Mystic Velo Crit

[djming]

MRC out with smaller numbers today but we made 'em count!
Cat4, lined up with Tyler and Ken C. Experience from Chris Hinds helped as many of the same guys were there so we agreed that for the first half'sh of the race we would let any 1 or 2 person attempts go. Good call, as there were attempts but nothing even remotely close to sticking. Now time to move up. I saw Tyler close to the front and wanted to move up. At that very moment, I spotted Ken's wheel and he found an absolutely perfect line that I followed right up to the front with no unnecessary energy expended. Spelled Tyler for a bit near the front and with 8 laps left he goes. One guy with him and they get a gap but nothing significant. But, the field got really strung out and I settled in 3rd-5th wheel in the chase group doing no work at all. At 6.5 laps left it seemed like Tyler's mate wasn't doing much to help and it was going to come back. Things still strung out so I settled in further, planning to attack once the catch was made. As we hit 6 to go we were right there and just before (maybe as we had 15 feet left) I decided to go, figuring (1) I had the legs, (2) the 4 in front of me were tired and (3) I didn't want the field to come back together and recover.
Hit the backstretch with 5.5 to go and I was shocked at the gap I had. Committed now. Head down and keep drilling it. 5, 4, 3 and gap still holding (even took a prime for good measure). 2 to go and crap, it's coming down. Hit the backstretch with 1.5 and just simply gave it everything I had, not worth leaving it any longer. I think I managed to slightly increase the gap. Lap to go and this is gonna hurt. 1/2 lap to go and steadily coming down. Hit the 2nd to last turn and suddenly it's really come down. Last turn (into a strong headwind) and it's REALLY coming down. One final (very hazy..) push and hit the line with just over a second to spare and my first W!
Without Ken and Tyler controlling things on the front for those laps I would never have been able to stay away. THANKS GUYS!!
Easy 75 minute spin with Tyler after, some lunch, watched the 45+, then lined up for the 3/4, which was simply survival.

[pace21]

The attack, the counter attack, and the team W -- all MRC. Anything else guys?!?

[KTeves]

Wow, congrats Dave! Great job Tyler and Ken.

[jraguin]

Great job Dave and all!

[rusto]

Terrific win, Dave! And thx to Fintan for giving live tweeting of the race a go!

[Jacob]

Congrats and great work! I bet that hurt.

[JeremyC]

Legit win Dave, congrats to you and the team!

[Mkidd3]

Nice work guys! Great win!

[djming]

Thanks guys. At one point this popped in my head, which momentarily helped lighten the pain (a bit):
http://gifrific.com/thats-a-bold-strate ... dodgeball/

[Fintan]

Dave with four laps to go.

[Fintan]

Dave at the finish.

[ehrlinger]

My first real NE crit and first race in MRC colors! I probably have names incorrect throughout this report, so correct me where I'm wrong.

After the morning of MRC successes, Jeremy and I lined up for the 45+ race. The only "plan" Jeremy had was to "follow wheels because it was windy" and "there was no real point lining up on the front row". He also pointed out there was one Aetna guy on a red Madone that was really strong.

On the whistle, an Aetna rider attacked and got a huge gap... by the time I was clipped in a rolling, Jeremy was already on the front working to close the gap and no one else seemed interested in working. By 5 laps in, I had found the strong Aetna guy so I could at least pay attention, when he decides to attack into the finish straight head wind. I was third wheel to him, so I followed. If the only guy I know about in the race attacks, I go with it.

We swept up the first Aetna and had about 5 or 6 of us off the front. The strong Aetna and a Cyclonauts opened a gap on the remainders, and hard as I tried I could not stay attached. So two were away, then the remaining 3 or 4 of us were dangling in between. As the dangling group came close to the field, the others gave up as I pulled though. I ended up following a group of two more, including another Cylconauts who wasn't going to do anything... I couldn't contribute much but we still had a gap, so I tried to keep at it to give Jeremy a bit more of a break. We brought back in about another lap or so. So my three laps of glory were over, and I needed to recover.

Jeremy then went back to work and I sat in. Attacks went, but didn't get far. The front two never got more than a half lap, but they persisted and it looked like they may not get caught as the lap count fell. With 5 to go, I got back near the front and decided to surf there best I could. At two to go, I was top 10. With one to go, I found Jeremy's wheel. I told him I was there with a half lap left hoping he would get me close to the front for something. He drove, I followed until the second last turn when a Yale rider got between us... Yale then took me into the weeds on the stretch before the last turn. I remained pretty calm, though I came unclipped. Got back to pavement and clipped back in. By then I was about 10 back, with Jeremy driving it into the last corner. So I launched my sprint out of the corner... and died a thousand deaths into the wind. I knew I had a guy on my wheel and could not prevent him from coming around. However, he was the only one that did. So second in the field sprint for 4th overall. Jeremy held it for 10th, which is a fantastic finish for the guy that the most work all day.

