Fort Lewis College senior cyclist Ryan Standish drew the attention of the crowd at the starting line with his unique choice of shorts and took the attention from the other competitors during the race with a dominant performance in the Collegiate Men’s Group A portion of the 2016 Squawker Classic Durango Performance Center Neighborhood Criterium.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Ryan Standish of FLC leaned into a turn while racing in the Collegiate Men’s Group A Squawker Classic criterium on Saturday in Durango.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Fort Lewis’ Sofia Gomez-Villafañe is known for her mountain bike skills, but she finished fourth in Saturday’s Collegiate Women’s Group A. Colorado Mesa’s Ariana Holbach won the event.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Stephan Davoust of FLC held the lead briefly in Saturday’s criterium. The race started and concluded at 4th Avenue and 8th Street, shutting down roads in town and drawing Durangoans out of their homes to watch the action.
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Fort Lewis College Cycling Team members, Matthew Turner, front, Mason Shea, center, and Sam Vickery, warm up before the start of the FLC Squawker Classic time trial on Saturday morning on La Posta Road (County Road 213). Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Fort Lewis College riders warm up before they start in the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Marco Vasquez, race official with USA Cycling, starts the Mens Group A in the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Sofia Gomez-Villafane of FLC leads the Womens Group A for awhile the during the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Mens Group A ride through neighborhoods during the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Mens Group A ride through neighborhoods during the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Fans cheer on Rayn Standish while racing in the Mens Group A Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Stephan Davoust of FLC leads the Mens Group A during the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Mens Group A ride through neighborhoods during the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
A long day of racing for the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Fort Lewis College womens time trial team A-1 from left, Sofia Villafane-Gomez, Emily Abraham, Jenna MacPherson, and Sydney Edmonson, take off during the FLC Squawker Classic time trial on Saturday morning on La Posta Road (County Road 213). Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Rayn Standish of FLC leans in to a turn while racing in the Mens Group A Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Racers in the womens Group A in the Squawker Classic Criterium take some tight turns on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
The Mens Group A ride through neighborhoods during the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Ariana Holbach of Colorado Mesa University crosses the finish line winning the Womens Group A Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Fort Lewis College mens time trial team A-1 from left, Payson McElveen, Ian McPherson, Cormac McGeough, and Ryan Standish, get ready to take off for the FLC Squawker Classic time trial on Saturday morning on La Posta road (County Road 213). Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Marco Vasquez, race official with USA Cycling, shows racers in the Mens Group A how many laps left in the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Fort Lewis College mens time trial team A-1 from left, Payson McElveen, Ian McPherson, front, Cormac McGeough, and Ryan Standish, take off during the FLC Squawker Classic time trial on Saturday morning on La Posta Road (County Road 213). Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
All kinds of volunteers including Cora, belonging to Joe Crosby, turned out for a long day of racing for the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Jerry McBride/Durango Herald <br>04-23-16- Durango- The Womens Group A ride through neighborhoods during the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Rayn Standish of FLC celebrates with fans as he wins the Mens Group A Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Durango- Marco Vasquez, race official with USA Cycling, starts the Womens Group A in the Squawker Classic Criterium on Saturday in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
What started as a fashion statement turned into a statement of dominance for Fort Lewis College senior cyclist Ryan Standish in Saturday’s Squawker Classic criterium race.
In his last weekend of competition for Fort Lewis, Standish donned a pair of jean shorts over his Skyhawks uniform and put on a memorable performance in the Collegiate Men’s Group A Durango Performance Center Neighborhood Criterium. The senior emerged from a pack of riders midway through the 60-minute race and left the field literally in the dust created by the day’s extreme winds en route to a win in which he nearly lapped the field.
“It was the last criterium here for me, and I couldn’t have had a better way to end it,” an exhausted Standish said after the race. “Skyler Trujillo gave me what he said were the ‘speed jorts’ after the morning race, and he was right. Somewhere in the middle of the race I felt like the pace slowed down a bit, so I tried to push it. I built a lead and I didn’t think it would last as long as it did, but nobody ever caught me.”
Payson McElveen finished in third place for Fort Lewis, which also swept the team time trials Saturday morning.
Colorado Mesa’s Ariana Holbach won a much closer Collegiate Women’s Group A race. Holbach overcame very tough racing conditions and outsprinted a tightly crammed group of five down the stretch for the win.
“It was such a challenging course, and the quality of competition made it even tougher,” Holbach said. “I tried to attack a few times to thin out the pack, but it didn’t work. The wind made it very hard to get away, and stuff was flying all over the place at one point, so I just waited for the sprint and pulled ahead.”
The wind was a factor all day, especially in the women’s race. At one point, the crowd surrounding the start/finish line at 4th Avenue and 8th Street was forced to spring into action to secure tents as winds tossed items around with ease.
Fort Lewis’ Sofia Gomez-Villafañe held the lead periodically throughout the race but couldn’t make the final push to catch Holbach. The nasty conditions even surprised the Skyhawks’ seasoned veteran. She finished fourth.
“There was a pack of five of us up front, and all of a sudden this huge gust came and caused some problems,” Gomez-Villafañe said. “There was dust was flying in our faces, and it was tough on our legs. The conditions made it hard for anyone to get ahead and made for an exciting finish. Ariana is a professional road racer, and it’s no surprise that she won this.”
The men’s race that followed was anything but an exciting finish. With Standish and his “speed jorts” on a pace of their own, the attention turned to the pack well behind. For awhile, four Skyhawks held the top four spots, and McElveen was able to hold onto the third spot through the finish.
“Ryan (Standish) thrives in these types of races, and seeing that it was his last home race like this it was a pretty big deal for him,” said Fort Lewis Cycling road coach Ian Burnett. “It was a big ride for him, but it’s a special day for all of us. The support we get from the community to be able to do this in town and have people allow us to shut down their roads and come out in their yards to cheer us on just shows what cycling means around here.”
The 2016 Squawker Classic will conclude with Sunday’s Carver Brewing Co. Road Race. The action will start with the Collegiate Men Group A at 8 a.m. at the Fort Lewis Education/Business Hall Parking Lot.
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