The Ohio men's club cycling team kicked off its 2006 season with two riders placing in the top 10 Saturday at the Ascent up the Slope at Lake Hope.
Out of 75 riders in the Men's C class, junior Ryan Helbach placed eighth, and sophomore Ryan Krawczyk finished sixth in the first of the two-day event hosted by the Bobcats in conjunction with Ohio State.
Graduate student Andrew Pawuk, sophomore Katsu Tanda, and the club's president - junior Ben Halada - all placed in the top 40.
The road race, which took place in the hills of Vinton County was the third of the MidWest Collegiate Cycling Conference season, but the first in which Ohio participated.
Krawczyk said the Bobcats had an advantage over other schools because they were familiar with the area.
It's a long course
so a lot of the riders probably didn't even know what it looks like he said. I rode the course once or twice. It's definitely the hilliest within the collegiate series. Most of the other courses are flat.
The route originally consisted of one lap of the 20-mile loop with a 1-mile, 400-foot climb to the finish, but a fire that burned down the park's main lodge Feb. 10 prevented them from using that track layout.
Halada said that despite it being a smaller climb at the end, the change made for a more exciting finish because it enabled people to sprint for it.
Bobcat sophomore Jared Rowley also raced, finishing in the top 30 for the Men's B class that rode two laps for 41 miles total.
Club advisor Tim Creamer said Ohio's focus was to work together as a team.
When you're riding really close two inches within somebody else's wheel
you really have to know the other riders' [tendencies]
Creamer said. There's a lot of trust within the group.
