TJV and Lawson Craddock are both in Knoxville but I’m sure they didn’t want to participate in a crash fest before the road race.
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Very different skills/fitness for the road and TT versus the crit as well.
Lamperti also rides XC, so it’s interesting to see how that fitness translated to the crit.
Alex Howes is there as well.
I don’t mean for this to be political at all but why are the riders wearing masks in outdoor podium pictures? It seems like it just robs the riders of their podium picture. The riders just raced maskless breathing hard on each other, they are outdoors, and there is some distance between riders on the podium. And aren’t these riders already vaccinated? It’s free for the taking in the US.
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I was also wondering about the masks. I wonder if it has to do with local regs of if it’s a USAC policy still in place. Every state seemingly is at a different stage of reopening. It wasn’t until a week ago that Illinois was officially fully back open, for example. Might be possible that USAC’s policy isn’t in effect yet given they have to work in every state essentially, so they probably have one policy to govern everything.
I dunno how local regs….it is in Tennessee, a pretty red state.
Either way, seems excessive…but I thought the same thing about the podium presentations last fall. They are on the podium. / stage alone outside…let them take their masks off for pictures.
I forgot to mention that I was at the race. None of the riders were wearing masks after the race. They were giving/getting hugs and congratulations. They were talking to the press maskless. I basically saw hardly anyone wearing a mask but then masks show up in the official podium picture. So, it makes me thinks the podium pic with masks is just for optics.
BTW, the governor of TN ended any local mask ordinances on 5/31. A few people still wear masks. More workers in chains, like Starbucks, still all wear masks. Some businesses still have signs which mimic the CDC guidelines of unvaccinated=mask.
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I live in knoxville and its not local regs. It must be usacycling. The motos were all wearing masks too…which is weird as they were like 50-100’ from any one. Also the driver of the lead car, who was in the car by himself
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Yeah, I was certainly thinking it was more USAC than Tennessee. The USAC regs are probably lagging with whatever states have still not pulled back on mask requirements and the like.
Just turned on the men’s race with 13mi to go. Who’s everyone’s pick right now?
I’m just hoping they all make it across the finish line safely and have a good time doing it.
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Fair. 
I’m picking Lawson. I think he has the strongest sprint of that front group.
Last lap.
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Damn that was a good last lap.
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Kyle Murphy with the ride of a lifetime today. What an insane effort from him.
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I was told it was about “sending the right message.”