Race Report: 2026 Giro di SF - Men’s Cat 3

Race: 2026 Giro di SF - Men’s Cat 3

Date: Monday, September 7

AVRT Racers: Adam Beliveau, Kevin Ash, Kevin Kauffman

Best Finish: Kevin Kauffman 19/31

Course Description: Somewhat bumpy L-shaped 6-corner course with a little bump on the front half and the worst pavement toward the back stretch in the heart of San Francisco.

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/20081764520

Nutrition: about 75g carbs and a banana between the races, half a bottle of carb for the race

Race Recap (by Kevin Kauffman):

From the gun my gut wasn’t feeling the best, probably due to the previous 3/4 race and exclusively eating maltofructose and fruit between 8am-1pm. Alas, the second race of the day is always a nice spot to be in - you’ve got some fatigue but the course is fresh in the mind, you know the moves, and have plenty of excuses if things don’t go your way.

Compared to the previous field, this one was quite cohesive which gave a lead to occasional cat and mouse antics throughout. I was stoked to have Adam in the race after he taped his bars back together from an earlier crash. A few laps in, the two of us made it to the front and he went for a fun little flyer while I sat back and let a nice gap open up. Didn’t last too long, but it was fun to play around at the front for a bit before fatigue set back in. Beyond that, the race was mostly a big washing machine in the front half of the field with good lines in the corners, though pretty surgey compared to the 3/4 field. Adam did some late work on the front, and I got boxed in on the final turn and ended up in the bunch sprint again without any wheels to follow, with Adam and Kevin close behind. Still a fun day with the team in the city, and one of the best fixtures of a late NCNCA season!

Slick photo work by @flotogramme!