So this was my first time at Sunny King Crit. For whatever reason I was watching it on my computer last year, and let me tell you, it’s 1000% better to watch it in person. Obviously. Why so much Astellas coverage? Well first of all they are Specialized-out and that’s what we all love. Secondly it’s a small world, because a few months ago I met Aldo Ilesic at a photoshoot, and now I keep bumping into the extremely tall Slovenian at these South East crit races and naturally meeting the rest of the Astellas Cycling team. So there you go. Also, these guys are super nice, so if you see them at a race you should say hey. Plus, did you see the last photo? Podium, boom. The race was insanely fast (hello, blur) and throughout the race, a lot of riders were pulled because they just couldn’t hang on. A few guys broke away and stayed away for most of the race; however, once UHC formed their train with Astellas behind, it was danger central for those guys. The crowd was going insane for the riders off the front as tension increased and the gap time continued to get smaller. Fans were constantly banging on barricades, shouting, and cheering during every single lap which kept the energy high. If you were spectating from the start/finish line you could watch the guys come through kicking up wind to blow your hair back, and immediately turn around to the giant screen behind you and watch the rest of the course. When the final lap-bell rang, the peloton mixed it up and the crowd was unsure who would make it on those three steps. Turns out Travis McCabe and Michael Hernandez came in 1st and 2nd, but the battle for 3rd was extremely close (see photo above). What looked like a near tie with the human eye, Aldo Ilesic snagged third (Eamon Lucas filing in on the podium) with Daniel Holloway and Ty Magner as a close 4th and 5th. It was a fantastic race to watch and as always, so motivating to see the power these pros have. -@MaeElizabethG