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Rosskopf triumphs in downtown race
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BIKE RACE - The leaders draft down the straight away downtown Youngstown Sunday afternoon. - Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays
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Jason Sweder from Boardman takes in The Tour of the Valley bicycling criterium in downtown Youngstown on Sunday afternoon. He was oneof many spectators who visited the downtown area to take in the annual cycling- stage event. The tour, which began Friday, was part of The Biggest Weekend of Summer celebration.
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BIKE RACE - Racers taking a turn at 30 mph downtown Youngstown Sunday afternoon. - Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays
By John Bassetti
YOUNGSTOWN
The 2010 edition of the Tour of the Valley had some of the same key players as 2009, namely Joey Rosskopf and Mountain Khakis Fueled by Jittery Joe’s.
The 20-year-old Rosskopf whipped up a 1:28.22 time to beat a field of 62 during a roughly 90-minute race — criterium style — downtown Sunday.
Rosskopf defended his 2009 criterium win and the University of Georgia student also repeated as Pro 1,2 men’s overall champion as the weekend drew to a close on West Federal St.
Rosskopf edged out independent Chris Gruber (1:28.26) and Paul Martin of Panther Racing (1:28.28) to conclude a hot day in the concrete jungle.
Rosskopf was trying to stay near the top 5-10 riders.
“Panther did a good job of controlling it,” he said. “They kept all their guys on the front, so I was barely staying on the tail end of their team the last 10 laps.”
Rosskopf made his move approaching the last corner at Champion and East Federal Street.
“Everyone eventually pulled off until there were one or two guys and I just went around them after the last corner and sprinted to the finish line.”
Rosskopf said that 2009 was different, when he beat out Martin and David Wenger in the criterium.
“We were in a break off the front, maybe 5-6 of us,” he said. “Last year was actually easier for me because I was sitting on a break the whole time and didn’t do any work because we had a team leader then back in the peloton [main pack]. I had a free ride. This year I had to do a little more fighting because it was all together — about 40 guys. Altogether it’s more chaotic.”
For his 2009 overall title and yellow jersey, Rosskopf beat out Martin and Jafer Beizer, then a Jittery Joe’s teammate.
For the 2010 overall crown, Rosskopf edged Mountain Khakis teammate Matt Cooke and Martin.
“We thought we had a pretty strong team,” Rosskopf said of the weekend, when three of the top four were Khakis riders.
Rosskopf will enter a national calendar race event — the Tour of Oak Grove — in Illinois at the end of July.
Cooke, in his first year with Khakis, was hoping for a team podium sweep.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that because Paul Martin took a few seconds from us,” Cooke said. “But we still got first, second and fourth overall.
“My role was to stay in second [place overall], but also help secure my teammates’ position. We almost accomplished all our goals.”
The 30-year-old Cooke’s next race will be the Cascade Cycling Classic in Oregon.
Martin and Panther teammates had a train arrangement at the front of the criterium near the final laps.
“It’s much safer at the front in a race like this where it’s kind of tight,” he said. “We were trying to stay in control. I knew teammate Kirk [Albers] could give me a good lead-off for the final sprint. I knew I picked up some [bonus] time to move up to third overall, but I was hoping to get a few more to get second.”
Martin said that Albers did all the leading out until about two corners to go.
“Then Rosskopf and Gruber did a jump, so I had to get to get on their wheels,” he said. “Gruber took a not-very-good line on the last turn. I think I would have come around him if he hadn’t taken the line he took, but that’s racing in a criterium.
“You’ve got to be good at cornering. I did a lot of work for the time-bonus sprints, so that may be why I didn’t get as much of a jump at the end as I would have liked to.”
The 37-year-old Martin stated the reality of Khakis’ strength.
“We’re realistic and know that it’s a job for them,” he said. “I’m a professional adviser during the day and have a family, so third place for our team is a good result.”
Gruber said that, with 10 laps remaining, he tried to stay on Martin’s wheel.
“I thought he’d be fastest on the corners, so I tried to hold my line around the corner,” he said.
Gruber, a 42-year-old software salesman from Toronto, Ontario and a first-time TOTV entry, was fourth in Saturday’s road race and ninth in Friday’s time trial.