Monday, June 12, 2006
Four More Crits!
I really feel bad about posting this report and moving cute little Nate Summers down the page but...oh well.
Here's the difference between people like me, and people like "them". Berger 35+, 6 laps to go. Coleman O'Connor attacks, obviously going for the Home Depot Gift Card prime. (Doesn't Coleman look like a guy who does woodworking in his spare time? I mean that in a good way.) Mark Hagen moves up quickly on the inside after turn 1. I figure he is about to attack to bridge. He doesn't, so I do. After a PAINFUL lap, I manage to bridge to Coleman. A CVC comes up shortly thereafter. I do 2 laps with them taking about 0.00001 of a pull, then sit up when it is clear the field will catch us. Ouch. Here's a prediction: Coleman will beat me in the FSR TT.
Saturday at New Britain was wwwwwwiiiiiiiinnnnnndddddddy!!!!! The 35+ race was fast and Yabroudy was hell-bent on riding the whole race off the front either on his own or in a small group, which he almost managed to pull off. Our plan was to get to the front with 5 to go and see what we could make of it but with 7 to go, I followed a Union Velo guy who was trying to bridge to...you guessed it...Yabroudy. We got a gap but as I tried my hardest to close the last little gap to Bill, we hit the wind and the hill, I died, but the field swept us all up. We did a good job with the plan though, and Z. Arlen took 12th. Not bad, but not great. We were in every serious move and I felt like we did all we could. Hey, Vollers only got 2nd. What's up with that?
30+ race was slower. I think everyone was tuckered out from the 35+. I can't remember what happened with much detail. Gary bridged up to a promising move in the last couple laps but it was doomed once the field got cranking. Some guy from a CRCA made a SWEEEET counter attack on the last lap just as we caught the break and soloed in with a little gap.
Sunday at Berger/EH was not quite as windy. Fast race again for 35+. Arlen went from the gun and was in a small group for awhile. We kept covering as much as we could. I made my aforementioned charge that ended with 3 to go. PAULY LED THE FIELD THE ENTIRE LAST HALF LAP into the final corner. I could barely believe my eyes, the strength of the man. I pretty much sat up in the final corner and was last so I'm not sure how the sprint went. Matt got 7th so it must have gone pretty well.
I was cooked for the 30+ but luckily it was painfully slow at times. A group of 3 went up the road, and Steve Roszko was chatting with Tom Stevens behind me about how BikeReg runs itself and he's going to be a millionaire as soon as Wade starts pre-reg'ing for everything again once Nate is in HS. OK, I made that last part up. The next lap I look up and Steve has bridged up to the break, easy as pie. They never came back but then again we never really chased them. Steve won to make up for his lame (not) 2nd place in the first race. I was too whipped to do anything so I got last (or thereabouts) again.
But seriously, it was a fun weekend and we did our best and represented as best we could. We just need Teddy back to let loose with a killer sprint at the end (no offense Gary, Matt, Arlen, Wade...)
Here's the difference between people like me, and people like "them". Berger 35+, 6 laps to go. Coleman O'Connor attacks, obviously going for the Home Depot Gift Card prime. (Doesn't Coleman look like a guy who does woodworking in his spare time? I mean that in a good way.) Mark Hagen moves up quickly on the inside after turn 1. I figure he is about to attack to bridge. He doesn't, so I do. After a PAINFUL lap, I manage to bridge to Coleman. A CVC comes up shortly thereafter. I do 2 laps with them taking about 0.00001 of a pull, then sit up when it is clear the field will catch us. Ouch. Here's a prediction: Coleman will beat me in the FSR TT.
Saturday at New Britain was wwwwwwiiiiiiiinnnnnndddddddy!!!!! The 35+ race was fast and Yabroudy was hell-bent on riding the whole race off the front either on his own or in a small group, which he almost managed to pull off. Our plan was to get to the front with 5 to go and see what we could make of it but with 7 to go, I followed a Union Velo guy who was trying to bridge to...you guessed it...Yabroudy. We got a gap but as I tried my hardest to close the last little gap to Bill, we hit the wind and the hill, I died, but the field swept us all up. We did a good job with the plan though, and Z. Arlen took 12th. Not bad, but not great. We were in every serious move and I felt like we did all we could. Hey, Vollers only got 2nd. What's up with that?
