CBR #1 - Men’s Cat 2/3

Race: CBR #1  - Men’s Cat 2/3

Date: January 18th, 2026

AVRT racers: George Wehner, Henry Mallon, Michael Bektas, Levi Ritter

Top Result: Michael 5th/61

Course: 0.9 mile square 4 corner crit, very wide roads

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/17097529330. (Livestream) 

Nutrition: 500ml water w/Maurten 320 (80g carbs)

Recap: (written by Michael) This was the season opener and my first Alto Velo race! George and I drove down Friday night to stay with Henry and ride some of his local roads. Levi also joined us for the race. We came into the race with a fairly clear plan: Henry and Levi would get in moves, then George and I would wait for the finish.

We stuck to the plan throughout for the most part, with Henry, Levi, and George getting into various moves. I stayed towards the front of the pack to limit any risk of crashing. With about 20 minutes to go, we realized the pack wasn’t going to let any moves get away, so we got ready for the sprint. Henry attacked with 6 to go and found himself off the front, so we got a free ride while the rest of the pack chased. George countered after Henry got caught with 4 to go to keep the rest of the field needing to chase. 

After George got caught, we lined up near the front to keep me in position and keep it fast. It being the first race of the season, our timing was a little off, so we hit the front about 30 seconds too early. We got countered by riders with momentum, and I had to hit the gas hard to follow that. I wasn’t able to sprint fully out of the last corner after following that move, so I ended up rolling in for 5th.

Thanks to all my teammates who helped set me up. We’ll get them next time!