This was the most fun race I have rode in to date, breakaway with a great working group and an awesome teammate Tyler!
Tyler and I got to check off a lot of boxes from our pre race plan today. First was good position at the start, something that didn't happen in the purgatory race. This was especially important because we knew the race would shatter after the first climb at 7 miles.
As planned we were up the climb in the lead group, with about 8-10 riders. I shouted a few orders to the other racers around us, making sure we all worked together to make this break stick. Tyler and I both took some big pulls and ended up gaping the group by a few hundred meters. We looked at each other and decided this was much to early to solo the course, especially knowing some of the guys in the pack from previous races. We sat up and let them catch on.
We managed to facilitate a mildly well organized pace line where everyone put in some work, which was very surprising. I forget the mileage at which the first attack by rider from ATA cycle fit occurred. It was after a hard left turn, I saw it happen from about 5 back and closed that down, saying to him this will never stick. Little did I know he only spoke Spanish, so my words were not taken to heart. He attacked again on the next climb, which was alittle more painful for me to chase down, but luckily I was able to bridge within 1-2min and let the group latch back on. I remember specifically saying to Tyler at this time, man you get the next attack I need a minute. Luckily there was not one for a while.
Again I forget when the next attack done by the rider on team monster In the basement occurred. He managed to get a good gap on the group at the top of a climb without any chase by the other 4 left in the group at this time. We did quick rotations on the front and bridged this gap in around 8 minutes. We attempted to sprint past him and drop him as we passed, although he was able to stick onto the back of the pace line and recover, not taking a pull for around 5 minutes.
My garmin had a slight error with some big bumps so I was unsure of how many miles we had covered, making me slightly surprised to see the 1k to go marker. At this point no one wanted to get on the front, so I told Tyler get my wheel and I will lead to you. At the 200m mark Tyler yells go go go, so I put the power down sprinted to the finish. I managed to hold off all the others and come over the line first!! This was the final box we checked off, an MRC win! Tyler got 4th by inches as we all crushed it down the fast finish.
Great race and many thanks to all the hard efforts Tyler put in! Great day for MRC.
Hilltowns
Re: Hilltowns CAT5
I definitely agree that this was the most fun race we have done. Winslow's report is spot on. My only addition would be that, at least in our race, the success of our break and the eventual split in the break, while it was primarily made on the climbs, was also made on the descents. Especially when the rain began to pour as we were bombing down some of the longer stretches, confidence and descending skills allowed for the select group of 5 we were in to drop some of the 'dead weight' off the break as we came into the last 5-7 miles. All around awesome day
Re: Hilltowns
Fantastic job guys. And great win Winslow. A win in any bike race of any category takes a lot of hard work, skill, patience, and luck, and it seemed like you had all 4. I know you know this question is coming: when are you and Tyler upgrading? The 4s field is nervous and MRC 4s contingent is looking forward to it!
-
PJ McQuade
- Chasseur
- Posts: 769
- Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:44 pm
- Location: Millbury
Re: Hilltowns
Superb efforts on a really difficult course.
To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first.
-Shakespeare
-Shakespeare
-
Bradford
- Domestique
- Posts: 224
- Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:33 pm
- Location: Jamaica Plain/Westborough MA
Re: Hilltowns
Men's Cat 3.
Myself and Patrick line up for a field of 49 in the Men's Cat 3.
Patrick forgot his contacts, so he was rocking his glasses, brilliantly fulfilling the cyclist-hipster motif. Fortunately we were under overcast skies so he didn't really need the shades.
One of the guys on the line was chatting about how he already had enough points to upgrade for his 2, but wanted to hang back and get a win. I recognized another guy, Brandon Holden, who was second at Purgatory - they seemed to want to work together on this one.
On the whistle, the race took off, and two juniors immediately attacked - everyone thought we were under a neutral start - but either we all misunderstood, or these guys didn't care. In anycase, they were caught once we hit the first climb - and wow, what a climb.
Everyone had said that this 5-6 minute effort would be crippling - I was adequately warned - but I had yet to experience anything this tough at this pace. People were pushing it, and I was fully deploying the packslide. I was ready to pop off the back and just accept that this race wasn't for me, but then It leveled off for about two seconds - I asked Patrick if we had just bagged the first climb - but he told me no, we're only about halfway. This was also a low point. With a lot of standing, sitting, moving fore and aft on my saddle, and looking like a guy who was having a really terrible time, I made it up and over.
My heart rate was through the roof, but we had a mile or two to recover before the next climb - 20 minutes, at a much more reasonable grade of maybe 6% or so. This seemed fine for me. Jose Ordovas from GLV went off the front. Him and I have come up through 4 together this year, and he really is an excellent climber. By the time we got to the top, he had punched a 40 second gap and the chase was on.
