Tulsa, Oklahoma - The Piedmont University cycling teams traveled to Tulsa the first weekend of June to compete in one of the biggest bike races in the U.S., known as "Tulsa Tough."

Friday, they kicked off the weekend with the "Blue Dome Criterium," a very unique course as it flows in a figure eight pattern without ever overlapping itself. There is some elevation to the course with eight turns, making it a very technical course. The men raced in the ½ race. The field hung together, but the speed stayed high, and many dropped out of the back but the Lions hung in, including Owen Lloyd, who sprinted to 3rd place.

Saturday's course was a six-corner L-shaped crit with a climb on the backside of the course. Emma Frost was in the first race of the day, as the races before were canceled due to lightning and thunder. Even though the lightning was clear, the rain was ever present.

At the beginning of the race, the rain was pouring but it calmed down as the race went on.  Frost pushed through and ended up in the final sprint, placing 3rd.  The rain started to clear up just before the men's ½ race where the men pulled together to race well.

Lloyd and Shannon Himstedt both had some tire issues, but went to the pit and were able to get back in. In the end, Lloyd was able to finish in 8th place.

Sunday's race is called the "River Parks Criterium," but it is more well-known as "Cry Baby Hill." It has a very large climb as well and a very technical final corner.

Frost had better conditions than the day before, but there was some rain at the beginning of the race, making the course slick. The veteran rider was able to navigate around all the crashes and sprint to a 2nd place finish in the women's 2/3 race. In the men's ½, the race blew up, and lots got dropped really fast.

The Piedmont men rode strong and stayed towards the front. Himstedt and Pearson Bruhns both tried to make breaks, but nothing was able to stick. Lloyd and Himstedt finished 5th and 7th.

At the end of the weekend, Lloyd finished 3rd in the men's ½ omnium.

PIEDMONT PARTICIPANTS
Emma Frost
Owen Lloyd
Shannon Himstedt 
Pearson Bruhns
Louie Schramm

COACH'S CORNER
Hear from Coach Jame Carney about the team's performance in Oklahoma: "Tulsa offers three great days of technical hard racing. The bar is extremely high, and the crowds are impressive. It is an event that tests your mettle. It will let you know what you need to work on and keep you motivated. We had some solid finishes there, and they'll translate to success at the Tour of America's Dairyland to come."

FOLLOW LIVE RESULTS



TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF PIEDMONT RACERS
Friday: Blue Dome Criterium
6:25- Shannon Himstedt, Louie Schramm, Pearson Bruhns, Owen Lloyd
7:55- Emma Frost

Saturday: Arts District Criterium
12:15- Emma Frost
5:10- Shannon Himstedt, Louie Schramm, Pearson Bruhns, Owen Lloyd

Sunday: River Parks Criterium "Cry Baby Hill"
11:15- Emma Frost
3:35- Shannon Himstedt, Louie Schramm, Pearson Bruhns, Owen Lloyd