While the Mountain Bike Team was scattered across the continent the Inland Construction Elite Road Team sent two riders, Matt Howe and John Crow, to the historic Jefferson Cup Road Race in Virginia. Located just outside of Charlottesville this race provided racers with some leg-busting climbs, surprisingly twisty descents and culminated in a fast, flat finish. The 70 mile race started under sunny, breezy skies. It didn’t take long for the brisk pace to start punishing the field. By the end of the third ten-mile lap only about 60 riders remained from the 125 who started. From the start John patrolled the front of the field looking to go with the winning move; as the race progressed the massive amount of attacking and covering moves negated any chance of an attack sticking till the end. Matt, still recovering a cold, bided his time saving his energy for the end of the race. By the sixth of seven laps the field had been trimmed down to 40. Matt joined John near the front looking to increase his chances in the sprint. In the final 500 meters John faded succumbing to his workload during the race while Matt was able to battle his way to a 15th place finish. The race was long and tough with many of the strongest teams on the East Coast represented. This road race, the first of the season, provided the team with a good barometer of their fitness and gave them a chance to test their legs against a talented field.