In his first ever conference criteriums, Nathaniel Gervez lit up the weekend to deliver Roanoke College to the line first on both days of cycling competition at Virginia Tech February 28 and March 1st. William Dodds finished in second both days as RC swept the podium on Sunday, with Jensen Cervati finishing in third place overall.
Gervez attacked from the gun in Saturday’s race, taking a big lead early and ultimately lapping the field before the race was done. Cervati and Dodds were quick to cover the chase of four riders who tried desperately to bring back Gervez over the 60-minute race. Cervati and Dodds collaborated in the final laps and made a plan to secure second place, with Cervati keeping the speed too high for anyone to contest the sprint and Dodds launching a vicious attack with 500m to go.
Roanoke College is now the front-runner and the team to beat in this year’s conference racing.
“We are so excited for the opportunities that lie ahead to develop as a team and build on our strengths as a unit,” said coach Shelley Olds. “Every member of the team is willing to do their part to secure success on race day and that’s a special thing to see so early in the season. “
