CALA GINEPRO, Italy. The Dewar’s Racing Team, a masters cycling team based in northern California and Washington state, made its first appearance on the podium of an international cycling race when Lisa Peters and James Hattori placed third in their respective age categories at the Granfondo Costa Smeralda held at Cala Ginepro on the island of Sardinia, Italy.
CALA GINEPRO, Italy. The Dewar’s Racing Team, a masters cycling team based in northern California and Washington state, made its first appearance on the podium of an international cycling race when Lisa Peters and James Hattori placed third in their respective age categories at the Granfondo Costa Smeralda held at Cala Ginepro on the island of Sardinia, Italy.
Competing in the medium course, Peters, 45, completed the race in a time of 3:20 over the 98 km medium course. Peters said, “I gave it 110 percent. I’m wasted. I haven’t gone that hard in a long time.”
Hattori, 48, finished the 130 km long course on the tail-end of a 17 man group in a time of 4:00. He said, “The first two guys in my age category were in my group. I knew I couldn’t outsprint them but I saw an opportunity when this young guy Marco Barsazi jumped with 400 meters to go. Unfortunately, my legs didn’t cooperate and I couldn’t hold his wheel and I got swamped by everyone else at the line.”
In the awards ceremony in a long rectangular meeting hall at the Hotel Club Cala Ginepro, the two American cyclists stood on the third step of the podium to the applause of some two hundred spectators. After the ceremonial two-cheek kiss from the smartly dressed podium girl, they were handed their brightly wrapped large oblong prize.
The contents of their packages: an 18-inch chocolate Easter egg, given since the race occurred on Easter Sunday. Hattori said, “On the decisive 8km first climb, I was suffering but the prospect of winning the egg gave me strength. I kept visualizing the egg…the egg, the egg, the egg became my mantra. Sure, if I would’ve won I would’ve gotten a bigger egg but 18-inches is plenty in my book…”
The Granfondo Costa Smeralda also served as the first stage of the Giro di Sardegna, a six-stage race. With their performance, the two cyclists also sit third in the general classification for the stage race. The race concludes on Saturday, April 17, 2004.
Wow! 18 inches of chocolate. Was it solid chocolate? Have you eaten it all yet? Was it glorious, delicious European Chocolate? Oh my, I think I'm drooling:)
Posted by: Kathy | April 13, 2004 at 12:27 PM
Congratulations, Jim. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences when I see you next. I'll start brining in large eggs to our workouts so I can get even MORE performance out of you!! Peace.
Joe DeShaw
Posted by: Joe DeShaw | April 17, 2004 at 02:31 PM