NOW Men's Race Report for Tulsa Tough by Aaron Schneider

Race: Tulsa Tough
Players: Sergio Hernandez, Cory Greenberg, Stephen Leece, Aaron Schneider

By far one of the funnest crit series I've ever done. The weather may have been considered miserable, but in my opinion it just made the racing that much more fun. It was hot and humid all three days and made it a real tough guys'/girls' race. The first thing I have to say is a big thank you to Joel Kantor (Kit's second cousin) for sponsoring the entire men's and women's teams. We were put up in the nicest hotel in Tulsa, and treated to free food all weekend at all of Joel's 4 restaurants. To say we were treated like professionals is an understatement. It was an experience I doubt I will ever forget, and was amazingly motivating.
Day one of racing started off faster than I expected. It was like a cat 3 race...attack, chase, slow down, attack, chase, slow down, for 60 minutes. Unfortunately I got caught in a crash and made the rookie mistake of trying to chase back on and ended up dropping out...but not before I picked up the first prime for the team. I watched from the sideline as Sergio took the win.
Day two was a lot better. Though Sergio only took 2nd (we were aiming for the win of course), we rode well as a team, riding the front of the race, getting into breaks, and chasing where needed. Cory got into a near winning breakaway late in the race and was still able to ride for Sergio in the end. Kit, Stephen, and I were caught behind a crash with two laps to go and were unable to make it back up to the front, though we certainly tried.
Day 3 was by far the best for the team, though it was the worst in the results. Sergio placed 8th, but we rode like a real team. The atmosphere was amazing, even tour-like. The climb in the crit was lined with crazy fans, spraying water on the riders and cheering like mad. The entire team was active at the front and controlling the race. It was a thing of beauty. With three laps to go Cory almost single-handedly brought back the final breakaway and with 1 1/2 laps to go I pulled through at the top of the hill. Hoping I would be followed by the peleton I slowed up a bit so I could stay with Sergio for the final lap. But coming around the last turn going into the last lap, I opened up a substantial gap and it continued to grow as I put my head down and pedaled down the straightaway. So, I decided to just go for glory. Only glory sometimes is replaced with explosions. I completely popped on the last climb and that was my race. I hoped I could hold on for Serg and get him another win. I was confident that I could. Unfortunately, I was not able to and Serg got 8th, and 2nd in the overall omnium.
Fun times in Tulsa.

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