Race Report: 2024 Land Park Criterium — Men's P/1/2/3
Race: 2024 Land Park Criterium — Men’s P/1/2/3
Date: March 16, 2024
AVRT racers: Andrea Cloarec, Florian Costa, David Domonoske, PA Laforcade, Jack Liu, Nathan Martin, Greg McCullough, Jonathan Wells
Top Result: David Domonoske (1st)
Course: A 1.1-mile loop with a few long, slow corners. The dominating features on this course are a sharp left-right chicane at the back of the loop, and a 90 degree corner 400 meters before the finish.
Strava: strava.com/activities/10975546866 (David)
Footage: Last 2 laps leadout (Jon Wells POV)
Recap: We had some serious numbers in the race, so it was our responsibility to keep everything under control. We wanted to make it a field sprint, so we used our numbers to make sure we were represented in all breakaways, and even initiated breakaways ourselves. Straight from the gun, the entire team took turns getting into breakaways, attacking the peloton, and chasing other attacking riders. Essentially, they made the race as difficult for other teams while I sat in the group and saved energy. It was extremely cool to sit in the group and not have to worry about what was happening in the race because my teammates had everything covered.
As the laps ticked down and the finish neared, the team started to get organized near the front. With 5 laps to go, Alto Velo was keeping the pace up near the front. With 3 laps to go, we had a leadout train comprised of 6 AV riders at the front. Other racers would fight for position going into the chicane and the tight corner before the finish, so we’d have to accelerate going into those places to stop people from coming around us. With 1 lap to go we still had 3 riders left in the leadout, but the other teams were nipping at our heels and eager to get around us. We accelerated into the chicane for the final time and managed to keep our position at the front. It was calm for a second, before other riders began to sprint around us into the final corner. PA sprinted to keep us in front of them and went through the corner first. I went through right on his wheel, followed by Eamon Lucas and then Alex Akins. PA sprinted out of the corner, but we were still a long way from the finish, so I waited as long as I could until sprinting out of his draft. I heard Eamon begin to sprint up behind me, and I launched my sprint. I sprinted into PA’s draft for a final few seconds before battling against Eamon in a long 300 meter sprint. I was able to cross the finish first, and the final podium was the same order we had been in the final corner— myself, then Eamon and Alex.
THE Alto Velo Leadout.
It was awesome to race with such a full team that worked so well together. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many teammates and feel so protected as we neared the finish. The execution couldn’t have been any better and the team has a lot to be proud of.