloo, WI
Fayettecross - Fayetteville Arkansas
US Open of Cyclocross – Boulder, CO
Cincinnati UCI Cyclocross - Cincinnati. OH
Silver Goose - Midland, ON
Pan Am Games - Midland, ON
Ruts N Guts CX – Broken Arrow, OK
NEXT RACE:
USA National Championships – Tacoma, WA
UCI World Championships – Dubendorf, CH