NWA Spring Classic

Well the spandex rodeo was in town and what a spectacle it was. Have you noticed how colorful the peloton is this year? A rolling rainbow of shaved legs and slippery helmets. I like this race a lot. It’s just a good course and a well run event. I have seen the race won so many different ways over the years. Solo, small break, bunch sprint. Remember the snowmageddon version a couple years ago? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr wait for it……brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. The course is rolling to flat with a good little kicker (Weaver hill) about 6 miles from the finish and usually the wind is a big factor. I hear it was a record turnout this year. A big thanks to all those involved with pulling off another great year of the NWA Spring Classic.

We had a bunch of strong Oklahoma teams in our race. My team, Three Happy Cows actually fielded a smaller group than normal but we aimed to be a part of the race one way or another. With three active guys (Jake B is still trying to find his racing legs) we went in with a loose plan. I was tasked with being in the early moves, Michael K next up & Art H for the final fireworks. The plan was executed pretty well (which is not always the case). After many attempts from several teams on the first lap one solo rider (DNA Racing) finally severed ties. On the second lap we got a time check and he had 1:20 on us. Not really cause for concern but someone needed to inject some pace. A couple of us tried to organize a rotation. But the solo riders teammate kept attacking, which was really a good tactic. On the last lap a few attacks got a small gap. My teammate Michael K dangled off the front with another guy for several miles. Finally the gap started to grow. On one of the long straights I could see they caught the solo DNA Racing guy, I started to believe the move could make it to the finish. If it came back together we had Art H fresh and ready. Meanwhile for me I was in damage control. My legs were fading fast and Weaver hill was starting to look like the Kemmelberg. My work was done for the day so I rolled in the next couple of miles easy enjoying the fantastic weather. How did it end? Well the DNA Racing escape artist ended up winning a three-up sprint. Kudos to him. My teammate Michael K finished third. A solid day for the team. It was a proper bike race in many ways. I saw some impressive efforts today. Paul J from SBC Cycling was super strong. Of course Eric W from DNA Racing was OTF for a long time and took the win. Most deservedly for sure. All in all it was just a great day to be on a bicycle no matter the result.

This is a great race for anyone new to bike racing. If you have the itch put it on your calendar for next year.