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Rockleigh Crit - Brian wins! |
Thursday, August 9, 2007
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Mission accomplished for Brian! He won and lived to write about it! Please enjoy his colorful race recap below. Congratulations dear Brian from the whole team! |
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Evening All,
Good fun tonight -
Short Version
I won as part of a two man breakaway. Beat him in the final sprint.
Long Version
Where to begin? Where to begin?
Ok, twenty-five of us toed the line tonight. What made it interesting was that
six members of the Cyclesport Park Ridge team and six members of the Westwood
Velo Team were eying each other suspiciously. I figured that the two groups
would be duking it out tonight so I took the advice of Doug who earlier in the
day told me, "If you raced with half a brain, you may win tonight." Heeding his
advice I decided not to follow my usual M.O. of chasing down every break that
got away, but rather let the race develop. |
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Due to the failing light the race was shortened to forty minutes total with two
laps to go after thirty-five minutes. Note - each lap at Rockleigh takes
approximately two and a half minutes. I played it smart. One failed break went
off the front by a Westwood rider as Cyclesport quickly chased it down. At about
fifteen minutes a Cyclesport rider went off the front followed quickly by
Westwood rider #298.
Now here's where things get interesting - I watched #298 register. He shared
with the official that this was his first race of the season and that he was
just looking to sit in. So, here he is now bridging to the Cyclesport rider up
the road. Cyclesport and Westwood Velo then come to the front and softpedal. My
guess was that neither team would put much credence into a lone OrganicAthlete
rider bridging to the two men. I take off after them.
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It took me about three laps to complete the bridge as when I started they were
completely out of sight. I passed #298 as he couldn't hold Cyclesport's wheel
and about thirty seconds later I come up to the laboring Cyclesport rider. I
called for him to get on my wheel and he shakes me off as he's spent. I tell him
to latch on and rest and we'll see what we can do. At this point the field was
within sight behind us but the catch wasn't imminent. I pulled him for the next
three laps while he caught his breath.
We conferred and decided that he would
pull us through the two tight turns at the bottom of the course (he was a better
bike handler and cut sharper lines) and I would pull us through the slight
uphill/rocky section which is more difficult. I knew that as long as I had him
with me his five teammates, much like what TOA would do, would block the rest of
the field. I kept spying back and we put enough time on the field to the point
where they could no longer see us. They had a food preem which I placed second
in (hot dog) and the Cyclesport rider won a cheeseburger.
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In reflection, it's interesting how fluid the riding became. I no longer thought about shifting gears or how hard to pedal, but rather did all of that
instinctively. Rather him and I became a single unit working together to stay
away. As we went into the second to last lap he pulled us through the two tight
turns and I brought us all the way through to the top of the finishing straight away. For the bell lap he pulled us through the start finish and I took the
lead, brought us through the two turns, through the rocky uphill section and I flicked my elbow for him to come around me.
He didn't.
We both knew that the field wasn't going to catch us and he wanted me to lead
him out for the finishing sprint. I pulled hard left and made him stay on my wheel. We hit the top of the finishing straight away. I went down into my drops,
shifted to my smallest cog in the back and began to motor as hard as I could. I was no longer breathing. Breath wouldn't come, but my legs would pump. |
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I spied him to my left coming into my field of vision.
No way was he passing me.
I saved him from being swallowed by the field
Pulled him through the rough section lap after lap
No way he was coming around me. No way...
I leaned a bit over the handlebars, felt the handlebar tape compress under my
grip and pushed my legs down as hard as I could.
Nothing else mattered in my world but holding him off.
I now know that adrenaline tastes like metal in your mouth.
He slid back out of the corner of my eye...
I won by half a wheel...
TOA All the Way....
Brian |
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