A few of us were on the front rotating to pull Jose back. When I flicked the next guy through, I noticed it was the Cat 2 sandbagger and he didn't want to pull - I asked him if he wanted to win the race (remember, he had indicated he was here to win it) - and he replied yes - so I encouraged him to do some work if that was in fact the case.
The roads were wet and we flew into an S bend turn - as we came around, there was Jose standing on the side of the road - face blackened, cut up, and telling everyone to slow down. I was around 6th-8th wheel, and immediately two guys in front of me went down - one sliding across both lanes of pavement, still attached to his bike before landing in the ditch - I don't think this guy faired to well, and we would learn a trip to the hospital was in store for him - hoping for a swift recovery.
People continued to attack as we made our way through rollers but nothing stuck.
When we hit the final kicker before the long descent into the finish, the attacks came hard and furious. The future Cat 2, and Brandon Holden went off the front, opening a gap. I didn't know this at the time, because I was at the back blowing up. I was really suffering here and remember thinking - these guys are really throwing down - and I'm about to be off the back - 10 miles from the finish. I would later learn Patrick was laying a beating on everyone at the front, pushing the pace trying to break away and bring these guys back - as we all know, he can certainly make you want to quit racing when you're going uphill.
Somehow I managed to hang on, sitting about 15 wheels back in our reduced group. I noticed I was riding my brakes a ton, and knew the other two were probably 400 meters up the road. Jeremy and I had discussed trying to attack at this point if I was still in the mix (when you're 180 lbs - if you can manage to make it up the hills with the group, you can really fly going down them), so instead of riding my brakes, I decided to attack. I flew past everyone and was out into nomans land for a few minutes pulling the other two back. When I caught them, I came into the slipstream for about 10 seconds before deciding to jump them. I spent another two or three minutes alone, before simultaneously being caught by the other two, and then absorbed by the bunch. As I was caught, Brandon shouted 'If you had just fallen in line, we could have made it work - instead you attacked and f*cked the whole thing up' - I told him I wasn't racing for him. He may have been right, although I suspect I would have done quite a bit more work than the other two at that point - we may have succeeded - or we may have been caught with 500 meters to go.
So with 4 miles to go, I was back in the reduced bunch of about 20, sitting 5th or 6th wheel with Patrick. My focus was on recovery after a late attack. Rain started to fall as we barreled towards the finish. The pace was high and people were trying to get away, but everyone followed. Once I saw 200 meters, I drilled it from about 3rd wheel, punching a gap with enough time to raise my arms coming through 1st/49, for the win at Hilltowns. Patrick was boxed in on the sprint, but finished strong and grabbed 6th overall.
I wasn't expecting my first podium or win as a 3 to come at Hilltowns, but it was a pretty nice surprise - totally surreal feeling.
Myself and Patrick line up for a field of 49 in the Men's Cat 3.
Patrick forgot his contacts, so he was rocking his glasses, brilliantly fulfilling the cyclist-hipster motif. Fortunately we were under overcast skies so he didn't really need the shades.
One of the guys on the line was chatting about how he already had enough points to upgrade for his 2, but wanted to hang back and get a win. I recognized another guy, Brandon Holden, who was second at Purgatory - they seemed to want to work together on this one.
On the whistle, the race took off, and two juniors immediately attacked - everyone thought we were under a neutral start - but either we all misunderstood, or these guys didn't care. In anycase, they were caught once we hit the first climb - and wow, what a climb.
Everyone had said that this 5-6 minute effort would be crippling - I was adequately warned - but I had yet to experience anything this tough at this pace. People were pushing it, and I was fully deploying the packslide. I was ready to pop off the back and just accept that this race wasn't for me, but then It leveled off for about two seconds - I asked Patrick if we had just bagged the first climb - but he told me no, we're only about halfway. This was also a low point. With a lot of standing, sitting, moving fore and aft on my saddle, and looking like a guy who was having a really terrible time, I made it up and over.
My heart rate was through the roof, but we had a mile or two to recover before the next climb - 20 minutes, at a much more reasonable grade of maybe 6% or so. This seemed fine for me. Jose Ordovas from GLV went off the front. Him and I have come up through 4 together this year, and he really is an excellent climber. By the time we got to the top, he had punched a 40 second gap and the chase was on.
A few of us were on the front rotating to pull Jose back. When I flicked the next guy through, I noticed it was the Cat 2 sandbagger and he didn't want to pull - I asked him if he wanted to win the race (remember, he had indicated he was here to win it) - and he replied yes - so I encouraged him to do some work if that was in fact the case.
