A group of Notre Dame Men’s Team riders took to a local loop for a short practice criterium to hone in racing skills a mere 19 days before the first race weekend in Louisville. Freshman John Caffarelli had a GoPro setup on his bike to capture the race in its entirety. Here are a few of the highlights…
On paper it was a strong showing by members of the team. The white team (Tony Pratt-A, John Caffarelli-C, Anthony Hall-C) was aggressive throughout the race, each member putting in soft and hard attacks. Hall’s attack with 2 laps to go, which was initially chased down by Sam O’Melveny, would’ve stuck without a ferocious chase by James Pratt of the Blue squad (Pratt-A, O’Melveny-D). O’Melveny had an attack of his own earlier in the race, and the elder Pratt covered his brother’s early jump and Caffarelli’s three attempts to escape throughout.
Hall was caught at the second to last corner with James Pratt on the front leading out two members of the white squad, Pratt and Caffarelli, in that order, but the race was extended due to traffic on the course. On the added lap, O’Melveny started the dig for his sprinter, the tall, lean, but powerful J Pratt, while Caffarelli soon put in a MONSTER charge with his sprinter, the ever-handsome T Pratt in tow. It was looking to be a Pratt v. Pratt battle in the sprint, however James slipped his chain when the younger of the duo jumped for the line.
Tony Pratt took the overall win, followed by his trusty leadout steed and breakaway attempt expert John Caffarelli in a close second. James Pratt slid across the line moments after followed by the built and chiseled Anthony Hall and craft Sam O’Melveny. The white squad took home the hardware for this first race of the series.