Cyclists competing in the Men's Pro division head east on Don Fambrough Drive during the 2014 Tour of Lawrence KU Circuit Race on Saturday, June 28, 2014.

Once the rain began falling Saturday afternoon at the Tour of Lawrence’s Kansas University campus circuit race, riders had two choices: let the slick conditions turn into a mental block or welcome the wet streets as they tore over them.

“Sometimes guys with less ability on the bikes are scared of the wet corners and stuff,” shared Dennis Ramirez, a rider for Gateway Harley-Davidson who finished second in the men’s pro race after feeling some slippage on his turns early in the competition, before the rain stopped and the surface returned to its ideal condition. “A lot of guys didn’t even show up to the race, because they’re scared or they might have races up the road and they don’t want the risk.”

Hometown cyclist Joseph Schmalz, the defending champion in the circuit race, never considered dropping out.

“Actually, I was hoping it was gonna rain,” the 24-year-old Free State High grad said shortly after successfully defending his crown and winning by approximately 1 minute, 10 seconds. “It just adds another dynamic that a lot of guys can’t deal with or don’t want to deal with. In the rain you just have to be patient, and a lot of guys don’t have patience.”

Unfortunately for the women’s professionals, the heaviest rain fell in the midst of their competition, which came along with nearby lightning. Their scheduled eight-lap trek around the 2.25-mile loop ended prematurely after three laps for safety reasons. Gwen Inglis, of Lakewood, Colo., just beat out Leah Kleager, of Omaha, Neb., for the victory.

The men’s professional race that followed went 20 laps instead of 25, and third-place cyclist Nicholas Coil said the rainy start and wet aftermath played a huge factor in the outcome.

“The race split up pretty quick, and this course does it, because it’s a hard course. But when you have rain, it just exasperates the factor,” he said. “Pretty soon you just have this small selection in the front of the race.”

Crashes caused some separation, too, but Coil, a 31-year-old from Prairie Village, avoided all bikes-turned-obstacles by not getting caught near the back, which he deemed a safe bet on slippery pavement: “You stay at the front, you generally have to hit your brakes a lot less.”

The day’s final race had 57 starters on the call sheet, but between some deciding against competing and others finding the slick roads too treacherous, only 33 finished.

Schmalz admitted he races differently when the showers come, and he took a composed approach.

“You just give everyone extra space, be patient, stay at the front, stay out of trouble,” he said. “Do everything you can to minimize your risk.”

Conditions dried up before the midway mark of the race, and once it did, Schmalz, a veteran of the campus circuit, resumed his usual strategy for the hilly route.

“You kind of have to let the race develop and play out,” he shared. “Let guys get tired.”

He won with ease by pedaling out one particularly hard lap, and created separation on a descent that came right after a series of strenuous efforts from the cyclists chasing him.

“The timing was good for me,” said Schmalz, who will try to win today’s downtown criterium after placing second in 2013.

In the midst of pursuing the back-to-back champion, Ramirez heard some inspiring news that helped him beat out the rest of the pack. While the 22-year-old lives in Lilburn, Georgia, his parents are from Colombia, and he calls the South American country home nearly half of the year, returning to the U.S. for the cycling season.

With three laps remaining, a spectator alerted him that Columbia had advanced in the World Cup with a 2-0 win over Uruguay.

“It kind of pushed me a little bit,” he said of holding off the rest of the pack.

Besides Schmalz, the only other city competitor to win Saturday was 33-year-old Jacob Larsen, who took first place in the Cat 5 race.