Team Kaos' Morgan Chaffin rides to victory in the Women's Open division. Photo by Mike Madcharo.

Gretna, Neb. – The winners of Saturday’s Nebraska State Time Trial can claim something few have ever done while winning a bicycle race.

They intentionally stopped. Twice.

The unusual scenario came about when Sarpy County Sheriff’s deputies withdrew their offer for traffic control assistance on the 16-mile course near the Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium. The two stops came at intersections with stop signs where riders had to make right-hand turns.

Team Kaos’ Marco Vasquez, who won the Cat. I-II division, said the race organizers made an unthinkable situation fairly reasonable in order to make sure the event went off. Because of the lack of law enforcement help, a four-mile stretch of the course had to be eliminated.

“They (Ciao Baby Racing Club) were really clear about having to stop twice and shortening the couse,” Vasquez said. “And we wanted to race, so we went along with it.”

The two stop-and-go portions of the course did make an already challenging course more difficult, Vasquez said. His winning time of 35 minutes, 57 seconds equates to an average of 26.7 mph.

“It was kind of a rhythm breaker to try and get your rhythm again after coming to a full stop,” Vasquez said.

Morgan Chaffin was Team Kaos' other state time trial champion, winning the Women's Open division by 1:01 over Lindsay Heim. Chaffin's Team Kaos teammate, Marie Neville, won the silver medal (by virtue of being the next best-placed annual license holder) while finishing 1:41 behind.

In addition to Vasquez and Chaffin, Saturday’s other state time trial champions were: Fred Galata, Omaha Velo Club (Masters 55+), Bill Gottberg, unattached (Masters 45+), Marc Walter, Lincoln Plating-Lemond (Masters 35+), Allan Walton, Elkhorn Valley Race Team (Category V), Ian Gray, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Category IV) and Michael Munson, Lincoln Plating-Lemond (Category III).

Riders who are Nebraska residents and annual license holders were eligible to win state championship medals. In two divisions, the winner of the time trial was not the state champion: Bill Moraski of Bellevue in Category V and Dennis Weinbeck of Topeka, Kan., (Capps Rebound Cycling Team) in Category IV.

In all, Team Kaos took home six medals. Rich Pearson and Gary Schmidt finished second and third, respectively, in the Masters 55+ division, while Joe McWilliams was third in Category I-II.

Marco Vasquez averaged nearly 27 mph to win the race by 35 seconds. Photo by Mike Madcharo.

Starting last, Vasquez had the advantage of chasing the rider who beat him for second place last year, Husker Road Club’s Jeff Luedtke. The 2005 state time trial champion, Team Kaos’ Jarred Berger, did not start.

“I couldn’t see Jeff for the longest time until we got to the rollers on Buffalo Road,” Vasquez said. “But I had decided to start slowly. At one point it looked like he was more than a minute ahead of me. But halfway up Buffalo Road, I started gaining on him. There was one big roller where I looked down and it looked like I had made up a good amount of time on him.”

Vasquez also has a co-worker to thank at the Nebraska Medical Center for an 11th-hour assist that allowed him to participate in Saturday’s race.

“I was on call,” Vasquez said, referring to his job as a perfusionist. “I found someone to cover my shift and they ended up getting called in to work. So I have a big thank you to give.”

Chaffin, who added the state time trial crown to the state criterium championship she won earlier this month at the Dave Babcook Memorial Stage Race, said she didn’t mind having to stop.

“Everybody else had to do it, so it wasn’t that big of a deal,” she said.

Nebraska State Time Trial
16 Miles
At Gretna, Neb.

Cat. I-II: 1, Marco Vasquez, Team Kaos, Omaha, 35:57. 2, Jeff Luedtke, Husker Road Club, Omaha, 36:32. 3, Joe McWilliams, Team Kaos, Lincoln, 38:09. State champion: Vasquez.

Cat. III: 1, Michael Munson, Lincoln Plating-Lemond, Omaha, 37:13. 2, Nathanael Elmer, Ciao Baby Racing Team, 38:16. 3, Troy Krause, Slimenundgrossen/Trek Of Kansas City, Lincoln, 38:21. State champion: Munson.

Cat. IV: 1, Dennis Weinbeck, Capps Rebound Cycling Team, Topeka, Kan., 37:21. 2, Ian Gray, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, 38:39. 3, Jeff Bergen, unattached, Omaha, 39:00. State champion: Gray.

Cat. V: 1, Craig Moraski, unattached, Bellevue, 39:39. 2, Allan Walton, Elkhorn Valley Race Team, Wayne, 40:57. 3, Scott Blair, Elkhorn Valley Race Team, Pierce, 41:18. State champion: Walton.

Women Open: 1, Morgan Chaffin, Team Kaos, Omaha, 44:33. 2, Lindsay Heim, unattached, Omaha, 45:34. 3, Marie Neville, Team Kaos, Lincoln, 46:14. State champion: Chaffin.

Masters 35-and-over: 1, Marc Walter, Lincoln Plating-Lemond, Lincoln, 37:05. 2, Craig Schmidt, Lincoln Plating-Lemond, Lincoln, 38:07. 3, Scott Applegate, unattached, Lincoln, 46:38. State champion: Walter.

Masters 45-and-over: 1, Bill Gottberg, unattached, Omaha, 38:34. 2, Michael Melton, Ciao Baby Racing Team, Lincoln, 39:53. 3, John Vondracek, Ciao baby Racing Team, Lincoln, 40:15. State champion: Gottberg.

Masters 55-and-over: 1, Fred Galata, Omaha Velo Club, Omaha, 38:49. 2, Rich Pearson, Team Kaos, Fremont, 41:36. 3, Gary Schmidt, Team Kaos, Bennington, 45:27. State champion: Galata.