2011 Conference Championships – University of Notre Dame Cycling

Defiance, St Charles, MO –Located in historic St. Charles on the banks of the Missouri River, Lindenwood University played host to the 2011 MWCCC conference road championships. Notre Dame entered the event looking to defend leads in both the team rankings as well as the individual men’s and women’s categories. Saturday’s road race featured a 20 mile course through vineyards and river valleys with 3 major climbs per 20 mile lap. In Men’s A, Joe Magro, Brian Boyle, and Douglas Ansel, rode for the Irish in the 84 mile event. With the first climb only 3 miles into the race, the pace was fast from the gun as riders jocked to start the climb in front. Magro crested the summit in a small group of the conference elite who would ultimately decide the winner amongst themselves. 40 miles into the race, Magro’s group had shrunk to 15 and 60 miles in only 12 remained. After 4 hours of racing, Magro finished in 7th place, increasing his lead in the men’s individual standings. Only 23 of the 50 entrants finished the entire distance. Much like the men’s race, the women’s A field shattered on the first climb with Jenn Perricone from ND sitting comfortably in the lead group. As more and more women dropped back, Perricone held her ground and continued her streak of top 10’s with an 8th place on the day.

Sunday’s Criterium, held in downtown St. Charles, was the fastest Men’s A race of the year with an average speed of 29mph. A field of 45 was cut to under 30 in only 10 minutes as Boyle and Magro settled into the main field. Keeping the second place individually ranked rider in his sights, Magro rode to preserve the season title while Boyle moved up in the field following multiple attacks. With 3 laps to go Magro sprinted off the front but was soon reeled in by the group. Boyle finished 5th in the field sprint, good enough for 14th overall while Magro cruised in top 20 and claimed the 2011 Men’s Individual Conference Championship. Perricone was riding one of her strongest races of the season in Women’s A before running over a staple in the road with less than 5 laps to go. The tire ruined, she used a spare wheel to finish the race in 14th place which was enough to maintain her lead and take the Individual Women’s Conference Championship. Notre Dame also won the Team Conference Title for the 2011 season. This is the first time in the program’s history that both individual titles, and the team title, all belong to the Irish, Perricone, Magro, Boyle, and Ansel will all compete for the National Championship in Madison, WI the first weekend of May.

Road Race

Men’s A – Magro 7th

Women’s A – Perricone 8th

Criterium

Men’s A – Boyle 14th, Magro 20th

Women’s A- Perricone 14th