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Team Minnesota - Men...

Friday, 16 November 2012 01:10

(Nick Morales / TriJuice.com Photo - L- R - Dan, Patrick, Matt, Devon, Alex, Marcus, David and Kevin.)

How was men's Team Minnesota determined? Here's an inside look.

1. DAVID THOMPSON - 15 races, 8 wins. While it can be argued that Dan Hedgecock's 2012 resume, in relative terms, i.e. Dan being an elite amateur; DKT being a pro, was superior to David's, the Committee is quick to point out that the speed differential between credentialed pros (like Thompson) and credentialed amateurs (like Hedge) is substantial. David and Dan raced in the same event on six occasions in 2012. DKT came out on top in five of those races, four of which were Olympic distance, where David bettered Dan by an average of 3:21. They also faced each other at Chisago Half, with somewhat gimpy David winning in 4:00:59, and Dan placing 2nd in 4:06:19....

2. DAN HEDGECOCK - 11 starts, 8 wins. The soon-to-be-pro just might win the USAT AOY award. Our fingers are crossed.

3. PATRICK PARISH - 16 starts, 9 wins. PP won two national championships in 2012: Duathlon and Sprint Tri. He faced Hedge six times, and Dan came out on top on each occasion, which is why Patrick isn't ranked higher here.

4. MATTHEW PAYNE - 11 starts, 3 wins. Like Hedge and PP, Payne raced consistently at a national class level. His podiums against stellar fields at Trinona, Lake Waconia, Life Time Tri - Minneapolis Elite and Chisago Half were almost as awesome as his victories.

5. DEVON PALMER - 11 starts, 2 wins. The mustacheod third-year-pro had a solid year. He waxed his 'stache for the awards presentation. It looked really good. Appropriately, he wears the "Snidely Whiplash handlebar" style of top lip hirsutedness, what with him being a monster cyclist and all.

6. ALEX HOOKE - Six starts, 1 win. Places 1-5 sorted themselves out rather easily. Sixth through eighth, though were more difficult to nail down, with Hooke, MI winner Stromberg and David Holden fighting over the spots. Stromberg and Holden won frequently but Hooke got points for speed and the fact that he only raced against the top guys. His times, in general, were simply faster than those turned in by Marcus and David.

7. MARCUS STROMBERG - Seven starts, 4 wins. Stromberg and Holden had identical records, though they only faced each other in one race: