Confirmed riders for the Barry-Roubaix include some of the best and the fastest in the Midwest. Riders from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and other states all converge on Gun Lake in Middleville, Michigan for the biggest race of the spring racing season.
The total head count for The Killer is 1,536, making it far and away the largest edition of the Barry-Roubaix. The men’s Open 62 mile is massive in and of itself, starting a whopping 241 entries. Several Michigan squads are well-represented including Einstein Racing, Priority Health, Farm Team Racing, Founder Algers Racing, and Greyhounds Racing. All of these squads have multiple riders in the 62 mile race, giving them extra ammunition and options as the battle intensifies on the many climbs and sections of the brutal race.
For the Men’s race, the big favorite has to be Derek Graham of BISSELL/AVG/Nuvo, though he’ll have some serious competition from the Einstein contingency. The Men in Black will field some serious firepower in Jason Lowetz, Ron Sanborn and Jorden Wakeley as a three-pronged attack supported by John Ammond and John Leach. Michael Simonson will also be on hand this year and should be a serious threat. A dark horse would be Collin Snyder of Midwest Cycles, who finished 32nd last year but had some great times on the climbs.
The Women’s Elite race has just 21 entries but a whole lot of firepower. The field is three times larger than last year, but some of the same old faces are back. Last year’s winner Samantha Brode is back, as is second place finisher Kim Thomas of Fusion iT. The rest of the top ten will be all-new, with Danielle Musto, Angie Sexton, and Kathy Roche-Wallace all politely skipping the 62 mile race in 2012. Musto, the 2012 Snow Bike World Champion, will keep to her Fat Bike this weekend and take on the men in the Fat Bike category. Of the racers sticking to the 62 milers,it should be a showdown between Brode and Thomas, but they won’t have much room for error with so many tough racers registered and ready to roll.
A special nod goes out to the Men’s 40-44 class with 150 riders registered. Combined with the 141 registered in the 45-49, you’d have the size of most other bike races in just two classes! It’s an absolutely massive testament to Rick Plite’s work on this race and Michigan’s enthusiasm for racing.
Click right here for all the Confirmed riders in all the classes, and as always, post your predictions below.
The Official Predictions:
Men’s: 1. Derek Graham 2. Jorden Wakeley 3. Collin Snyder
Women’s 1. Kim Thomas 2. Samantha Brode 3. Tamara Fraser