AFTER YEARS OF ARM TWISTING BY COACH HOMEY, COACH ALLEMAND FINALLY BROUGHT HIS TEAM OF ELITE MOUNTAIN BIKERS TO THE PARKSIDE CRITERIUM SERIES TO TRY THEIR HAND AT A ROAD RACE.  THE RESULTS WERE LUKEWARM.

TO BOLSTER THEIR HOPES COACH ALLEMAND ADDED ROAD SPECIALIST AND NEW MEMBER JUSTIN NALE TO THE ROSTER.  DESPITE HAVING A ROAD SUPERSTAR ALLEMAND WAS  NOT OPTIMISTIC.  "OUR GUYS DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THEY ARE DOING OUT THERE SO WE HAD HAD TO HAVE JUSTIN RIDE IF WE HAD ANY HOPES OF A PODIUM FINISH.  AND HE ALMOST DID IT.  JUST TO SHOW HOW IGNORANT OUR GUYS WERE, THE START OF THE RACE WAS DELAYED SO RACE OFFICIALS COULD REMOVE AND CORRECTLY REATTACH FOUR RACE NUMBERS.  ALL FOUR GUYS HAD DC JERSEYS ON."
NEWLY SIGNED ROAD RACE COACH HOMEY D. CLOWN  CONCURRED, "WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JUSTIN I PREDICT OUR GUYS WILL TRY AND RACE LIKE A MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE AND GET SMOKED.  ROAD RACING IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT ANIMAL AND THEY HAVE A LOT TO LEARN."

JOINING JUSTIN TO COMPETE IN THE MARCH 11, 2007 CAT 4 CRIT WERE DAVE RILEY, CARL CARLSON, BRIAN RUMMELHART AND CHRIS HANNES.  ALL FOUR EXPERIENCED MOUNTAIN BIKE RACERS HAD NEVER RIDDEN A ROAD RACE.  THE FORMAT OF THE RACE WAS A ONE MILE OVAL 45 MINUTE + 2 LAP RACE.

AFTER RACE NUMBERS WERE CORRECTLY PINNED THE RACE GOT OFF TO A FAST AND FURIOUS START.  ALL 78 COMPETITORS TORE OFF AT A TORRID PACE.  AS THE FIRST FEW LAPS WERE COMPLETED RIDERS STARTED FALLING OF THE BACK WHILE MOST OF THE DC RIDERS SETTLED IN THE PACK.  JUSTIN'S FLAMBOYANT DC JERSEY WAS LEADING THE RACE.  LITTLE BY LITTLE THE DC RIDERS WERE UNHITCHED.  CARLSON WAS THE FIRST TO GO.  THEN A FEW LAPS LATER RILEY.  THE NEXT LAP HANNES WAS DROPPED.  THIS LEFT ONLY RUMME AND JUSTIN IN THE FRONT GROUP.  RUMME PASSED HIS FIRST TEST WHEN THE PELETON SPLIT IN TWO A LAP LAP LATER.  HE DUG DEEP AND BRIDGED THE THIRTY METER GAP AND STAYED WITH THE LEAD GROUP.  WHEN THE PELOTON CAUGHT UP TO HANNES AND RILEY AND HANNES THERE WERE ONLY THIRTY RIDERS LEFT, JUSTIN WAS STILL UP FRONT.  ON THE NEXT LAP ALL DC DREAMS WERE DASHED AS JUSTIN FLATTED, LEAVING ONLY RUMME ON THE LEAD LAP.

DUE TO AN OFFICIAL ERROR, THERE WAS NO BELL LAP LEAVING A FRUSTRATED RUMME NO CHANCE TO SPRINT IT OUT LEAVING HIM THE FIRST DC FINISHER IN 25TH PLACE, "THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WHEN HOMEY WAS THE RACE DIRECTOR.  HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO COUNT BACKWARDS FROM TWO.  AND THEY LAUGHED AT US BECAUSE OF OUR RACE NUMBERS."

HANNES AND RILEY FOLLOWED RUMME IN 34TH AND 37TH PLACE.

DESPITE THE MEDIOCRE RESULTS COACH HOMEY WAS OPTIMISTIC,  "JUSTIN SHOULD HAVE WON AND RUMME HAD A SHOT.  RILEY AND HANNES EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN THERE AS WELL BUT THEY MADE THE STANDARD TACTICAL ERRORS ANY FIRST TIMER MAKES.  LESSONS LEARNED.  I PLAN ON ENTERING THESE SAME RIDERS IN A FEW MORE CRITS AND WITH COACH ALLEMANDS PERMISSION I'D EVEN LIKE TO ADD A FEW OTHER GUYS.  WE CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IF LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES.  ALL OUR GUYS CAN RIDE HARD AND RIDE FAST.  THEY JUST NEED TO RIDE SMART.  THIS ISN'T A MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE.  I THINK THEY NOW REALIZE THERE IS A DIFFERENCE."

AFTER THE RACE ALL DC MEMBERS FEASTED ON THE PLENTIFUL BOUNTY COACH ALLEMAND PROVIDED AND SAID "I CAN'T WAIT TILL THE NEXT RACE"

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