Schmid Gets Two For One Wins, Bouchard-Hall Doubles The Field, White Keeps The Jersey In Greenfield

PRESS RELEASE
7/16/2019

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Adam Myerson
New England Critweek Director
adam@cycle-smart.com

The 2019 Cycle-Smart New England Critweek presented by Verge Sport stayed suspenseful to the very end, as Kaia Schmid (NE Devo) won the final field sprint and the overall, while Kevin Bouchard-Hall (Velocio Northeast) took advantage of the battle for the omnium to lap the field twice en route to his victory at the Greenfield Classic Criterium.

Caroline O’dwyer puts the pressure on. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

With Critweek leader Emma White (Rally-UHC) absent, the series win was up for grabs between a handful of women. After missing round one, however, few expected Schmid to leap over riders who’d scored points in each event so far. Leslie Timm (ButcherBox) and Leslie Lupien (APEX-PEDALPOWER) seemed to be the best positioned going into the last day. With that in mind, the race was aggressive from the start as it has been all week, with Caroline O'dwyer (Team ERRACE) finally getting away solo for the most dangerous move of the day.

Dinan has a go, with Meichsner in pursuit. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

Multiple attacks by ButcherBox and Wheelwork’s Anja Meichsner finally brought things back together, setting up a late counter by Clio Dinan (GREEN LINE VELO driven by Zipcar) that was only caught on the last lap.

Unequivocally Kaia. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

Dinan’s move was countered by Apex-Pedalpower’s Erin Faccone, originally looking for Lupien but realizing in the chaos she needed to sprint as well, and go early, over the top of the ButcherBox train. Only Schmid and Minda Murray (ButcherBox) got by, and the order of the finish mirrored the order of the overall, and very narrowly at that. The top three riders were separated by only five points at the end, demonstrating the importance of a single placing as well as the mid-way points sprints.

The women’s finish mirrored the women’s overall. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

The men’s event was as chaotic and confusing as a race could be, even if the overall was more clear cut. A move of 18 riders with almost all the favorites escaped early, driven mostly by riders taking turns attacking rather than pulling though and bringing the competition with them. At the first points sprint 20 minutes in, Danny Estevez took the maximum, followed by Kevin Goguen (CCB) and Madi Hartley-Brown (NE Devo), putting a dent into Curtis White’s overall lead. That was Bouchard-Hall’s moment to pounce.

Bouchard-Hall counters the points sprint. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

“I kept them in my sights as they sprinted and myself and two others jumped them as they regrouped,” Bouchard-Hall explained. “The three of us—Tate Kokubo, Ethan Call, and myself—drove the pace hard and got a good gap from the break and that put us close to lapping the field. We bridged the final bit to the field in three hard laps.”

When the group of three made contact with the field, Bouchard-Hall’s Velocio Northeast teammates were ready. Bouchard-Hall continued, “My teammates Mike Morse, Preston Buehrer, and Connor Jennings waiting for me. They hit the gas and pulled me right to the front.”

In fact, they not only went to the front, they immediately split the field again, creating a new group of seven, with only Bouchard-Hall from the original break. “It would be another four laps before the rest of the original break would lap the field,” he said. “By then, I was gone.”

Myerson drove the break to get himself back on terms, and help secure Cycle-Smart athlete Bouchard-Hall’s victory. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

For Bouchard-Hall, the best way to guarantee his win was to go around again and make sure no one else was able to. For the next 25 minutes, the riders in the second break went all in, eventually making contact with three laps to go.

Bouchard-Hall gets the back of the field in his sights. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

While the field had written off the win, the battle for the overall was still on. Hartley-Brown had taken what remained of the second points sprint over Estevez, again chipping away at White’s lead. The race for second on the day was going to decide who got to leave Greenfield with the blue Verge leader’s jersey.

CCB did what it could to bring Bouchard-Hall back, as Velocio kept them in check. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

White decided not to wait around for the sprint, and attacked with Ethan Call and Matt Curbeau just as Bouchard-Hall made contact with the field. He finished just off the front for 2nd with Call in 3rd, Goguen jumping late to get 4th, and Estevez coasting in for 10th once he realized the overall had slipped away.

For his part, Bouchard-Hall savored the win, sitting up at the back with the rest of his team.

The people’s champion, Kevin Bouchard-Hall. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

“I was not the strongest guy in the race, not even close, but I was strong enough to be in the right place enough of the time to get lucky. I also had very savvy teammates to guide me through the pack and put me back off the front and cover anything from the pack after me.”

White’s 2nd place was enough to keep him in the jersey by 18 points over Goguen, and 31 over Estevez.

Your 2019 Cycle-Smart New England Critweek presented by Verge Sport overall winners: Kaia Schmid and Curtis White. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

For more information on all the events and Critweek standings, visit https://www.necritweek.com/.

