“She has been racing well this season,” said faculty adviser and coach Vicky Sama. “Hayley had an amazing day in Saturday’s road race and today’s crit suited her well because the finish line was on the hill on B Street, and she loves to climb.” Umayam and several other members of the team hope to race at Collegiate Cycling National Championships in Ogden, Utah in May.
Traci Kroll had strong legs on Sunday, attacking the crit climb and putting the hurt on some riders from Stanford in the Women’s A field. In the final lap, Kroll and a Davis rider surged away from the pack, trying to catch a solo Davis rider off the front. Kroll and the Davis rider couldn’t catch the leader, but they kept away from the field and sprinted each other for the finish. Kroll was nipped at the line and ended up with an impressive third place.
Nancy Vargas double-dipped on the podium over the weekend, winning Saturday’s 30-mile road race and Sunday’s crit in the Women’s C category. Teammaate Marina Marcroft competed in the road race and crit, and Ashley Hansen also raced in the crit.
Steven Pearl got on the front of the Men’s B crit and drilled the pack around the course for much of the 40-minute race. Several riders struggled to stay on his wheel, and after the damage was done, Pearl finished third. During the crit, racers make several laps around the course that started at the corner of Harpst and B Streets, made a left on Laurel, traveled through the parking lot behind the Library, down to LK Wood and left on Harpst.
HSU had a strong showing in the Men’s C/D combined crit, with Alvin Garlejo, Stephen Allen, Gianpaul Ferioli and Kristoffer Dean competing in the event. Pearl, Garlejo and Allen raced as a three-some to win Saturday’s Men’s B Team Time Trial–an event where riders race against the clock.
In the Men’s A crit, Luke Ramseth shot off of the front from the start gun, immediately sending the field into panic as all riders fought to stay in contact as he surged up B Street. Ramseth’s speedy pace-setting soon took a toll and riders were falling off the back and soon getting pulled out of the race by the chief race official. Ramseth finished in the top 10. He finished eighth in Saturday’s 60-mile road race. Teammate Ryan Spaulding finished 13th on Saturday. Ramseth led HSU’s Men’s A Time Trial Team with Spaulding and Nate Abel to a second place finish on Saturday.
For more race results, see Humboldt State Cycling on Facebook.