Results
Dallas, GA -After the race was postponed for a week due to inclement weather, the Mercer Cycling team traveled north to Dallas, Georgia for the 8th Annual Lillie Glass Tundra Time Trial. The 12 mile time-trial on the Silver Comet Trail is an early season warm-up for many cycling teams in the southeast and is known for its brutally cold weather.
And cold it was. Temperatures hovered in the mid 30s as all five Mercer riders launched between 8:30am and 9:00am. The temperatures the riders were experiencing were close to 10 degrees colder than air temperature and were excruiating to the lungs and legs as they warmed up.
Despite the low temperatures, Mercer swept the collegiate cateogory podium en route to a strong finish. Kevin Roberts notched the fast time on the course in the collegiate category, averaging 22.87 mph while Andrew Lockwood had the second fastest category time, pacing his bike at 22.0 mph.
Newcomer Evan Ayoub would finish third in the collegiate field followed by Gabe Denes and Dr. Loren Sumner in the Category 5 field. The 1-2-3 finish was a good showing for Mercer Cycling's first official race during their inaugural season.
"That was no doubt the coldest race I've ever been a part of. It was a great first showing by our team and while we swept the podium, we still know there's plenty of work to do to get to where we want to be by the end of the season," team captain Andrew Lockwood said after the race. "The times were down a bit from what I expected, but then again we don't often train in these kinds of brutal conditions all the time. It certainly does a number on your lungs when go all out for half an hour," he added.
Indeed if Mercer had started a bit later in the afternoon when temperatures hovered in the 50s, then there would've been a slight difference in the times, but the race order was predetermined based on online regristration as riders were launched every 30 seconds.
"I thought our team did outstanding," said Kevin Roberts. "Especially with the cold, I'm excited to see us place where we did and I'm excited about our upcoming season," Roberts said after his first career time trial victory.
Mercer Cycling now hits the road to the southeast as they travel to Georgia Southern for next week's collegiate race. The two day event will feature a time trial, criterium, and road race. Stay tuned to MercerCycling.Blogspot.com for more details.
A full list of results to come soon from SurgeSports.com
An Interview with Collegiate Winner Kevin Roberts
An interview with MU Cycling team member Dr. Sumner
