Englemann and Forsyth win the men's and women's Nevada City Classics
Les Earnest
as they crossed the finish line of the Nevada City Classic together,
taking first and second. Teammate Alexi Grewal got fourth but nearly
came to grief again over drug testing.
The 32nd Nevada City Classic was run over the usual steep 1 mile
criterium course with temperatures around 95 degrees F. (35 C.), in
marked contrast to the Bear Valley criterium held nearby a week ago in
snow flurries. Fields were smaller than usual because yesterday's
race was competing with the USCF national championships and Olympic
selection races as well as the Ore-Ida women's stage race. With only
70 competitors on the line for the men's race and with prizes to 35
places, no lapped riders were pulled for the first time in at least 20
years.
Nevada City, California, was founded in the gold rush of the 1850s and
still looks a lot like it did then. It is located in the Sierra Nevada
mountains and was called just "Nevada" until a state was created
nearby using the same name. Beautiful old Victorian homes climb the
hillsides above the invisible, abandoned mines. It nearly became a
ghost town a few decades ago but now has a population of 2,500 that
manages to support a dozen bars and a smaller number of churches but
that swells to 12,000 or more each Fathers Day as people come for the
long-established bike races.
In the 22 mile women's race, Michele Blain (Valhalla Racing) rode off
the front early but was caught at mid-race by Suzie Forsyth (Puget
Sound), who rode away to a big lead by the finish. Jacquie Phelan
(Team Wombat), aka "The Matron of Mud" for her mountain bike exploits,
chased to a 3rd place finish.
This was a comeback for Suzie Forsyth, who was Suzie Simpson when she
rode for the U.C. Davis collegiate team and later made the USCF
national team. She recently took time off to have a baby girl, who
accompanied her to the victory stand, and is now seeking sponsorship
for a renewed try at the national level of the sport. It appears that
she deserves it.
In the men's race, local rider Mike Peavy (Spectrum/Specialized) rode
off to an early lead and held it for eight laps before being caught by
Scott Moninger. Moninger's teammate Mike Englemann bridged up a
couple of laps later and the two of them rode off the front for the
rest of the 45 mile race. They later reported that they had discussed
who should win and had decided to come across the line together.
Moninger remarked that he let his teammate slide ahead on the grounds
that Mike was older and might not have another chance to win this
classic, whereas he (Scott) probably has quite a few more chances.
Wayne Morgan (Wheelsmith), a New Zealander who recently moved to the
San Francisco Bay Area, held on for 3rd place. Olympic gold medalist
Alexi Grewal (Coors Light) edged Olympic gold medalist Steve Hegg in a
downhill sprint to the line at about 60 mph for 4th and 5th. Chad
Gerlach (Team City) got 6th and Roy Knickman (Coors Light) took 7th.
A drug testing team from the U.S. Olympic Committee appeared
unannounced just before the beginning of the men's race and said that
they were there to test the top four finishers and another 8 riders
selected at random. We scrambled to find a suitable place nearby
where they could take urine samples and settled on using race marshals
as couriers to bring the selected riders to the test site.
As the race went on, the testing team leader recruited a number of
marshals and instructed them on their duties once the race was over.
I drew numbers out of a bottle to select the "randoms" based on
placings. Immediately after the end of the race, we announced on the
public address system that all riders in the top 35 places were
subject to testing, but a little while later I heard from Alexi
Grewal's manager, Len Pettyjohn, that Alexi had left. I told Len that
he'd better find Alexi fast or he would be subject to suspension from
USCF races for two years.
As it turned out, the marshals were not very reliable couriers.
It took about a half hour to determine the order of finish, as usual,
given that many riders were multiple laps down. By the time the
results were announced a number of couriers had disappeared, which
messed up the protocol. An hour or so later, the testing team leader
and I reluctantly decided to void the tests on the grounds that they
had not been executed properly.
About an hour after that, Alexi Grewal reappeared, alegedly ready for
a test. If the testing had been carried out as planned and he had
taken it late, he almost certainly would still have been suspended,
though probably for a shorter time. As it turned out, I said "Never
mind!" as was treated to the usual verbal abuse from Alexi.
