Masters Claim Top Podium Places in San Rafael

Greg Chapla (center) doing his best Danny Clark impersonation after taking the top spot at the San Rafael Twilight Criterium along with second place finisher Karl Wurzbach (left

They had talked about the race and where to attack a few times and noted it was key to be leading or second wheel with 2 turns to go.  Attacking with 150m from the second turn would be ideal.  The weather was fairly warm and Karl’s legs were not feeling great but he was rolling with it.  The 0.6 mile course included a steep grade, a head wind on the back stretch and a wicked descent.  The field of almost 90 was a mix of 35+ and 45+ Cat 3/4 racers scored separately.  Karl started in the back and consistently moved up throughout the race putting himself in the top 5-10 with 8 laps left. The pace was high stringing out the field and weeding out some weaker riders that may have been in the mix at the end. Karl moved around the last few laps to stay in the top 3 or 4 with a few guys taking flyers during that time. With 2 laps to go the adrenaline started flowing and Greg surged into the front and ended up pulling the pack for half a lap, not where he wanted to be. Karl made his move to the front with 150m to the second turn following Todd Cristafulli. Karl thought he would blow by him on the final straight but he had nothing in the legs that day for a finish and was passed by 4 guys with about 20m to go.  Meanwhile, Greg had managed to recover and sitting 8th on the final turn found his sprinting legs and finished 1st in the 45+ 3/4 category.