- Dalton, GA -
Results
Racing in their first and second Georgia Cup Racing Series events respectively, Andrew Lockwood and Kevin Roberts powered their way to top finishes in this past weekend's Dalton Grand Prix Omnium. Skipping the early morning time trial Saturday, Roberts and Lockwood teamed up for a pair of top-10 finishes in Saturday night's criterium in downtown Dalton. Covering 0.73 miles over two blocks per lap, the field of approximately 30 riders got off to a fast start, averaging over 25 mph during the course of the 40 minute, 23 lap affair.
"I loved the course," commented Lockwood after the race. "It was a great venue minus this slight lip on the backstretch. My water bottle popped off my bike during the first lap when I hit it. Other than that, it was an extremely fast course."
Roberts kindly shared his other water bottle with Lockwood along the front stretch of the race, helping his teammate in distress. "I felt like a pro in the peloton handing him a bottle," Roberts said jokingly. "It was a great race though and one I felt like I could've certainly won at the end."
Roberts had a strong showing in the criterium, leading at times throughout the race. His attack late in the race was derailed by a communication mishap from officials about the number of laps left in the race. Despite the mishap, Roberts coasted across the line in 5th place while Lockwood claimed 8th.
The road race on Saturday in Adairsville took a last minute twist when race officials decided to add the Cat 4 field to the Cat 5s, limiting the race to only 48 miles (from the original 60). Roberts once again felt his aggressive bone stir inside his body, making a 15 second gap on the field midway through the race for about 15 minutes. However, the field of 68 riders soon reeled him back in despite some sandbagging from Lockwood in the front.
Late in the race, both Roberts and Lockwood set themselves up for a final sprint to the line by making a sharp descent down the final hills in the top three positions. Roberts gave an unbelievable leadout to the line before bonking with only 100 meters to go. Lockwood would chase a few riders in, coming in 6th while Roberts dropped to 12th.
"It was a great weekend to race," said Lockwood. "There's such a big difference when you've got a teammate you can depend on in the peloton. It makes a world of difference."
