Owaso Flyer

[Len_E]

I made my annual sojourn to the Finger Lakes in New York for the Owasco Flyer, a hilly race around one of the lakes. The season has largely been a bust for me because of nearly weekly roundtrip business trips to Oregon since January. Weekend rides are all that kept me in shape and marginally sane. So I didn't have high hopes for this race which is a mass start with a solid contingent of cat 1s and 2s. But it's a good course for me with lots of climbing and it was hot, which I enjoy more than most in the pack. The serious pack, about 50 riders, stayed together for the first 20 miles or so although two guys, unbeknownst to me at the time, took off and were never seen again. With 15 miles to go and a lot of climbing, attacks started to come. I decided to follow two cat 1s from the Mt. Borah race team who have won the last three editions of this race and one of them had just won Corning and Giro d'Otisco the previous two weeks. This turned out to be a good strategy although when it was just the three of us with a minute or so gap, they really beat me to a pulp with one attack after another. I decided to only follow one of them and was completely prepared to let the other go but for some reason he would slow after an attack even though he'd get a gap. I suppose they figured they could dislodge me from their wheels eventually. With 6 miles to go and the gap closing I began to share a little of the work although not enough to avoid some verbal shots from my chaperones. The last 2 miles consists of 4 tough hills and absent a major physical shut down, I figured the three of us would survive. The two guys decided to hit me hard again and by the decent on the second hill they got a gap which they took to the line. I had nothing left to catch them. Finished 5th place overall, 3 seconds behind my buddies, and first in my age group. Finished in the money which covered the fee and more than a couple beers.
Hoping to keep some fitness into Hilltowns.
-Len

[PJ McQuade]

Awesome, Len! Love the aggression. Great result on what sounds like a brutal course.

[michaelcole]

Congrats Len.

PJ... 233am ?
Wow.
Call me. Let's ride.

[PJ McQuade]

Hi Coley, I'm on vaca in the Cape till the wknd. We can link up next week.

[michaelcole]

Ha. I'll be on Cape next week.
Make a plan for the 23rd.

[jraguin]

Great job Len! I can attest from the Giro d'Otisco that those Mt. Borah guys were strong as they dropped me on a big climb that we had and I never saw them again. You must have had a heck of a ride to stay with them. Kudos!