Apparently my form is really only good for one race, as I had no snap for the 3/4 race. We had 5 in the field and were working for Tom (?). I sat in for the first half simply hoping my legs would come around. I forgot how different a 3/4 field is, and I scrubbed off a ton of brake pads through the corners... that didn't help my energy levels.

At about 12 laps in Jeremy and I were near the back with a group of 5 off the front and Tom and Tyler working. Jeremy said we should probably get to the front to help out. When your DS says "get to the front", you get to the front. I got up there and buried myself to get Tom close to the break... I did all I could and told him to GO and finish it. He made it across, but the field came with him. I was done and popped off the back shortly after that effort and Jeremy followed shortly after that. I rolled around and jumped back into the field to finish it out the training. Tom rolled off the front before I got back in with one other and held it for a second place finish!

Super happy with the day, and pleased to able to work with the team to get results! Such a fun day out.

[Fintan]

Cat 5 40+
The Cat 5 40+ started with the rest of the Cat 5 field. I had just got onto the track for my warmup when the call came for the Cat 5 start, so my warmup was a ride across the parking lot to the start line. I was feeling tired, so it was a case of just sitting in and not reacting for the first couple of laps. Pace was relatively mild compared to Chris Hinds. A group of four broke away early on, there did not seem to be any 40+ in it and I was feeling lazy. Eventually I brightened up and talked a Nantucket Velo guy into attempting a bridge. When we turned with the tailwind I started the bridge attempt, but when I handed over it was clear that I was not going to get anyone to drop some watts. The bridge attempt did break a group of four of us off the main pack, never to return.
There were no 40+ guys in my group and I was guessing there were none in the front pack, with that in mind I decided to have some fun in the last lap and attack after the start/finish line. It was a rookie move as I attacked from the front, instead of from the back and wide, and I basically just gave them a great lead it for the sprint. It was great fun hitting the last three turns a full whack, but I could not shake them from my wheel and I was toast turning in for the final sprint.

[JeremyC]

and I was toast turning in for the final sprint.

Umm did you forget one important detail? Like winning the race???

Great job Fintan.

It was an all around fun day of racing, although as John mentioned, I was shockingly smashed and unable to help whatsoever in the 3/4. After doubling up at Chris Hinds I wasn't expecting to see stars in a 3/4 race. Oh well, left it all out there in the 45+, the old guys are fast and it was a hard race. My only regret is chasing so many attacks, but with 2 guys off the front it just didn't seem right to sit in. And if John was dying 1000 deaths in the sprint, I think I died 2000 after attacking and sprinting through the last corner to the line. The early go didn't really work but I like to think it helped keep it fast for John (at least that's what I'm telling myself).

Tom C. looked unbelievable and was unlucky to not come away with the W after drilling the entire last lap by himself. That's bike racing i guess.

Still hoping to see a race report from Sarah and Patrick.

[pace21]

Jeremy that Sarah/Patrick teaser had me checking bikereg for results, but to no avail. So by my count that's 2 wins and a second with Sarah and Patrick yet to report? Oh my....

[pcollins]

Amazing win Dave, that's the hardest (and most epic) way to win a bike race, well deserved!!
Congrats on the win Fintan!

Sarah has good news but not so much from me.

I did the P123 race w/ Tom, which was his second race of the day. Going in I wanted to get in the winning break, so I decided to mark Dean Phillips, who is super strong and was in a break that lapped the field at Chris Hinds. I was on his wheel when he made a few attacks and was in a short lived break with him and Rosenholtz. It seemed like everybody had the same idea: get on Phillip's wheel and go with him every time he attacks. This made for a tired Phillips, as the group just wouldn't let him go, and he even started letting gaps open.

Halfway through the race I was second wheel, there was an attack by 5 guys, I wanted to go as I had fresh-ish legs and was in perfect position but decided that the smart thing to do, seeing as none of the favorites were going, was to not go with them. Again, my mark was Phillips and he wasn't going.

I thought we brought it back, so I was surprised to learn they were still off the front and w/ a winning gap with ~8 to go. The key factor was that all the big teams were represented in the break, so there was no chasing. Tom had a strong pull on the front for a lap and mixed it up throughout the race.

6 to go, I made a last ditch effort to bridge up w/ the Race CF boys but we were caught a lap later. Had nothing left for the sprint, mid-pack finish (17th?). Disappointing result but still fun to race with a teammate. I was really impressed with Tom's performance seeing as he just poduimed in the 3/4 race an hour earlier.

