Melissa was first off, starting her race with Men's C and Women's B. The rolling hills of the 14 mile course in the North Carolina countryside caused an erratic pace in the main group of Men's C riders and a few Women's B riders. Melissa fell back from the main group, but fought hard and completed the course with an incredible third place finish.
Elliot and Riley were second off, racing with the Men's D and Women's C riders. Several members of the West Virginia team attacked early on, but were rapidly caught by the main group. The pace was set fast since the Men's D race was a single lap around the course. With 2 miles left, Elliot and a member of the West Virginia team attacked on one of the hills, but were caught with a little less than a kilometer left. Elliot finished towards the front of the main group and landed an 11th place finish.
The second day of racing began with rainy weather, which made many nervous since the criterium was being held in a parking lot. The rain ceased for the duration of the Men's D race, who were first off. Elliot was strong off the front and attacked with a member of the West Virginia team on the second lap. They maintained the lead for the rest of the race, with Elliot receiving a strong second place finish in both primes and second overall.
Start of the Men's D Race
Due to the rain, the Women's B/C race went off with Women's A who set a strong pace for the Women's B riders. Melissa stayed on the front of the group and scored 4th in two of the primes and second another. Melissa finished strong and scored a 4th place finish.
Tired from a long race weekend and a long day in the rain, the team hit the road to start their spring break's. On the way back the team continued their food tradition and replenished their bodies with a hearty meal from Bojangles' Famous Chicken n' Biscuits.