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Legge Wins With Her Head, Rosenholtz Rides A ButcherBox Armchair At Exeter Classic

PRESS RELEASE
7/10/2019

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Adam Myerson
New England Critweek Director
adam@cycle-smart.com

Regina Legge (Gray Goat Bullseye Total Media) and Sam Rosenholtz (ButcherBox Cycling) got their wins in opposite ways Tuesday night in round two of the Cycle-Smart New England Critweek in downtown Exeter, NH; Legge riding solo and outfoxing a breakway group of three that nearly lapped the field, Rosenholtz outkicking everyone in the last 100 meters with an exceptional team effort that left other riders tripping over themselves trying to get by.

Legge was coming off a recent crash and illness, and wasn’t sure what to expect from herself. A resident of nearby Salem and regular on the Exeter Cycles weekly group ride, she was not going to miss what is essentially a hometown race. “I really didn't know how last night was going to go, but my legs felt good and my lungs held up!” she said.

After Leslie Lupien (APEX-PEDALPOWER) picked up the first Critweek sprint points, a countermove formed with Andrea Buttine (ALP Cycles Racing), and Jennifer Darmody (ButcherBox Cycling). Legge saw the danger and bridged across with Christin Reuter (BikeReg | Share Coffee), while the field seemed content to wait for series leader Emma White (Rally/UHC) to make her move. That move never came, and the break was gone.

Legge explained how it unfolded from there: “Once I got there, I knew ButcherBox would slow down any chase, so if we worked hard for a few laps, we could get a gap and maybe stick it.” With the break all in, Reuter was eventually dropped, and the break turned on itself looking for the win.

“We worked really well together until Andrea started attacking with 3 to go trying to drop Jen, but it didn't work and we were getting really close to catching the field, which I did not want,” said Legge. “While Andrea was burning matches and Jen was getting tired from chasing, I decided to sit on Andrea and wait for the final lap. I realized early on in the break that I was a lot more comfortable in turn 4 and could exit with speed, so on the final lap I attacked Andrea and Jen going into turn 4, got a gap and held them off for the win.”

Legge counterattacked the break to win with a gap. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

White finished in 7th, holding on to her Critweek series lead by seven points over Legge, and 17 over Lupien. Both White and Legge will be absent from the final round in Greenfield, putting Lupien in the virtual blue leader’s jersey.

The women’s podium: Buttine, Legge, Darmody. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

The 100-rider men’s race was aggressive from the start, with riders taking turns attacking for the early primes and Critweek points. Travis Wold (NE Devo) went solo for the first sprint, leading to the most dangerous move of the day, as Curtis White, Matt Curbeau (Velocio Northeast), Rosenholtz and Wold’s teammate Madi Hartley-Brown bridged across.

The field still had some life left, though. A series of bridging attempts served to bring the move back, and nothing would get that kind of daylight again. Wold took the second points sprint, and soon after, ButcherBox hit the front en masse to set up their sprinter Rosenholtz, with a big turn from NE Devo’s Keith Mullaly on behalf of Wold and Hartley-Brown. ButcherBox took over with three laps to go, with John Harris and Connor Sallee swapping off. Harris got them to 1/2 lap to go, and Salle delivered Rosenholtz to the last corner. Last year’s runner up, Danny Estevez (Fusion Cycles/Families Together ADH) jumped first, while Kevin Goguen (CCB/Foundation) tangled with Sallee, causing him to dive across the road and into Estevez with 50 meters to go. It was no matter; Rosenholtz had a clean shot and no one was coming around.

ButcherBox wrapped it up for Rosenholtz in the final laps. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

“I’ve never been able to get the last lap of this race right,” Rosenholtz said. “Something always happens. I go left when I should have gone right. I wait a split second too long and box myself in.” He got it right this night, with a little help from his friends. “The win was obviously amazing, but the way the guys rode, especially Johnny and Connor, was the way I’ve always imagined the last laps of that race to go. It was a dream. All I had to do was the fun part.”

Rosenholtz gets it right. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

Critweek Series Leader Curtis White stayed out of the chaos in the last lap, following in for fifth and holding on his lead by eight points over Estevez, and 11 over Goguen.

White retained the blue Verge Cycle-Smart Critweek jersey. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

Full video replay of the Exeter Classic is available courtesy of Exeter TV98.

Cycle-Smart New England Critweek presented by Verge Sport continues Sunday in Greenfield, MA.

For more information on all the events and Critweek standings, visit https://www.necritweek.com/.

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White’s Heat Too Much To Handle at Longsjo Classic

PRESS RELEASE
7/8/2019

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Adam Myerson
New England Critweek Director
adam@cycle-smart.com

A seven nation army couldn’t hold back the White siblings on Sunday in Fitchburg, as national criterium champion Emma (Rally/UHC Cycling) took the elite women’s Longsjo Classic, while older brother Curtis (unattached) repeated his 2018 victory in the men’s race.

