SOMERVILLE, NJ – Sunday’s 79th annual Tour of Somerville came down to a race against the weather.
For days prior to the race, weather forecasters had predicted a solid wall of heavy rain and thunderstorms, lasting 7-8 hours coinciding with the Memorial Day race schedule, which began with preliminary categories at 9 a.m.
The sun came out for several hours, although the skies were cloudy; the rain came, but it wasn’t until 1:30-2 p.m. that the showers began; the predicted thunderstorms never materialized, with the womens’ and mens’ championship races at midday given the green light.
Following are full reports from the Mildred Kugler Pro Womens’ Race and the Kugler-Anderson Memorial Pro Men’s Race:
The women’s and men’s races both came down to a drag race to the line on the rain-soaked course.
In its seventy-ninth year, the Tour of Somerville saw some of the deepest fields yet for both the Pro Women and Pro Men’s fields. Boasting international pedigree in both races, the paces in both races were high, with multiple attacks throughout.
With wind and rain on course for both races, the larger teams took control to keep the pace high. Despite attacks in each race through the first turn into the backstretch the wind stifled moves along the finishing straight and led to field sprints in both races.
Mildred Kugler Pro Women Race Report
Wind and rain greeted the women’s peloton at the start of their race through the streets of downtown Somerville. The weather prompted teams to keep the pace fast and strung out in the early part of the race.
Over the course of the first half of the race, LA Sweat, Legion of LA, DNA Pro Cycling, and Miami Blazers would nab primes and take turns controlling the front and keeping the pace high and their sprinters safe for the finish. Automatic | ABUS had other plans for the race and launched several attacks, hoping to break up the race to no avail.
As the laps waned, the speed increased, DNA Pro Cycling taking up the majority of the pace-making duties with just under two laps to go. But it was the sprint trains of both LA Sweat and Miami that would overtake DNA on the final straight, with Sam Schneider launching first while Labecki surfed wheels and found the perfect time to launch her sprint, winning the tightly contested sprint over Samantha Schnieder (Miami Blazers) and Camille Desrochers Laflamme (LA Sweat).
The Tour of Somerville Pro Women’s race once again lived up to its reputation, delivering high drama and exceptional racing. Labecki’s’ victory added another thrilling chapter to the event’s storied history, showcasing the talent and skill of the women’s peloton. Labecki appreciated the speed of the race and surmised early in the race “that because of weather and course, a break would be nearly impossible to go,” bidding her time to unleash another world-class sprint.
Mildred Kugler Pro Women Results
- Coryn Labecki (EF-Cannondale)
- Samantha Schneider (Miami Blazers)
- Camille Desrochers Laflamme(LA Sweat Racing)
Kugler-Anderson Memorial Pro Men’s Race Report
The men’s race, like the early women’s race, was greeted with wet roads and wind on the finishing straight. Despite several attempts to break the field up, particularly from a very active Kelly Benefits Strategies team and Bike Works P/b Fred Beans, each move was short-lived.
About halfway through the race a break of Miami Blazers, NZ Cycling project, Bike Works Pa, Austin Outlaws, DCC, Tekkerz, and Legion of LA, gained a handful of seconds only to be reeled back in almost single-handedly by Marcos Mendez of Rockland Development.
Several additional small moves were attempted, but none of these efforts managed to establish a significant gap as the peloton kept a close watch, ensuring any escapees were quickly brought back. The laps continued to tick down, and teams attempted to take control of the front in hopes of keeping their sprinters in prime position.
DCC, Miami Blazers, Legion of LA, and Austin Outlaws would control the front side of the course. Still, a tailwind on the backside of the course allowed the field to bunch, and the wide course allowed riders back into contention and multiple teams to attempt to lead out trains before the second to last corner.
Tekkerz managed to drop off sprinter Alec Briggs while DCC dropped Juan Zapata off. Still, the solo Cesar Marte surfed wheels throughout and managed to finally time his sprint perfectly after two second places at Somerville.
The emotional Marte was elated with the finish and was greeted with jubilation by fans and friends alike as he rode towards the podium to step on the top step and was overwhelmed in the moment “Two years second place and I got it. I love this place. Thank you to everyone for your support.”
Kugler-Anderson Memorial Pro Men results
- Cesar Marte (Work Hard Be Humble)
- Alec Briggs (Tekkerz)
- Alex Juan Zapata (DCC)