#Louisville2013 U23/Men's races
Up next was the U23 race. While Logan Owen was a legitimate hope for the Juniors, the only American mentioned was Rapha's Zach McDonald. Interestingly, he's majoring in aeronautical engineering at U of Washington and he's a Seattle-area native. Good stuff all round. By far my favorite picture sequence from the weekend are the following. Please read the narration.
Dave and I spent the U23 race roaming around a bit, but we weren't as aggressive in seeing this race as the others. Afterwards yet another beer line. A long beer line. By then the main event (sorry to the other racers, but..) fired up. We started standing down at the Rogue Racing/Nurplerides tent with a bunch of known 'Ville entities. Fun. Very fun. Mid-race I floated my way up towards the more gnarly parts of the course, falling in the slippery mud to the cheers of the crowd. It was interesting that I found myself alone at several times during the course of the day, but I could have cared less. The atmosphere was all so great.
Opening of the U23 race with the first run-up. Notice the three Dutch riders leading.
We then have a phalanx of Belgians just behind the Dutch. I love the waves of national team jerseys.
Where then? Well, we're now at the back of the opening group and this pic is literally filled with Anglo-speakers: Americans, Canadians, and Brits. And this division was within the first half of the first lap. Those Low Countries!
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| A muddy (and out-of-focus) Zach McDonald |
Dave and I spent the U23 race roaming around a bit, but we weren't as aggressive in seeing this race as the others. Afterwards yet another beer line. A long beer line. By then the main event (sorry to the other racers, but..) fired up. We started standing down at the Rogue Racing/Nurplerides tent with a bunch of known 'Ville entities. Fun. Very fun. Mid-race I floated my way up towards the more gnarly parts of the course, falling in the slippery mud to the cheers of the crowd. It was interesting that I found myself alone at several times during the course of the day, but I could have cared less. The atmosphere was all so great.
Francis Mourey in first on second lap.
Eventual winner Sven Nys bunny hopping from afar.
J-Pow!
Just take a look at that surface.
Brueghel's sea of humanity in Louisville for the 2013 Worlds.
I have several not-that-good shots from this spot, and in every one this guy with the glasses and hat is going absolutely ape. I think I eventually moved because he was so geeked up. I like the weird crookedness of this one, with the feral roar of superfan.
Ryan Treborn early on and towards the front. I never did find out why he DNF'd.
Late and atop the hill, this is Sven Nys coming through on the third-to-last lap. The smear is mud on the camera lens.
Belgian who dropped a chain here.
Nys and Vantornout coming through second-to-last lap. He would soon profit from a Vantornout error and get the necessary gap for victory.
The great #Fail of the picture weekend, the #photobomb glove blocking my clean view of an about-to-win Sven Nys. It was a nice guy from New Hampshire.
Jamie Driscoll
A clean look at Bart Wellens, 4th place for the old man
My friend Mourey nearing his race finale. I have pics of his practice, his lead and now if muddy refrain.
American, I believe Johnson, turning left on the finishing straight.
Comments
As a volunteer, I got stuck (!) up by the first turn, with a fairly good view down the front straight. I didn't get to see the action afield, except via a jumbotron sited outside the first turn, but I got to watch some of the crowd migrations as the action moved about. That was almost as fun to see.