The 35-mile women’s event was notable for relentless attacking, particularly from Jessica He, Jennifer Darmody, and Kristen Arnold from the ButcherBox team. Small groups of two to three riders would get away, but on a fast and windy course things repeatedly came back together, a pattern White identified early. “Today was fast and exciting,” she said. “Without teammates, it was a whole different ballgame and I had to adjust the way I typically race. ButcherBox was strong and aggressive. I chose my battles and only went with the most threatening moves but it became clear that the race was going to end in a sprint.”

End in a sprint it did, one that almost spelled disaster for White. ButcherBox came through the final corner one-two, with Minda Murray leading out Leslie Timm, Leslie Lupien (APEX-PEDALPOWER) riding their train, and White seemingly out of position in sixth wheel. White jumped from the back and up the right side just as Murray pulled off, closing down the lane. White spectacularly took advantage of a brief gap in the curb to barrel through and win with a gap over Lupien and Wheelwork’s Anja Meichsner, as Timms faded to 12th.

ButcherBox leadout: lol boxing in the national champ as I pull off@emmabeancx: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ pic.twitter.com/KXRJEQIb0p

— Colin Reuter (@resultsboy) July 8, 2019

For White, it was an expected but still hard-fought victory, and she was her usual gracious, ebullient self. “I love this race and all the people that show up!” she said.

White takes the win in Fitchburg. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

The 50-mile men’s event is historic for its memorial of Olympian Art Lonsjo, but also for being the second oldest criterium in the United States, and one of the few still racing a full 50 miles. It invariably leads to a race with a lot of attrition and ultimately, a breakaway that takes about half the race to establish. NE Devo’s Travis Wold was seemingly in every move that went clear before the final break of seven solidified.

“It was a very tactical race up to the very end” White said. “There were times where there was total cooperation, and times where there was none.” Despite the attacks and counterattacks up front, all seven riders arrived together at one lap to go, with a second group of four about to make contact.

White explained how his winning move unfolded. “Connor Jennings (Velocio Northeast) put in a real solid attack as we got the bell with one lap to go. As soon as he let up, I counterattacked and was able to get a small gap. There was another group about to make the juncture with us, which would have added more chaos and pressure for me. A couple of the guys in the group had teammates in the chasing group, and it would have been to their advantage if they let them join.”

White makes his move on the last lap. Photo: Erin Faccone

Just as White attacked, Kevin Goguen (CCB) skipped a pedal in turn one trying to follow, causing the rest to pause and giving White the buffer he needed. The break watched as White went all in on the backstretch, with Jennings finally going again with a half lap remaining to try and close the gap.

“It was a big risk for me to attack long range like I did, but I saw it as a bigger risk to be conservative,” White said. “I’m thrilled that the risk payed off, and to be joining Emma on the top step!” Goguen came back around in the sprint for second, with NE Devo’s New Zealander Madi Hartley-Brown in third. ButcherBox’s Sam Rosenholtz dominated the field sprint for 12th.

Emma’s brother keeps it in the family. Photo: Katie Busick Photography

Full video replay of the Longsjo Classic is available on the FATV Facebook page.

Cycle-Smart New England Critweek presented by Verge Sport continues Tuesday night in Exeter, New Hampshire.

For more information on all the events and Critweek standings, visit https://www.necritweek.com/.

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Whites’ Hot Summer: Siblings Emma and Curtis White Headline Cycle-Smart New England Critweek

PRESS RELEASE
7/5/2019

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Adam Myerson
New England Critweek Director
adam@cycle-smart.com

As summer finally hits New England, Cycle-Smart New England Critweek presented by Verge heats up as well with the news that newly crowned national criterium champion Emma White (Rally UHC Cycling) will attend, along with her brother and last year’s Fitchburg Longsjo Classic winner Curtis White (Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld).

Racing last weekend at the US national championships in Knoxville, TN, White took home three titles: Elite and U23 criterium, and U23 road champion. She’s looking forward to bringing the stars and stripes to Critweek:

“I’m super excited to be back in New England doing the races I did when I was younger,” White said. “Wearing the national champion jersey in the races will be so special — I’ve had some national titles before but never in the pro field. I love racing in New England because this is where it all started. I love the courses and all of the people involved.”

White will be heading to France after Exeter, leaving the overall Critweek title wide open for a consistent rider. ButcherBox, Apex-PedalPower, BikeReg/Share Coffee, and Sunapee will all show up with full squads, and a notable nine-rider team from ButcherBox in support of Kristen Arnold. Apex will look to Leslie Lupien and Erin Faccone for results, while Christin Reuter is coming off a strong season so far for BikeReg. Last year’s overall winner, Ellen Noble, will not be defending this year, as she pursues the World Cup mountain bike circuit.

