A New England Masters Cycling Team

It is nice in life when you can have a claim to fame. I learned one of mine this past weekend. Talking the Steve Rosko, the proprietor of bikereg.com, I am the all time leader in pre-registration using www.bikereg.com .

Thank ya. Thank ya very much.

Wade

So last night, as I was heading out towards the EBCC TT course in Pleasant Valley to do a little interval work, I realized that same area is perfect Fitchburg TT practice territory. Starting on the east side of the river (the opposite side of the EBCC TT), you can head north, ride the rollers/flats (all slightly uphill) for about 5 miles, continue straight on Rt. 20 and start up the long climb, go up the first couple steep pitches and there you are. Pretty close to the Fitchburg course. I will probably do a few test runs out there during the next month. If anyone is interested in checking this out, let me know. I just mapped it quick...check it out.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=202829

North Stonington, CT - a stone's throw from The Wonder of it All - Foxwood!

Very hard race. If this race continues, it will gain the reputation as one of the hardest race courses in New England. They could make it brutal by adding a few laps. If they made the masters race a 10 lapper (50+ miles) it would become a classic. If you haven't done the race it is a 5 mile loop that is never flat. The main climb is about 1K. The rest of the course rolls/grinds. With the exception of the main decent off the climb, you can do the rest of the loop in the little ring because it grinds a lot and the down hills aren't long enough to bother to use the 53. Arlen and I chose the little ring option and I saw Yabroudy did too. Think about that. A road race that you can race 95% in just the little ring. Also, both times I've done this race the wind was blowing. On the false flat after the finish line it is a tough cross wind as the course opens up into a large farm and there are no trees to bl0ck the wind.

I was happy with how I felt. I was dead two weeks ago. I rested and I have come back stronger. It was important to me to stay with the group because last year I got shelled at this race on lap 2.

I thought Ed's break would work. It had very good riders. I was thinking about making a bridge to it so we'd have an advantage but the chase never really let up so I didn't think bridging would be wise. After their initial 25-30 second gap, I could see them hanging there and then slowly coming back.

I blew on the final climb about 400 meters out. Part of it was mental. I suffered a lot 3 of the times up the climb (as did most of the pack!) so I think when we rounded the corner for the last time I was complacent. I had made it to the "finish" with main group, which by this time was down to about 28 guys (60 or more starters). I made a brief attack earlier in the last lap and maybe that took those last 400 meters out of my legs.

Ed did well to regroup after his break came back and got 10th.

Playing a little catch up with race reports. I headed for Rhode Island for Ningrit Version 3.0 two weeks back. Good size 35+ field. I got a good warm-up because I wanted to be aggressive early. The wind was really blowing. On lap one when we turned into the cross wind I attacked. One Union rider came with me. We worked but the field chased. A couple of laps later 3 guys got up the road. I tried to bridge and was just a few yards off of them but the rider that came with me couldn't help. I didn't have any more left to give. Back to the field we went. The break hung out there lap after lap and the counter attacks and chasing, usually Union (they missed it too) couldn't bring them back. I tried a few more things. With 2 to go I tried an all or nothing for 4th place. I got nothing...

On a positive note, after my week (almost 2) of rest I felt very strong.

Wade

Matt, Zane and Myself showed up for a beautiful 47 F rainy 10:30 AM start in Sterling this morning along with a good chunk of the preregistered masters field and then some. Given my love of climbing, my job was to try and keep to the front 1st lap and go if anything got off. I took up an uncustomary position near the head of the pack for the neutral climb to the finish line and tacked onto a halfhearted effort at breaking free. I already knew I was in trouble as both my legs and lungs started getting full of junk. Even before the descent, I faded back into the pack and hoped I could spin the legs in. Matt and Arlen stayed near the front keeping tabs on things.

Coming back down 12, the pace picked up a bit and I found I could not effectively work my way back towards the front. Not good for me, we hit the climb and someone up front kicked the pace up. A split opened up in the first pitch and Matt and I got caught out in the chase while Arlen got up the road with the main group. I dangled on the back during the long uphill grind as the gap to the lead group was cemented.

On the descent, Matt followed 2 other riders trying to break away from our chase and I pulled through as he came back. That was pretty much my last good effort for the day. I figured I'd hit the hill one more time and see what the legs felt like, but since I was still coughing up lung fragments, I did not have high hopes. I ended up slightly detached after the first pitch. Matt had attacked on the climb and had about 10-15 sec. then Curley (who got caught out with us) moved to join him. They dangled off the front as I dangled off the back all the way to the 1st turn. As I lost more time on the descent, I lost track of what was going on in the chase.

I was feeling generally lousy at this point. It was great for training to have a nice mild winter, but the bumper crop of pollen is wreaking havoc on my lungs. I'll have to come to Stonington next week with a triple dose of antihistamines on board.

I headed for the car, changed into dry clothes, then headed off to the finish climb to play spotter, since Arlen was still in the lead group. At the finish of the second to last lap, a group of three riders, including Badger were about 20 second up on the field with 2 chasers in no man's land. Zane looked pretty comfortable in the pack and with a pretty good sized group, it seemed reasonably likely the break would come back.

