Words by Barry Skidmore of People-Powered Arlington. Photos by Mark Blacknell.
Australian sprinter Hilton Clarke overcame blazing temperatures, rough roads, and a challenging field to win the 13th annual Air Force Cycling Classic Clarendon Cup men’s pro race on Saturday. Clarke, racing for the first time with the United Healthcare team, outpaced a group of five other cyclists to take the win.
Brooke Miller of Team Tibco won the women’s elite race, sprinting to a dramatic finish that saw her one of her competitors flip her bike and crash 50 meters from the finish line.
Dozens of teams and hundreds of cyclists competed on the one-kilometer course in the heart of Clarendon, billed as one of the most challenging cycling courses in the United States.
Hundreds turned out to watch some of the best cycling teams in the world, despite temperatures that reached well into the 90s. Many spectators stood near the course wall, while others set up folding chairs or sat at nearby sidewalk cafes.
The men’s 100k race began at 12:15 p.m. and a minor crash in the first few laps proved a prelude to what would be a brutal and hard-fought competition. There were several crashes throughout the race and many cyclists would end the day bloodied and bruised.
In the early laps, many teams jockeyed for position with no single group of cyclists able to establish dominance. There were multiple attacks but the breakaways were all eventually reabsorbed and served mostly as “probing attacks” allowing the teams to assess both their competition and the course.