On the men’s side, Curtis White will have his hands full as a solo rider against a number of strong teams and individuals. As on the women’s side, ButcherBox will have a full squad and multiple angles to play, with Connor Sallee for the breakaways and Sam Rosenholtz in the sprints. CCB sprinter Kevin Goguen, last year’s overall runner up, will also be a favorite in the big finishes. The winner from 2018, Adam Myerson (Cycle-Smart), played down his chances this year:

“Last year I was coming into Critweek off a big peak for Masters Nationals and a new jersey. This year I’ve been focused more on work and family, and with Masters Nationals moved to August, I’ll be using Critweek as part of that build up. Still, you can never rule out the benefit of age and treachery,” Myerson said.

The team to watch this season has turned out to be the U23 focused New England Devo p/b Cadence Wealth Management. Their eight rider squad is coming off great results at Tour of America’s Dairylands, where Travis Wold won the cat. 2 overall and had a stint in the pro leader’s jersey. New Zealander Madi Hartley-Brown has been on the podium frequently this year as well. Look for those two as well as Keith Mullaly to animate the races all week in search of the Verge Leader’s Jersey.

For more information on all the events and Critweek standings, visit https://www.necritweek.com/.

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2019 Cycle-Smart New England Critweek Schedule Announced

PRESS RELEASE
6/20/2019

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Adam Myerson
New England Critweek Director
adam@cycle-smart.com

Cycle-Smart is proud to announce the schedule, rules, and organization of the 2019 New England Critweek presented by Verge.

After five successful years at the helm, original Critweek director Alan Cote, who also served as organizer of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, decided it was time to step down and turn the series over to Cycle-Smart’s Adam Myerson, the overall winner of the series in 2018.

"I started Critweek in 2014 to link together some of New England's best downtown bike races," said Cote. “It was time for me to pass the baton. Adam Myerson, with his years of experience running the Vittoria Northeast Cyclocross Series, is the ideal person to hand it off to."

For his part, Myerson was happy to take the project on. “For me as a participant in Critweek, but also someone who’s dedicated his life to promoting cycling in all aspects, I couldn’t say no to the opportunity to try and develop Critweek to its maximum potential. I got to make a living racing criteriums all over the country, and the lack of big events locally was always a disappointment for me. My first goal is to take Alan’s previous hard work and stabilize the series in this current period of contraction in the sport, solidify our success locally, and find us a permanent slot between Tour of America’s Dairyland and and Intelligentsia Cup that will allow us to grow nationally.”

This year’s Critweek is anchored around the classic criteriums in Fitchburg and Exeter, as well as the model event for future success in Greenfield.

The Fitchburg Longsjo Classic on Sunday, July 7th is named after Arthur “Art” Matthew Longsjo, Jr. (October 23, 1931 – September 16, 1958), who was an American Olympian speed skater and cyclist. He was the first person to compete in the Summer and Winter Olympics in the same year.

In 1958 Longsjo won three races: the Tour of Somerville, the Tour du St. Laurent stage race and the Quebec-Montreal Road Race. He died that same year in a car crash in Burlington, Vermont, returning from the race in Quebec.

In 1960 the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic criterium was held in Fitchburg in memory of Longsjo, and continues to this day. As it approaches its 60th anniversary, the event will be managed for the first time by Reese Brown of RDB Events.

“This is a very exciting year for the Longsjo Classic as we are truly partnering with the revitalization of Fitchburg,” said Brown. “Not only will this be a fantastic bike race,  but there will be many more activities for the spectators and fans including two beer zones from River Styx Brewery, a band playing during the race, expanded kids activities and a community expo near the Start/Finish line. This will be a not to miss day!”

The Exeter Classic in downtown Exeter, NH, returns for its 35th edition on Tuesday, July 9th, with a focus on equal prize lists and race durations for men and women in a focused, twilight criterium environment. Organizers Ryan Kelly and Michael Morse were proud to note that half of the funds raised in their late-race crowd primes will be donated to local charity Annie’s Angels, and that the race will be live streamed on local channel Exeter TV98.

As the new kid on the block, the Greenfield Criterium on Sunday, July 14th, continues in its 4th year to focus on development, with an intro clinic and race for those looking to explore the sport in a supportive setting. As one of the few female event organizers, Lydia Hausle has made it a priority for her event to focus on inclusion, with the stated goal of garnering 20% participation by women, well over the total number of women currently holding USA Cycling licenses. All event proceeds benefit the Greenfield Recreation Department.

As a series, Critweek will offer equal overall prize money of $500 over three places for elite men and women, with points awarded over 15 places, and two intermediate sprints during the race. The leader’s jerseys will once again be provided by Verge Sport.

For more information on all the events and Critweek rules, visit https://www.necritweek.com/.

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