Let’s get this out of the way first–the race was far, far better than last year’s debacle (of course, that bar was fairly low to clear, eh?).
HUGE field. 50+ pre-registered, plus more day of. Combine this with narrow farm roads, and there was literally no room to move in the group. John Heffner and I started near the front (I learned lesson one from last year), and since we were neutral to the top of the first climb, we were both quickly passed by the group on the descent. We assumed our position near the middle-to-rear of the group, and here we stayed for most of the race. The pace was inconsistent at best, and maddening at worst. There were several sections that the group would accelerate, but the smallest roller would grind the pace to a near halt. With the yellow line rule in effect, it was nearly impossible to move forward in the group, so there was little movement toward the front to shake things up.
There were several solo breakaway attempts, but, predictably, nothing stuck, thanks in large part to gusty winds. At one point I was actually near the front, and it seemed like things were organizing for a concerted effort to push the pace/get away, but about 15 seconds into the pace line, people were all over the place and so went that effort. Another solo move went with a lap to go, and with team mates at the front blocking, it looked like it might actually stick. Some riders flaunted the yellow line rule, however, and pulled that effort back, too. The pace slowed a bit before the final climb to the finish, and I got myself positioned behind Ben Stephens. This seemed like a good plan until several riders sat up in front of us on the climb, effectively ending our race. Several of us doodled up the remainder of the climb to finish at the rear of the main group. John got slightly better position but only managed a top 20 finish, perhaps. I don’t even know who won.
A few random observations:
* For some reason, people don’t want to ride on other’s wheels in the pack. Instead, they ride in the gaps, as if this provides some sort of advantage. It only succeeds in making me nervous because someone’s front wheel is bobbing in and out of a bad position between two other wheels.
* I really, really don’t understand why the pace was so slow (21mph average, or so says John’s computer). Well, I suppose I do–people weren’t pedaling up the rollers–but why? Guys like Eric Lundgren and Paul Carlson were missed because no one wanted to drive the pace (yours truly included). Of course, many of us couldn’t ever make contact with the front to have a chance.
* A semi-organized break could have stayed away today. A group of us admitted afterward that no one felt like being That Guy to actually make it happen, though. The ideal spot would have been the final turn on the course–there’s a long gentle roller with only a short descent toward the route’s one climb. Yeah, the descent after the climb is long, but with a few guys who could actually get it together, it just might stick.
* Ted made two good observations after the race:
- Road racing is a lot of bureaucracy with just a little bit of hard work. Crits do away with the former and pour on a heaping helping of the latter.
- If the pace was so stinkin’ slow, why didn’t any us win?
* The course is really nice, but the roads feel too narrow. Of course, if the pace actually approached racing speeds, the pack may have been whittled down a bit.
* Race organization was top notch. I pre-registered, hit the registration and simply had to sign my USAC waiver. Done.
This week brings the P course on Wednesday night, followed by a crit in Connecticut next weekend while we visit family.
Posted on 21 June 2009