Cycling raced in its second-to-last race of the season this Wednesday. The rainy weather highlighted the race, leading to some team strategy complications.
Frank Hu ’26 mentioned that the change in weather messed up the team’s consistency. In warmups, Hu unfortunately crashed, leading to pulling out of what would have been his last race of the season.
“I crashed during the warm-ups. It was bad weather going into our race, and then it cleared up, making me overconfident. I was turning and must have gone over a patch of sand or debris. I lost control, and the bike slid out from under me. I smashed up my bike and had to try to exchange it for another one. I tried both Jasjit (Hargun ’27) and Eddy’s (Eddy Marrero ’28) bikes because they had raced previously in the Boys C race, and they were done. Both of them didn’t fit me, so I was unable to compete, said Hu.
The Boys C race came first, before the weather had fully cleared. Despite the challenging conditions, Hargun and Marrero did well, placing second and fourth, respectively.
Porto said, “The Boys C riders, Jasjit Hargun and Eddy Marrero, had to fight intense rain and the fear of lightning during their race. That was difficult, and I’m proud of their hard work.”
Hu also commented on Hargun’s strategy and unfortunate ending, to his race. Hargun had led most of the race but was overtaken in the final straight.
“Jasjit was doing well. He was leading in Boys C for the entire race. Unfortunately, he was beaten in a sprint at the end. He lost by 2.3 seconds. It was unfortunate, but he did well. He was getting tired because he led the pack, breaking the wind for other racers. The racer in second was riding off his tail and not using as much energy because Jasjit was doing the wind-breaking for him. He got exploited on that last lap, which is probably why he lost the sprint,” said Hu.
This race was also unique as it was a more vertically challenging course. To prepare for this race, Hu noted that the team had planned a strategy for approaching the race.
Hu said, “We planned a strategy around the course. This course started on a big downhill, ending on an uphill with flat track in the middle. This course is different from the other races we’ve ridden, so especially in Boys B, we talked about strategy a lot, like catching up to the Boys A kids, where to sit, where to draft, and when to sprint. I wasn’t able to use any of it, but it was useful for the other racers in the Boys B race.
Heading into the season’s final race, Porto and Robinson are in third individually for Boys B. Meanwhile, Hargun and Marrero are in first and second in Boys C.
“For our Boys C, Jasjit Hargun is first overall, and Marrero is second. For Boys B, I am in third, tied with our captain, David Porto, so our goals are to finish the season strong and secure those overall podiums. Next week is our league championship, so it’s double points, but it’s also on a flat course with a sprint at the end, so we’re going to practice some of our sprinting technique to make sure we can finish as strong as possible, said Matt Robinson ’27.
Cycling will race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for its last race of the season next Wednesday.
