Mara's first win of the year!
Last weekend saw the first Illinois Cup stop outside the greater Chicago metro area. On Saturday we raced the “Tour de Champaign” on the campus of the U of I in brutal heat. Sunday saw racing in downtown Urbana on a tight, technical course.
Mara Baltabols (above) snuck away from the women’s 4′s field with a lady from the Cuttin’ Crew and the two opened a sizable gap. Leading out of the last corner, Mara was able to take her first U.S.A.C win by a narrow margin! Mara has now moved into the top 3 in Illinois Cup standings.
Andy Swims (below) also had an impressive ride. With a xXx rider 20 seconds up the road, Swims launched a furious chase with 3 laps to go. An unfortunate wreck halted the race. The race resumed with Swims starting 14 seconds behind the solo rider, only 6 seconds in front of the field, and with 2 of the most painful laps of his life to go. Both the xXx rider and Swims rode like Greg Lemond on the final TT in 89 to hold their spots ahead of a hard-charging field. Swims now leads the Illinois Cup.
Andy “Mr. Reliable” Kerr also earned another podium. Finishing second in Urbana, Kerr also leads the Illinois Cup standings for 50+. We’d love to post a podium picture of Andy. Let us know if you find one!
