Minuteman Road Club

Well, I really had no idea what to expect going into this. I was getting dropped on all the club rides, and I had not raced in 2.5 years. So the goal was: Finish with the pack. If I was dropped on lap 1 of 4 (race was 4 laps x 5 miles), I would then consider retirement.

Happily, it went better than I expected. Here's the point-form version:

- Stayed near the front for half of the first lap, which wasn't too hard.
- Dropped back towards mid-pack on the uphill section (which I took as a very bad sign)
- Stayed mid-pack until just after the start of lap 2 at which point a CCB rider (CCB had 7 or 8 guys in the 50ish field and dominated the tactics because no other team had more than 2) and another went off the front
- I knew this was not a winning move, but attacked the group and bridged (mostly so I could say "I was in a break" in my race report)
- The CCB guy was just covering the move, and not really working, so we were caught at the bottom of the uphill section of the loop
- Which was where the hardest part of the race happened as someone attacked hard on the hill
- After being in the break (albeit not for long) I was gassed trying to stay on, but managed to get to the top near the back of the main group
- After a short receovery I was ready to get back near the front, but the narrow roads and other riders conspired against moving up
- Slowly moved back up and by the start of lap three I was back in the top 10
- CCB had a couple of guys at the front at this point, and were not really drilling it, so I asked if one of their guys was away, and it turned out they had a solo guy off the front (It was nice of them to tell me!)
- After the next time up the uphill section (thankfully not as hard as lap 2) I decided that since I was not dying I should try to get something going, so I attacked on my favorite part of the course (slight uphill and beautiful, wide road surface with no yellow line rule) to see if I could draw out a couple others (and the inevitable CCBer covering any moves) into a chase group
- That didn't work - too many guys followed - so I slid back into the top 10 for the big downhill with the really fast left-hander at the bottom
- Crossed the finish line for the bell lap in third wheel
- 0.5 miles later I found myself (by default) in first wheel and wanted to get out of that spot, so I just kept slowing down waiting for someone to start the charge for home
- With a pair of CCB guys flanking me left and right I dialed it back until I was going about 17 mph, and still no one did anything!
- Finally the CCB guys started attacking, and they did it well, as they alternated guys off the front
- I, along with a couple of others, covered 3-4 attacks which had me pretty tired leading into the uphill section
- Made it to the top about 15 back from the front, which wasn't great because it was single file and very fast at this point
- But on my favorite section I easily moved right back to the front
- CCB attacked a couple of times along this road, and the final attack split the field, with about 8 of us in the front group, with me near the back of it
- But the ensuing downhill left-hander had some of the guys braking, so we got caught as we rounded the corner
- I got caught in traffic as we swung right into the final few hundred meters, and I could not get back into the top 10, even though I definitely had the legs to get there
- By the time I had room to move, it was way too late, so I ended up somewhere in the teens, which was way beyond expectations, so I'm happy with the result

That's a great result Alan, SWEET!

Nice job Alan! Looking forward to more race reports from you!

Nice job!

Congratulations on a positive entrance back into racing. Also congrats to the two Savage kids, one I heard claimed second place.
I was warming up when the 55+ were finishing so I didnt see the end. But the guy off the front was OFF THE FRONT. His lead was in the minutes when I did a rough timing on the third lap.

Cat 5 Race Report - no need for another thread.
My fourth race of the year. I apparently have no luck racing in the standish forest. (crashed in a charge pond race). But the 5s had one guy drilling it for what seemed like forever. We were averaging over 24.5mph and every time I checked he was still setting the pace. The pace was also fast enough that I didnt think any break had a snowballs chance in hell of becoming anything early on, and my goal was to try my hand at a breakaway today so I didnt mind sitting in the back for most the ride and try to minimize energy lost on my already tired legs.