Top 12 finishers
Men Women
1. Michael Englemann, Coors Light Suzie Forsyth, Puget Sound
2. Scott Moninger, Coors Light Michele Blain, Valhalla Racing
3. Wayne Morgan, Wheelsmith Jacquie Phelan, Team Wombat
4. Alexi Grewal, Coors Light Brenda Green, Monticello CC
5. Steve Hegg, LA Sheriff Jody Cox, KOME L.G.B.R.C.
6. Chad Gerlach, Team City Lauren Anderson, Davis/Cannondale
7. Roy Knickman, Coors Light Trisha Ruby, Davis/Cannondale
8. Cezary Zemana, Bud Light Kelly Bartholomew, KOME L.G.B.R.C.
9. Hubert Niederberger, Team Spago Margaret Flaherty, KOME L.G.B.R.C.
10. Jamie Paolinetti, AVCT Cynthia Mommsen, Twin Peaks
11. Jeff Pierce, Chev./LA Monica Erdosh, Ricky Mountain Women
12. Karl Maxon, Sachs - Q.R.B.C. Helene Drumm, Davis B.C.
(From the chief referee)
--
Les Earnest Phone: 415 941-3984
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Chris Moll
>If the testing had been carried out as planned and he had
>taken it late, he almost certainly would still have been suspended,
>though probably for a shorter time. As it turned out, I said "Never
>mind!" as was treated to the usual verbal abuse from Alexi.
Granted Grewal has a well-earned reputation for temper tantrums, but in this
case I think he might have had a point. Personally I would be upset if I
were threatend with a two-year suspension from earing a living due to a
poorly conceived, badly executed drug testing program such as you describe.
--
Chris Moll (510)486-7891
---
"Blessed are they who Go Around in Circles, for they Shall
be Known as Wheels."
Les Earnest
>Granted Grewal has a well-earned reputation for temper tantrums, but in this
>case I think he might have had a point. Personally I would be upset if I
>were threatend with a two-year suspension from earing a living due to a
>poorly conceived, badly executed drug testing program such as you describe.
What was the point? If you had behaved as irresponsibly as Alexi you
would have had a right to be mad only at yourself. However, he gets
off on adversity. That was what helped him win an Olympic gold medal
in '84.
Roger Marquis
>Chris Moll writes about Grewal's failure to report for drug testing:
>>Granted Grewal has a well-earned reputation for temper tantrums, but in this
>>case I think he might have had a point. Personally I would be upset if I
>>were threatend with a two-year suspension from earing a living due to a
>>poorly conceived, badly executed drug testing program such as you describe.
>
>What was the point? If you had behaved as irresponsibly as Alexi you
>would have had a right to be mad only at yourself. However, he gets
>off on adversity. That was what helped him win an Olympic gold medal
>in '84.
I would have to disagree with your assumption that Alexi "gets off on
adversity". Why would he have given you a hard time if this were the
case? You must admit that announcing a drug test after the race has
already begun does not reflect well on promoters or officials.
And threatening someone who lives and breathes cycling with a 2 year
suspension (which would surely end his carreer) long after the finish
of the race is not only a good reason to get upset but is also a good
reason to question the competence of any official who would make such
an unreasonable threat to one of America's best cyclists.
Roger (mar...@well.sf.ca.us)
Les Earnest
>I would have to disagree with your assumption that Alexi "gets off on
>adversity". Why would he have given you a hard time if this were the
>case?
Eh? Someone who gets off on adversity quite naturally spawns it by
giving others a hard time. This has come to be expected behaviour
among a number of prominent tennis players and a few bikies.
>You must admit that announcing a drug test after the race has
>already begun does not reflect well on promoters or officials.
This remark is nonsensical. How does that "not reflect well?"
Announcing it in advance of the race would obviously give any
users an opportunity to skip out.
>And threatening someone who lives and breathes cycling with a 2 year
>suspension (which would surely end his carreer) long after the finish
>of the race is not only a good reason to get upset but is also a good
>reason to question the competence of any official who would make such
>an unreasonable threat to one of America's best cyclists.
First, the 2 year suspension would apply only to USCF races. Alexi
has a pro license and USPRO has much shorter suspension periods,
beginning with none for the first offense.
The threat of suspension was posed immediately after the race when
Grewal failed to report, not "long after the finish," as Roger
describes it. Alexi should have known better, especially since he was
just fined $500 for flunking a drug test at the Tour of West Virginia.
Inasmuch as the testing protocols were correctly executed for the top
four finishers at Nevada City and the top three promptly reported for
testing, there were certainly adequate grounds for suspending Grewal.
He is lucky that we decided to let it go. Given his attitude, I
probably won't cut him any slack next time.
--
Les Earnest Phone: 415 941-3984