No dick spot this week!

I was worried Saturday’s Branch Brook race was going to be another race in the cold and rain. Driving up to the race, it was pouring and once again cold. The 1st wave of races that went off before ours was done in the dark and rain. I was surprised they were able to start at 6:45am especially after we set our clocks ahead last weekend (sun rise doesn’t officially start until ~7:10am!). I guess the cycling Gods were looking out for me this weekend as the rains stopped and the clouds began to clear 5 minutes before our race started. No rain, very wet roads and the temperatures were in the low 40’s. My goal for this race was to at least get a top 10 placing to maintain a chance of a podium spot in the overall Branch Brook series standings.

A decent sized field considering the weather (I counted ~40 – 45). Pace starts off faster than the other week. I make an effort to stay in the top 10 and get into anything that looks threatening. After 2 laps of this, a break gets up the road and I start to help bring it back. I look around me and know one wants to help (even those teams that had 3 or 4 people in them with no one in the break). I make a decision to not burn myself out and play the odds so I go to the back of the pack where I’ll stay until the end of the race. I’m not going to cost myself a chance in the sprint to bring it back for these guys! One real dangerous break gets up the road. The strongest rider who was driving it flats and that ends that one (I have a feeling it would have stuck if he hadn’t flatted).

With 2 miles to go in the race, a break of 6 gets a big gap on the field. I make sure I stay in the top 5 and hope someone will drive to get them back. I was on Jon Chambers wheel until about 1.5 miles to go (he finished second last race and is sprinting real well). A little shuffling at the front of the pack and Jon is on the left and I’m a few riders back on the right. Jon takes off with over a mile to go and I’m momentarily blocked on the right. Jon is gone and closing fast on the break. The person, who was initially blocking me in, decides to go after Jon and I sit on his wheel. He blows with over 500m to go. I look behind me and I have a nice gap on the field. I think, shit, no man’s land and I’m going to be swallowed up at the line. I have no choice but to put my head down and sprint (those who know my sprint know I’m best with 50m – 100m so this far out was going to really hurt). I start picking off the ruminants of the break (swerving around them). I see the line a few meters in front of me and see a wheel about to pass me on the right. I reach deep, stand up and sprint and hold on. Jon nearly catches and nearly went through the break. He ended up second and I ended up 4th.

That’s two second places for Jon. This should put him nicely into 1st place in the standings. Earl finishes 5th (he won the 1st race) so I pick up 1 point on him. He’s the one who nearly catches me so I’m glad I reached deep to hold him off. Hopefully I move up into the top 4 after this week.

Got my top ten, made it into the money, and sprinted and held on for over 500m (which is very encouraging to me – I’ll have to start trying to go earlier and who knows what will happen). The last Cat 3 race I won, I started my sprint past 300m and won by a few bike lengths, so maybe that form is starting to come back to me!