GMSR 2016 Cat 2
Stage 1 TT
Woke up, rode to pick up numbers, power meter was working fine, then it died right before the start… are you kidding me!?! I quickly went to Sram and persuaded the guy to let me use a more aero rear wheel (as opposed to my box rim rear wheel w the powertap). It was a mistake because the shifting was horrible. I had to ride on feel, and boy did I feel bad. 15:45, slightly faster than last year (even with a headwind this year), but I was disappointed to finish in 24th place. At first I thought my GC hopes were gone, but after looking at how close the time gaps were from 10th-ish to me, I knew I could gain time back in the remaining stages.
Stage 2 Circuit
Going in I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity I had at a good stage result. There was a small early break up the road with a good gap, nobody chasing. Cat 2 racing is extremely frustrating, as the usual teamwork seen in P/1/2 races is non-existent. Everybody is riding for themselves to get upgrade points and the only thing that joins a team together is the same jersey and maybe sharing lodging, for the most part. With this dynamic, everybody is looking at each other to chase down breaks, therefore, breaks have a very good chance of staying away, even if not all the big teams are represented.
I conserved most of my energy (pack sliding the hills, moving up on the flats/downhills) until I attacked at what I thought was the perfect place to go. Pearson Rd, after the KOM on lap 3 of 4. No one followed me and I got a gap of ~30 seconds pretty quickly. The peloton chased me down at the top of the hill after the bridge and counter attacks flew. I covered a few of them, but didn’t cover one of them and two guys got away. They bridged up to a few other guys and stayed away to the finish as the peloton just looked at each other. ~3km to go, I followed an attack. The two of us got a ~10 second gap but we were caught when we hit the headwind section of the finish straight with ~1km to go. Mid-pack finish. Filled with frustration and disbelief that no big “teams” orchestrated a successful chase of the 3 guys that stayed away. Whatever, time to recover for a big tomorrow.
Stage 3 Road Race
Just like last year, the pace was high along Rt. 100, as people went for sprint points and early breaks. There was an early break of ~5 guys and they were within sight ~halfway up Middlebury. We never closed down the gap completely, but did absorb a few who were dropped. Two guys stayed away, kept on the gas on the flat sections, while the peloton once again, just looked at each other instead of chasing. Around mid-way through the race, someone right in front of me crashed after hitting a bad pothole (this year the roads were very bad, lots of potholes and scarified asphalt). I slammed on the brakes while his bike flew in the air. My head went through his frame and I used my shoulders to nudge it off my head while still moving at a good speed! I didn’t stop or unclip, but it was the closest I’ve come to crashing this year. I came away with a few scratches but the guys who crashed broke his collarbone.
A few guys from Community Bike (a team that did not ride as a team, never chasing breaks, even though they had a guy in 2nd GC) told me that they were going to attack on Gore Rd at the beginning of the extra loop. I initiated the attack on a short kicker right where they were talking about and nobody followed… really! I was solo for ~5minutes until I bridged up to Lyons who was solo from the Middlebury descent. We worked together for another ~15 minutes but there was a strong headwind and the sightlines on these roads stretched for at least a couple kms due to farm fields, so we were caught. While I was with Lyons, I learned from the moto that the break easily amassed a 5-minute lead, which came as no surprise seeing as no teams were chasing (how many times do I have to say this…lol). The guy from Community Bike, who was 2nd in GC was forced to cover and chase down several moves, as his teammates sat in.
It stayed all together until App Gap. We hit the climb at a somewhat hard pace, and a select group of 10ish riders formed as riders shed off the “lead group” racing for 3rd. I held on the back of this group, made one pass on the flat section before the brutal finish, made another pass ~10m from the finish and snagged 9th, which I was satisfied with. I really wish I got in the early break, as riding in the break is so much more enjoyable for me compared to the frustration of the lack of team tactics in the peloton. I surprisingly moved up to 7th on GC, which was a good morale booster going into the last day.
Stage 4 Crit
My goal going in was to go for GC bonus sprints and a good finish and I thought the best way to do this was to get in a break. Last year I suffered just to hang with the pack. This year was very different. I stuffed my jersey with ice socks, as it was pretty hot. I got a call up to the front row, got a good start and hung near or at the front the whole race. I felt really good and covered several moves, made a few myself, won the first GC sprint and came in second in another, collecting ~18 GC seconds.
Surprisingly, no moves stuck and it came down to a field sprint. I was ~4th wheel with 1 to go, perfect, but as the guys in front of me slowed down, I didn’t pass them, and we were swarmed and ~20 people passed me before the first corner. I sprinted in every straightaway to make up some ground but could only finish 10th. I definitely had gas left in the tank at the finish. If I had moved past the fading riders in front of me before getting swarmed, I think I would have had a great shot at the podium, maybe the W. With bonus seconds in the bag, I moved up to 6th on GC!
Overall, the race went well, despite some setbacks. GMSR is my favorite road race and I love ending my road season with it. The 2016 road season went very well, as I learned a lot about racing at the P/1/2 level, had some great results, had fun, and stayed upright! 2016 was a great road season for MRC and I was glad to be a part of it. Now it’s time for cyclocross!
