On Sunday DLP Racing contested the Crystal City Cycling Classic presented by the US Air Force (UCI 1.2). The race was the third stop of the US Pro Tour of Cycling. The team sent a strong group of 7 riders to the event held in Arlington, VA. The race started at the new Air Force Memorial and continued past the Pentagon to the finishing area in Crystal City. The riders were faced with 13 laps of the grueling course for a total distance of just over 150 kilometers. The racing started off extremely fast and never slowed down for the entire race. The race was extremely active all day as riders attempted to get in the right breakaway. However it was not a day for a break. The only significant breakaway of the entire race contained 8 riders (including Spencer Beamer of DLP Racing) never established more than a 30 second advantage on the field. In addition to the fast pace the course took its toll on the riders with many corners and obstacles of the downtown DC landscape that created a need for constant quick accelerations. As the race got down to the business end, both Boyd Johnson and Thad Dulin made some excellent attempts to establish a winning move amongst the race favorites. The last time over the air force memorial Thad made a small group containing Borrajo(Colovita) Davide Frattini (Colovita) and a Toshiba Rider. Without a true sprinter from DLP the guys left everything out on the course. In the end however it came down to a field sprint and luck was not on our side. The high pace saw less than 35 finishers in the lead group of more than 138 starters. The guys rode really well and I think it is a sign of good things to come. Boyd Johnson took the top placing for the DLP team in 21st place.