[mohinishvi]

Cat 5
This was my second race and on same circuit. Once again I snoozed so reached and could do just one warmup lap.
I had two aims for the race: don't get dropped and draft as much as possible. Cat 5 and Cat 5 40+ started at same time so that was confusing but that was not the bother. After few laps a group of four accelerated and there was a gap. I had marked my guy and was drafting him like crazy. After few more laps Fintan and some others went past but the big group was still intact n I was not dropped. So the guy pulling and some other guy tried to accelerate and I was still drafting them and sticking like a glue to them. At one point one guy tried to break but these two guys started to work together to close the gap and there I was still sticking in their draft and they caught them and so did I.
The last lap was the best lap, I had lot of my strength so I started sprinting with all my heart and passed a few guys (even passed the guys whom I was drafting).
Finished 11th, .05 behind 10th. Should have not looked here and there on the final sprint when someone screamed.

[ssarah]

Women’s Cat 3/4 Race:

Another beautiful day on my favorite crit course! As the 15 riders lined up at the start, I noticed that there were some strong sprinters in the bunch, namely the rider who took 2nd place ahead of me at the Brumble Bikes Kermesse last weekend. Delegations from Pedal Power and Farm Team Elite were also present, so I knew I had to keep my wits about me.

The race started off with an easy pace. Once we got going, a few people pushed a bit, but no one was going too hard. The first prime lap came at about 5 laps in. At $50, the prime was worth more than the overall winner’s prize, so it was very enticing indeed. I was in it for the ultimate victory and the upgrade points, though, so I used all my willpower to restrain myself from sprinting for the prime. Instead, I held on to the back for the sprint and then pushed the pace for the subsequent lap, inducing extra suffering on the gassed prime sprinters.

The pace was off and on for the middle of the race; there were a few attacks, but nothing stuck. For the second prime lap, with 5 or 6 laps to go, the sprint opened up really late, and I almost went for it, but I remembered my goal and mustered up some patience. I attacked hard after the sprint was over, and got a small gap with 2 other women. I yelled for us to work together, but once I pulled off and the rider behind me hit the wind, it was all over. It was clear that this would be yet another group sprint finish.

The pace slowed in the last laps, and with 3 to go, a Corner Cycle rider moved to the front. I hopped on her wheel. It took the pack a few seconds to notice us moving up the side, and before I knew it, I was second wheel with 2 to go. The leader tried to shake us halfway through that lap, but I was having none of it and stuck to her like glue. I was pretty confident that no one was going to try anything at this point, and if they did, I was in the perfect position to jump on it.

Going into the last lap, I was still in second wheel. Halfway through the lap, a Farm Team rider came up on my left and tried to take my position, but I held my ground and so we split the leader’s draft. The Farm Team rider was one of the strongest riders in the group, so I started planning to get on her wheel for the final sprint. However, going into the 2nd to last turn I saw that she would get boxed in by the leader (who tended to cut her corners), and I remembered Coach Mark’s advice to “not get jumped…do the jumping and take the win,” and I threw caution into the wind and took off like a madman. At the corner I swooped around the leader on the outside and put everything I had into that short stretch with a slight headwind. Before the race, I had measured the final straight at 200 meters, and during the race I noticed that the wind there wouldn’t be a big issue, so I knew going around that final corner that if I was clear I had a good chance of winning. I put my head down and looked for shadows approaching but saw none, so I dropped it into the 11 and squeezed out every bit of juice I had left. I crossed the line and looked back to see at least a couple bike lengths between me and 2nd place. A solid win! Thanks to Mark for the inspiration and to everyone who was cheering for me!

[kenchadwick]

Here's my story for mighty Dave's cat 4 win. With a plan to have Dave and/or Tyler go in a late break (I don't think we planned solo break). I decided to try to stay at the front until that happened. I led out the first lap and a half or so. Ended up chasing down a few short breaks with a couple others. Only one of them actually required serious effort. I had a chance to make a four person break stick, but we needed to pound into the wind and I got no help. I attacked solo off the front twice, silly cat 4s wasting energy chasing down and old man. When Dave went solo, I didn't intentional lead him out. I was going back to the front to attack again figuring that it would be one or two more laps before Dave/Tyler would go. Tyler and I we're able to stay near the front and cover attempts to pull Dave back and lull people to sleep a couple times. I did have a bit of excitement, a guy (near the front too) went down right in front of me. Both feet came unclipped, but I stayed up and had to give max effort to get back near the front.I just back all the way before the pace picked up for the finish. I thought I was still going top ten, but got stuck behind a slug and the train went by. I'm happy with he result. I got to have some racing fun and help a teammate a bit. That's what we do.

[Mkidd3]

Good lord! We love this venue!

Chris Hinds - Two wins and a top five.
Mystic Velo - Three wins and a second place.

Fantastic work everyone!!!

[djming]

Make that:
Mystic Velo - 3 wins, a 2nd, a 4th (John, 45+), a 5th (Tyler, 4's) and a 10th (Jeremy, 45+)

Of course, still not seeing anything on bikereg to verify all this...

[Mkidd3]

Soooo can we just race there all the time?!? We own that place!