The roads were wet and we flew into an S bend turn - as we came around, there was Jose standing on the side of the road - face blackened, cut up, and telling everyone to slow down. I was around 6th-8th wheel, and immediately two guys in front of me went down - one sliding across both lanes of pavement, still attached to his bike before landing in the ditch - I don't think this guy faired to well, and we would learn a trip to the hospital was in store for him - hoping for a swift recovery.
People continued to attack as we made our way through rollers but nothing stuck.
When we hit the final kicker before the long descent into the finish, the attacks came hard and furious. The future Cat 2, and Brandon Holden went off the front, opening a gap. I didn't know this at the time, because I was at the back blowing up. I was really suffering here and remember thinking - these guys are really throwing down - and I'm about to be off the back - 10 miles from the finish. I would later learn Patrick was laying a beating on everyone at the front, pushing the pace trying to break away and bring these guys back - as we all know, he can certainly make you want to quit racing when you're going uphill.
Somehow I managed to hang on, sitting about 15 wheels back in our reduced group. I noticed I was riding my brakes a ton, and knew the other two were probably 400 meters up the road. Jeremy and I had discussed trying to attack at this point if I was still in the mix (when you're 180 lbs - if you can manage to make it up the hills with the group, you can really fly going down them), so instead of riding my brakes, I decided to attack. I flew past everyone and was out into nomans land for a few minutes pulling the other two back. When I caught them, I came into the slipstream for about 10 seconds before deciding to jump them. I spent another two or three minutes alone, before simultaneously being caught by the other two, and then absorbed by the bunch. As I was caught, Brandon shouted 'If you had just fallen in line, we could have made it work - instead you attacked and f*cked the whole thing up' - I told him I wasn't racing for him. He may have been right, although I suspect I would have done quite a bit more work than the other two at that point - we may have succeeded - or we may have been caught with 500 meters to go.
So with 4 miles to go, I was back in the reduced bunch of about 20, sitting 5th or 6th wheel with Patrick. My focus was on recovery after a late attack. Rain started to fall as we barreled towards the finish. The pace was high and people were trying to get away, but everyone followed. Once I saw 200 meters, I drilled it from about 3rd wheel, punching a gap with enough time to raise my arms coming through 1st/49, for the win at Hilltowns. Patrick was boxed in on the sprint, but finished strong and grabbed 6th overall.
I wasn't expecting my first podium or win as a 3 to come at Hilltowns, but it was a pretty nice surprise - totally surreal feeling.
Re: Hilltowns
Ridiculous job Brad. You have tremendous mental fortitude to stick with it even when shattered. It is a lesson and inspiration for me. You should get in a few crits... you could get to a 2 this season if you don't have enough points already.
Re: Hilltowns
Great reports. Well done all.
The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.
Re: Hilltowns
Awesome job guys, and congrats to the winners!
Nice report Brad, I'll add a little from my perspective from the last 20km or so where I think most of the tactics went down. On the 116 climb into Plainfield I was at the front, put in a little dig to stretch the field out then settled back into ~5th wheel. Then I spot a Nietmann (the "Cat 2" sandbagger) attacking HARD up the gutter and I'm the only one that follows. His power was incredible and I was struggling to hold his wheel, finally after 20-30 seconds I drop off and stay in no-mans land for a minute or two. I'm back in the peloton for the short descent before the last climb and I talk to Torpey about how Nietmann can solo away for the win. We close down the gap to maybe 20 meters at the base of the climb where Holden bridges to Nietmann after he yells desperately, "I need you, man!" directed to Holden, who is also strong and now there's two in the breakaway. Realizing the danger, I drill it as hard as I could on the front trading pulls with Torpey and another guy. Nearing the top I attacked while saying to Mark Miller "Lets Go!" but he, nor anyone else follows
I was now alone taking the right corner into the descent. One guy bridged up to me, then another, a 3 man chase group forms. I pedal as hard as I can in the highest gear on the downhill but our gap is short lived and the peloton, now reduced to ~20 guys, catches us. Then I see Brad FLY past everyone and I'm like HELL YEAH! I stay near the front and participated in my first attempt at blocking. I stayed in the top 5 wheels without doing any work and when it was my time to pull I fake/easy pulled or didn't pull through which really pissed some guys off, they yelled at me and were flicking elbows, but I was like "Nope". I'd like to think I slow down the group a little but the peloton eventually caught the break and Brad. I spoke to Brad and we discussed that he would sit in for the sprint while I would try to keep him near the front. I told him that my wheel was probably not the best wheel to follow on a downhill sprint and that he should "freelance" other riders. Attacks started flying at 1km to go. I was on Sam Damphousse's wheel momentarily within 500m and I thought "This is perfect", as he's a good sprinter. Then two oncoming cars pop out of nowhere and Mark Miller who's on my left swerves right into my line, I brake and a big gap opens. I sprint and close the gap but I don't pass anyone, finishing 6th. Right after the finish Damphousse told me "I was dropped two times on the climbs but I finished 3rd!" I told Mark Miller ( a racer I have much respect for) that his move was pretty sketchy and he admitted that it was an a-hole move but that he couldn't really see what was going on around him due to the rain + sunglasses. Overall, I had a good race, Brad had an amazing race and MRC dominated this race in multiple categories. So awesome.
