A quick race report from Martha: Katie Quinn at Christina Birch are undefeated in women’s B and C races!
The MIT cycling team traveled to Rutgers this weekend for the first ECCC race of the collegiate road racing season. Having won the event last year, the team knew it would be an uphill battle this year, as none of the men’s A or women’s A riders were in attendance. Additionally, Spencer Shaber, the men’s captain and the sole men’s B rider in attendance, had injured his Achilles and could only compete (very carefully) in the individual time trial. The team of mostly rookies, aided by a few seasoned veterans, was able to capture the Division II omnium, and place second overall in the conference, just behind Penn State University. This feat obviously bodes well for the continued success of the MIT Cycling Team.
The Rutgers weekend consisted of three events, the traditional individual time trial (ITT) and criterium on Saturday, and the first ever points race contested in the ECCC road season on Sunday. The MIT team showed that they trained hard through this year’s incredibly snowy winter by taking three first places in the ITT: Katie Quinn in women’s B, Christina Birch in women’s C, and Adam Bry in men’s C. The excitement of the weekend really began, though, when Katie Quinn joined A rider Anna McLoon from Harvard to lap the field in the women’s A/B criterium. Thus, in her first ever B race, Quinn not only won her race, but beat all but one of the A riders. Christina Birch and Joseph Near also brought home victories in the women’s C and men’s D criterium, respectively. In the points race on Sunday, Quinn, Birch, and Near did a repeat of Saturday, each taking home the gold again. Quinn and McLoon lapped the field again, but this time Quinn initiated the winning break, leaving McLoon to bridge up, knowing that Quinn had the legs to win if McLoon let her get away.
Next weekend, the MIT team travels to NYC for the Columbia Grant’s Tomb criterium and a new road race hosted by Stevens.