A-D Racing Race Report: Swamp Classic 2025

The Swamp Classic is a two day omnium held in Micanopy, Florida (just outside of Gainesville) in early February. It is among the first USA Cycling road events of the season. It features a road race, a time trial and a criterium. I joined about 50 riders in the Masters 50 Plus category. I raced my Ultima Carbon Disc Limited Graz for the road and criterium and my tt Carbon Limited for the time trial (Please search A-D Bikes to learn more about these affordable, beautiful and rideable framesets and the innovative A-D Bikes Sustainability Program or just call me Fred Thomas on 207 415 3746). Topview Sports does an excellent job organizing the event. Gainesville is also a very nice place to visit. There are some great restaurants, a funky night market and it is refreshing to see all the college kids running around. Visiting the Tom Petty Park has also become a tradition. Many thanks to the USA Cycling officials, refs and motos; the timers, the volunteer marshals who stood on the corners all day,, the residents of Micanopy and the businesses of the Progress Business Park in Alachua for making the race happen. Below are the notes from the racing that I usually scribble on the back of my number (365 this year). Nowadays I type them because I can’t read my own handwriting. See you at the Swamp Classic next year.

Road Race. 52 miles. Gentle rolling hills.Very rough gravel sections

I shut down a four man break at the beginning of lap three by attacking at the moment the field makes the catch of a smaller group that tries and fails to catch them. I have a 30 second gap and I am away for 2 miles at most, but closing in on the break. The field catches me and keeps on going for the break which is in plain sight. The catch is made on the smoking downhill section and the field is together again at the beginning of lap four (the last). I sit in assuming that this will be a field sprint and make my way to the front, getting there with 3 miles to go. I am second wheel and the rider ahead of me makes a big acceleration and we are away with one other rider and a gap. We increase the gap after the hairpin turn because we have a tailwind and we are going for it. The third rider can’t keep the pace of 28 plus mph or so. The first rider can but he begins to fade on the roller at 2km to go. The field is now closing fast and they catch us at 1km and are going too fast to catch on. It is a great move that might have worked if the field had hesitated for longer. I also think that if I had just sat in and let that rider go I could have done fine in the sprint. But you get a gap. You keep a gap. I finish in 21st place.

Time trial 16km (about 9.5 miles) calm, smooth road out and back

My legs feel the effort at the start but soon after feel fine. It is very fast outbound and I am in the 58x11 for the downhill sections and afterwards. I catch my 30 second man and other riders from earlier, but not the overall winner who starts one minute ahead of me. I am on top of the gears and concentrating on not bogging down in a big gear. I shift down periodically to accelerate and then shift up to maintain that momentum. The turnaround is fine but the road is narrow and there is no room to overshoot the cones. Inbound is hard work and the drool begins to flow. I shift down on the last climb to find a sustainable cadence and suffer through to the top. Maybe my legs are tired after all. I accelerate the best I can to the finish. My time is 20 minutes 50 seconds (2024: 20 minutes 45 seconds) and fast enough for third place. The winner has improved his time by more than a minute from last year which he says is due to a new bike. Perhaps, but clearly he has been practicing as has everyone else who is racing here this weekend. 

Criterium. 50 minutes. Flat with mild downhill section. Some wind.

I conserve energy the whole race by sitting in the back and staying out of the wind and trouble. I make no attacks. I take the view that the field is too big and strong for any breaks to get away permanently. I watch the two big teams duke it out in the front. I sip my Gatorade. With one lap to go at the section where the crosswind becomes a tailwind, I make my move. “At my signal, unleash hell,” I say to myself, quoting Maximus Meridius (clearly I have watched Gladiator too many times over the years). It is a big acceleration from about seven wheels back and to the side of the road. The field is going fast, but the riders at the front are tired and my legs are fresh. I sense some hesitation and I hear shouts of alarm. This is always promising. I bridge up to a four man break very quickly, but they are tired and slowing. I do not wait. On the back stretch, I sense riders on my wheel. The field is chasing and they catch up with 1.5Km to go and again go by me too fast for me to catch on. I finish two seconds off the back and in 15th place. There is no glory today or this weekend but I am pleased with my racing and I know that sooner or later I will come up with a great result.