Nice report Brad, I'll add a little from my perspective from the last 20km or so where I think most of the tactics went down. On the 116 climb into Plainfield I was at the front, put in a little dig to stretch the field out then settled back into ~5th wheel. Then I spot a Nietmann (the "Cat 2" sandbagger) attacking HARD up the gutter and I'm the only one that follows. His power was incredible and I was struggling to hold his wheel, finally after 20-30 seconds I drop off and stay in no-mans land for a minute or two. I'm back in the peloton for the short descent before the last climb and I talk to Torpey about how Nietmann can solo away for the win. We close down the gap to maybe 20 meters at the base of the climb where Holden bridges to Nietmann after he yells desperately, "I need you, man!" directed to Holden, who is also strong and now there's two in the breakaway. Realizing the danger, I drill it as hard as I could on the front trading pulls with Torpey and another guy. Nearing the top I attacked while saying to Mark Miller "Lets Go!" but he, nor anyone else follows
I was now alone taking the right corner into the descent. One guy bridged up to me, then another, a 3 man chase group forms. I pedal as hard as I can in the highest gear on the downhill but our gap is short lived and the peloton, now reduced to ~20 guys, catches us. Then I see Brad FLY past everyone and I'm like HELL YEAH! I stay near the front and participated in my first attempt at blocking. I stayed in the top 5 wheels without doing any work and when it was my time to pull I fake/easy pulled or didn't pull through which really pissed some guys off, they yelled at me and were flicking elbows, but I was like "Nope". I'd like to think I slow down the group a little but the peloton eventually caught the break and Brad. I spoke to Brad and we discussed that he would sit in for the sprint while I would try to keep him near the front. I told him that my wheel was probably not the best wheel to follow on a downhill sprint and that he should "freelance" other riders. Attacks started flying at 1km to go. I was on Sam Damphousse's wheel momentarily within 500m and I thought "This is perfect", as he's a good sprinter. Then two oncoming cars pop out of nowhere and Mark Miller who's on my left swerves right into my line, I brake and a big gap opens. I sprint and close the gap but I don't pass anyone, finishing 6th. Right after the finish Damphousse told me "I was dropped two times on the climbs but I finished 3rd!" I told Mark Miller ( a racer I have much respect for) that his move was pretty sketchy and he admitted that it was an a-hole move but that he couldn't really see what was going on around him due to the rain + sunglasses. Overall, I had a good race, Brad had an amazing race and MRC dominated this race in multiple categories. So awesome.Re: Hilltowns
I guess Brandon hasn't changed. Another guy and I nearly came to blows with him a few years ago at Chris Hinds. He started screaming at the other guy after the race for taking an aggressive (but not unreasonable) line through one of the last turns, then turned on me when I pointed out how many times Brandon had chopped people throughout the whole race.Brandon shouted 'If you had just fallen in line, we could have made it work - instead you attacked and f*cked the whole thing up'
My real reason for bringing this up: I was psyched/amazed/impressed when I saw all the great results at this race. To hear that it came at the frustration of my old "friend" is the cherry on top
-
PJ McQuade
- Chasseur
- Posts: 769
- Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:44 pm
- Location: Millbury
Re: Hilltowns
Love these reports! Brad and Pat, putting on a clinic!
Yup, Brandon H. is a total D- bag. I have anecdotes myself that I won't get into here, but when folks criticize bike racers for being arrogant jerks he's your poster boy.
So we're gonna have a full Cat 3 squad for Tokeneke, right boys? I'm already in. ROAD racing in the summer, I love it!
Yup, Brandon H. is a total D- bag. I have anecdotes myself that I won't get into here, but when folks criticize bike racers for being arrogant jerks he's your poster boy.
So we're gonna have a full Cat 3 squad for Tokeneke, right boys? I'm already in. ROAD racing in the summer, I love it!
To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first.
-Shakespeare
-Shakespeare