As it turns out, it did not. Last time up the three came through with about a 30+ sec. lead and Badger leading out for the win. The main pack came through the turn into the climb with 4 riders just off the front. Arlen was 4th wheel and did a great job pushing through to the finish to edge out one other rider and finish in the money at 6th. Matt kept the team's end up by leading the groupetto up the climb.

According to the Fitchburg race flyer, the rumor is true. The TT will start at the hotel as usual, head south on Rt. 31 per the old course, but then turn right on Rt. 140, head backwards on the RR course, then finish up the hill at the ski lodge parking lot (RR start). Sweet!

http://www.longsjo.com/Downloads/2006_Race_Flyer.pdf

Smart move of the day #1: Checked the radar 10 minutes before leaving home. Waves of rain in western MA. D'oh! Threw every warm/rain gear thing I had quickly in my bag.

It was in fact raining, but had pretty much stopped as we sat on the start line. Huge field as usual. Don Mills and some CRCA guy attacked out of the parking lot and rode away on Rt. 43. We went at a pretty good clip for 10-15 minutes, and Gary got away for a bit with another guy. But then it slowed to a crawl. I was thinking I could have stayed back in CT and done the club ride. Just as we started the hills on Rt. 7, the pace car pulled up in front of the pack and slowed us down to a near stop. At first I thought they were chastising us for taking up both lanes on the uphill, but they were neutralizing us because the 3's had caught us! First time up the hill was slooooooooow. After we got rolling back up Rt. 43 on lap 2, the racing finally started. We re-caught and passed the 3's at just about the same spot they had caught us the lap before. Smart move of the day #2: I could see us gaining so I got as far to the front as I could. Even though the officials pushed the 3 field to the right, the gap to get by on the left got narrower and narrower and I was glad I was up front and made it through before people really got squeezed in the back. Even though they had a lead of 2:40 at one point, we caught the break of 2 just before the hill. Trip #2 up the hill was typically brutal. With about 200m to the top, I started to come off. I could see Matt and Wade just ahead. Smart move of the day #3: I told myself...30 more secs. Focus on Wade. Go as hard as you can. It will be over soon. I made it over last wheel but unfortunately Leigh Sorrells had let a little gap open and Wade, Matt, Badger, me and a couple other guys were chasing like crazy on the descent to latch back on. Wade took a hard pull at the bottom, then I did....and whoops...as we came around the corner I blew up. Luckily, the pack eased about 100 yds. up the road and I latched back on. Thanks Matty...I could see you looking back to make sure I made it.

Attacks started going up the road and I didn't see all of them. I was able to slide to the front at one point and I actually had enough strength to take a hard pull to get things started to bring one move back. After we turned onto Rt. 7 some more attacks went, then Badger attacked and Ed smartly went up to him. A couple more guys went up to them and I thought that's it; Ed will get a top-10 placing. Unfortunately, one last push by the Bicycle Link guys on the descent to the final turn and they were swallowed up at the base of the hill. I was done at this point. Smart move of the day #4: I sat up and soft-pedaled to the top. The 3's were finishing so I pulled to the side to let them by. Lame move of the day #1: about 50 meters from the line I glanced back to see Bodin SPRINTING for the line. (!?) But I picked it up so I could "beat" him.

Cool Move of the Day #1: Donny Mills came over to us right after the race to shake hands and exchange "no hard feelings" sentiments.

On my way home from Palmer yesterday, I called my mom (my REAL mom, not like "Matt's Mom" who commented on Adelphia) and to quote her, all you guys sniping at us "need to get a life."

This week, the debate will be either:

1. "Who Crashed Out ZArleNE?" http://www.topstonephoto.com/gallery/1413857/2
2. How many minutes head start should Roger give us?

The weather was beautiful, the racing hard, and overall it was a fun weekend. I will give some brief comments, and others can fill in the gaps.

Saturday, Sturbridge: Nice course, tough (but not too tough) hill, windy. I felt OK the first lap and actually went to the front the first time up the main hill. Matt attacked about 63 times, I think. Nothing really stuck. Second time up the hill was HARD. I suffered. More moves went up the road and came back and then Roger went solo the 3rd (?) time up the hill. I think that's what happened because once again I was probably struggling at the back. He dangled out there oh, so close but no one could reel him in. On the 5th lap, we slowed to about 15 mph for about a minute and that was all she wrote. He was gone for good. We tried our best to set Gary up for the sprint and he was ahead of the crash and took a nice 7th place!

Sunday, Palmer: I was VERY close to eating my registration fee and staying home. I was beat when I got up in the AM. I feel like such an old man sometimes. Luckily, the race started very slow and easy; almost as if there was an unspoken "neutral" up to where we got onto the actual loop. Ed got in a nice break on lap 2 that yo-yo'ed back and forth vs. the field, but kept a clear lead. I thought they would stay away for good until one last surge brought them back coming into Warren. Then the 2nd time up the S/F hill, the poop hit the fan and Matt, Wade and I were all dangling at the back. The front end of the field was Aspholm, McKone, and Bold riding away. Wade and Matt took a couple of flyers on the last lap but it was field sprint time again and a Cyclonauts guy went down with about 1k to go, I had to unclip and stop to get by it, and that was all for me. No matter...I was bonking and completely whipped.

At any rate, a good weekend, we did the best we could as a team, and on to Jiminy!