Elite Nationals: Old schooler Walker takes elite
road race
By Jason Sumner
VeloNews associate editor
This report filed June 16, 2004
http://www.velonews.com/race/dom/articles/6284.0.html
It's always an interesting mix at the
startline of the elite men's road race held annually at the U.S. national
road championships. For every aspiring, young Cat. 1 who's hoping to
parlay a podium performance into a pro contract, you'll find a guy like
Chris Walker. The 42-year-old was a pro with Nutra-Fig back in the mid
1990s, but today he's sporting the kit of California-based amateur team
Labor Power.
The squad's name is a reference to the law
practice of primary sponsor Roger Worthington, whose client base is people
who've been injured in the workplace. But Walker stamped his own meaning
on the team moniker in Redlands, California, on Wednesday, powering off
the front of a three-man breakaway to take the elite men's national
championship road race title (the field is limited to non pros with a Cat.
1 liscense).
"I knew I didn't have any chance in a
sprint, so I had to make something happen," explained Walker, who made his
winning move with just 2km to go in the 156.7km race. "I took off on the
right side and got a gap. It was pretty basic stuff."
Walker's two breakaway companions, William
Innes (Lombardi Sports) and Evan Elken (Broadmark Capital), hesitated just
a moment too long, and couldn't bring him back. All three were credited
with a finishing mark of 4:21:10.
"The whole last lap it was surge, stop,
surge, stop," recalled Innes, who would settle for second in the 10-lap
race on the Panorama Point course that's also used in the early-season
Redlands Bicycle Classic. "Walker put in the final surge, and we looked at
each other for just a minute. When we finally went we couldn't close the
gap."
Like Walker, the 32-year-old Innes has done
a stint in the pros, racing with LeMond Fitness in 2003. But that deal
evaporated last year, sending him back to the amateur ranks and his bike
shop mechanic job in Redwood City, California.
Elken, the youngest of the trio at 27, is
the only rider who hasn't cracked the pro ranks. He delivers pizzas in
Portland, Oregon, to keep the electricity on.
"When Walker went I was caught in the
middle," said Elken of the race's waning moments. "If I pulled then [Innes]
probably wins, and if I wait Walker wins. He deserved it, though. It was a
gutsy move and he made it pay off."
Behind the top trio was a shattered race
that had begun with 125 starters, but would see only 32 riders finish on
the lead lap. Only three of those 32 would finish within five minutes of
Walker.
"Usually these races are a little longer,"
said Elken. "But this was plenty far. I mean I'm sitting here talking and
I don't think 10 guys have come in yet."
Following a flat, 4.75-mile start loop, the
move that would eventually break the race into numerous splinter groups
began to take shape on the first long lap (9.3 miles each with 1100 feet
of climbing). First off the front were John Osguthorpe (Odgen One), Steve
Tilford and Sean Cahill (U.S. Armed Forces). Cahill would soon drop back
under the pressure of the pace, while Chris Peck (Fiordifrutta), John Hunt
(Village Pedaler) and Elken would bridge up. Now six, the leaders would
grow their advantage to 1:15 with eight laps to go.
Behind them a chase of three formed, with
Walker, Curt Davis (Fiordifrutta) and Michael Hutchinson (Spine). Walker
would soon break away by himself and by the race's halfway point, he'd
joined the leaders. Davis would make the jump a lap later.
Things continued to change rapidly, as the
sharp climbs (including one that topped out near 20 percent) on the
backside of the course began to take their toll. By the time the lap card
read four to go, Walker, Davis and Elken were the only three riders left
in the lead group, with Innes now fourth at 0:17 and Tilford leading a
group of 11 at 0:27. The peleton was 1:39 down and fading fast.
Davis was the next to fall off the lead,
while Innes moved up, forming what would be the final selection. Early
leader Tilford dropped out during the eighth lap.
From there the three frontrunners would
slowly build their advantage. It was 1:08 with two to go, and up to 2:21
when the bell sounded for the final lap. No one tried to get away during
the last set of climbs, and it wasn't until the 4km to go sign that Elken
took the first swing. His move gained no more than 10 meters, though, and
the threesome was soon back together.
"We were out there for so long," admitted
Elken. "I don't think any of us had a whole lot left."
Walker and Elken would each try once more
during the downhill section between the 3 and 2km to go signs. But both
moves lacked any punch, and it was three together with 2km to go.
Finally Walker gave it one last shot along
the right side of 5th Street, during the long, flat run to the finish.
This was his third time at the elite nationals race and it proved to be a
charm. The move stuck, giving the Goleta, California resident the
stars-and-stripes-jersey.
"Coming in I figured I had a good shot at
the top 10," he said after taking the win. "But this is more that I
expected. I've got to pinch myself."
Racing at the Pool Gel USCF National Road
Championships continues Thursday with the time trial in nearby Moreno
Valley. The junior men kick things off at 9 a.m., with the elite women
going off at 9:35 and the men finishing the day starting at noon.
Besides the national titles on the line for
the men and women, the winner of the women's TT will earn one of three
spots on the U.S. Olympic road team. Check back later in the day for a
full report, results and photos.
