Duke takes 4th in Nationals TTT, 11th in D2 Omnium

Duke traveled to Madison, WI this past weekend to compete in Collegiate Nationals for the first time!  Not knowing what to expect, Rob Ferris, Mike Niemi, Gael Hagan, and Mike Balajewicz braved a 15+ hour drive to race against the best collegiate teams in the nation.

The weekend kicked off with a 72-mile road race with over 8,000 feet of climbing, not to mention an uphill finish the last 4 miles.  Ferris took 20th, Hagan took 22nd, and Balajewicz finished 36th.  Between these finishes, Duke scored 23 pts and was ranked 20th in the team Omnium standings.

Racing continued on Saturday with a criterium around the state capitol.  Ferris again scored big with an 8th place finish, less than 2 seconds behind the race winner.

Finally, Nationals wrapped up with a 19.2 mile team time trial (TTT) that finished in front of the Trek World Headquarters in Waterloo, WI.  Duke’s men rocketed around the course, averaging a blazing 29.71 mph and placing 4th.  Adding criterium and TTT points to their RR results, Duke scored 114 points and placed 11th overall in the D2 Omnium.

Congratulations to the racers who traveled to WI!  Great effort, and great results to show!  It’s been a real breakout year for Duke Cycling, and the program is only going to grow and improve next year.  Stay tuned this summer and be ready for more exciting results to come!

Full Nationals Results: link

Team D2 Omnium Results: link

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