Gateway Cup - Lafayette Square

St. Louis, MO is THE place to be for Labor Day Weekend bike racing here in the Midwest. This year, over 700 racers took to the starting line at the Gateway Cup, and four day criterium race series that highlights four of St. Louis' most historic neighborhoods. Friday night's action kicked under the light at Lafayette Square. Yancey, Romain, and Mygrant joined 110+ other CAT 3's to duke it out for some twilight glory.

Not to be confused with Indianapolis west side shopping mall, St. Louis Lafayette Square consists of historic Victorian homes, restaurants, and bars that surround Lafayette Park, located in the shadows of downtown St. Louis. Our race started at 7:3opm (CST), and 20 min in the course was completely dark, except for the huge spotlights erected in the four corners, soft-light street lamps on the straightaways, and the glow emitting from house parties all along the course. Despite huge fields, fast, aggressive racing (this race always seems to be the fastest race I do each year) and darkness, I only saw one wreck, which happened on turn three of the last lap. Luckily, the STV crew avoided all carnage. After an hour if intense racing, Jason Mygrant was our top finisher with a strong 18th place finish (just three spots out of the money). Romain and Yancey both finished mid-pack, in 45th and 65th ,respectively. It's not often you can finish 65th, and be considered mid-pack!

Below is a 11 min video from our race, recorded via a helmet cam worn by another racer. Romain makes appearances at the 3:40 and 9:38 mark. Video gives you a decent feel for what is what like racing in the dark.