I tried to make 3 attacks in the final lap, the first two were more poorly done by me, first I didnt get in front before I was cut off on a corner, second one up the hill I got stuck when the field widened as the pace slowed. Two matches burned right into my brake pads. The third I was beaten to the punch right as I was getting going which could have worked but he gave up almost instantly because he was followed.
Moments later I got behind someone who's chain fell and couldn't get either side of him because of passing riders, by the time I got around I gunned it in an attempt to re catch the peloton. But after three attempted attacks that lap and tired legs before the race even started, my effort was in vain as I had lost so much time and speed from getting stuck.

So I finished off the back, which is far from what I wanted but I learned a few things about myself and racing.
1 - Just because you and others yell at someone to hold a wheel through a corner doesn't mean they will learn.
2 - 20 deep is way too far back to attack even if you have a 5 mph over the race. (third time wasn't the charm. So lesson learned)
3 - Bring a trainer, sometimes theres no convient place to warm up.
4 - Dont run within 3 days of a race. (I figured I was a recovery god and would have no residual fatigue, very wrong)
5 - Burritos are even more delicious post race.
6 - The lines for the Porta potties at races are always longer than you think.

Overall a poor performance by myself but my goal was to learn something about making an attack. So goal completed somewhat, wish I got away even if it were for 30 seconds, but easily my hardest race to date.

Alan It's been a long road back for you and I'm sure just writing a race report would have been a victory for you but this result plus being able to ride your usual Jens'esque aggressive style shows you are back and as always stronger than you think.

Good job to the MRC riders at Myles Standish today! I know there was a second place in the Junior 10-14 category; I'm sorry I didn't catch the name though.

OK, I'll continue with a Category 5 35+ report.

This was my first race... alright, my first race in 27 years but that was 27 years ago. Regardless, I know enough to never get comfortable in a Cat 5 field. I made sure I started at the front of the gate, in front of the other 40 or so. The gun went off and I immediately grabbed the second spot. The first two laps were very tame, I mean 20-25 mph tame, so staying in the first five was a piece of cake. There were four guys happy to take the lead so I thought who was I to discourage them! I stayed behind but always within the top five. The third lap brought a couple of short-lived attacks from guys coming out of hiding from the back of the pack. At the end of the third lap, one to go, I knew I was feeling good, no one seemed to have the power to fracture the pack. Then came my big mistake.

A couple of lame surges came up and I thought sure, let them tire themselves out. I faded a little too deep into the pack. My instincts kicked in and I sensed nervousness. Riders were getting bumped and there was way too much calling out "on your left", "on your right". I knew I had to get out of there. I started moving forward, 20th, 15th, 10th. Then two idiots - sorry, "unfortunate challengers" - right in front of me collided and instantly went down. I had no time or option and so exited directly over my handlebars. I and my bike might have been able to get right up and continue had it not been the other three or four riders piling ontop of me. Yeah, that hurt more than the pavement.

By the time we all got untangle and I straighted out my handlebars, brake shifters (mostly), and opened up my calipers because both wheels were warped, the pack was out of sight. Only three miles to go. 3 miles left and this crap has to happen! I hopped on and pushed as hard as I could through the finish line, knowing full well I was the only MRC representation in this field. Somehow, I finished 20th out of the 40 or so starters. Frustrating when you know you have a good chance of a top-ten. But I did finish.

First race in 27 years. Well, guess what the wife said!

At least you get to buy new wheels!

Alan, great result. Welcome back. Top 10s are just a race or two away.

Aw man, Steve, so sorry to read that you crashed... I mollified my wife after I crashed by promising no more "crits", though I never really told her exactly what a "crit" was.

Alan -- sweet!

You got me thinkin'

Alan, great job and great race report. The Friday sufferfests are paying dividends.

Toby, we need to have a chat about tactics.

Steve, don't blame yourself for positioning, Cat 5s can crash at the front too. Unfortunately the 4s aren't much better, your just going faster when you hit the pavement. Btw, how old we're you in your 1st race, 9? I'd like to read that race report.