T-E-A-M Victory at Fox River Grove Criterium

Team Get A Grip Cycles had a fantastic day at the Fox River Grove criterium in Illinois, organized by a very professional, top-notch organization in RDS Cycling.

Steven Vandeven, Eric Wiecek, Chip Gray, Lee Heaton, and Seth Meyer, fresh off the Tour of Ohio, lined up to take on the field on the 1.2-mile circuit that included one very steep and difficult climb. From the gun, TGAGC made the pace high, making sure that the hill would take its toll on the pack in the short, intense event. On the third lap, attacks really began, with Vandeven being the one eventually breaking the elastic going off solo.

With four dedicated teammates in the pack disrupting all forms of a chase, Vandeven's gap grew larger and larger, to a maximum of one minute—solo, no less! About halfway through the race, the field's anxiousness grew unbearable and multiple bridge attempts flew off the front. After some attack-counter-attack games, it was Jason Knauff of Team ClifBar Midwest making the move that stuck, and Meyer latched onto his wheel to do his duty for the team.

At this point, Vandeven was off the front, with a motoring Knauff in between with a resting Meyer in a great strategic position just sitting on the wheel, and Wiecek, Heaton, and Gray still keeping a grip on the field. With two to go, it was time to utilize these numbers and circumstances, as Meyer attacked Knauff in efforts to create a TGAGC duo up front.

Meyer bridged up to Vandeven and paced him up the climb the last lap, followed by the two exchanging pulls until the finishing straight, where they crossed hand-in-hand as 1st and 2nd place! Knauff did a fantastic ride to stay off for third, but, just behind, it was Wiecek fighting it out on the line in the field, ultimately taking second in that finishing group and 5th overall, with Heaton just behind in 7th and Gray in 9th.

Photos of the race and this domination are coming soon. Team Get A Grip Cycles used all of its strong members to perfection today, racing with precision and guts for a breath-taking 1-2.

Check back for next weekend's racing in Proctor. An even larger, even stronger TGAGC contingent will be out for these IL state championship races (sans Meyer, who is off for a rest after the first half of his season and shall return as a full-time elite Pro/1/2 competitior). TGAGC will be looking to keep up its dominance in the elite fields of the region. Stay tuned!