30+ race was slower. I think everyone was tuckered out from the 35+. I can't remember what happened with much detail. Gary bridged up to a promising move in the last couple laps but it was doomed once the field got cranking. Some guy from a CRCA made a SWEEEET counter attack on the last lap just as we caught the break and soloed in with a little gap.
Sunday at Berger/EH was not quite as windy. Fast race again for 35+. Arlen went from the gun and was in a small group for awhile. We kept covering as much as we could. I made my aforementioned charge that ended with 3 to go. PAULY LED THE FIELD THE ENTIRE LAST HALF LAP into the final corner. I could barely believe my eyes, the strength of the man. I pretty much sat up in the final corner and was last so I'm not sure how the sprint went. Matt got 7th so it must have gone pretty well.
I was cooked for the 30+ but luckily it was painfully slow at times. A group of 3 went up the road, and Steve Roszko was chatting with Tom Stevens behind me about how BikeReg runs itself and he's going to be a millionaire as soon as Wade starts pre-reg'ing for everything again once Nate is in HS. OK, I made that last part up. The next lap I look up and Steve has bridged up to the break, easy as pie. They never came back but then again we never really chased them. Steve won to make up for his lame (not) 2nd place in the first race. I was too whipped to do anything so I got last (or thereabouts) again.
But seriously, it was a fun weekend and we did our best and represented as best we could. We just need Teddy back to let loose with a killer sprint at the end (no offense Gary, Matt, Arlen, Wade...)
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Here's my 2 cents:
Nutmeg 35+ race: First off, "you are my bitch for the rest of this race" does not mean the same thing as "you are the bestest sprinter ever I want to be your leadout man always, big boy". Okay, Zane already did his mea culpas on this point, but I needed to get that off my chest. Otherwise, I thought the final lap was nearly ideal. I seriously thought I was getting the full leadout treament when Arlen went full tilt after the break with slishtly over 1 to go with Matt and myself in tow. We hit the break and he peels off and I'm thinking, damn, thats a long way to make Matt lead me out. Matt just tells me to get ready and goes full on through the sweeping 180 and up to the top of the hill before peeling off. I figure damn, thats a long way for me to sprint, but give a shot across the top of the hill into the wind. As I was bogging before the descent, the sprint started heading by on the inside. I sat a few beat an spun, then tried to kick it in again - no dice. Next thing I know Arlen's head past me and I'm figuring , okay its his game now and spin easy for rest of the way in. Its not until we line up for the 30+ that I learn that Zane thought I told him he was the man. C'est le vie, had I known, I would have buried myself completely once Matt was off, but I figured I just had opponents behind me by that point and was trying to do damage control. I can't emphasize more that Matt did an awesome job in that last lap stringing everything out and keeping things safe for us up front. There is no reason we can't put one of us in the top ten in any of these crits if we get the end game worked out.
Nutmeg 30+: a bit slower, but I was a bit crampy (I'd already done not only the 35+ but the cat 4 race earlier - don't ask, buggered the sprint again...). Here I figured I do more supporting work for as long as my legs held out. I tried to be active up front chasing or trying to get in breaks on a couple of occaisons. Stage 1 was everpresent in the breaks and with a bit over 2 to go, a stage 1 rider was up the road with none other than Stuart Jensen. With some of the Stage 1 riders blocking, we were slowing on the back stretch and I had momentum. I shot by Matt on the right and gave it my all to bridge up, catching the pair just after the start/finish with 2 to go. I figured either the break would stick or the pack would chase us back and give Arlen, Matt or Wade the chance to sprint. Once up there, Stuart pulled, then I pulled through, and then Stuart again! I look back and the Stage 1 guy had sat up figuring he was going against 2 teammates and didn't like the odds. The main pack caught us after the hill and I dangled on and off the back through thethe last lap and into the sprint.
Berger 35+: I was in beautiful position behind Matt up until just before the 2nd to last corner. Then some NEBC guy came from the inside and swerved right at my front wheel. I chickened out, dabbed the brakes and was slowing just as Norton opened up the sprint. I ended up nowhere near Matt's wheel in the end.
Berger 30+: I was in that damned break. I pulled too hard then got shed off the back as Roszko pulled through. I dangled off for a 1/4 lap and gave up too soon, figuring the break couldn't possibly make it all the way. I should have dug deep on the start finish stretch and clawed back on once we turned into the fast back stretch. I pretty much kicked myself about that all the way home and then some.
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Nutmeg 35+ race: First off, "you are my bitch for the rest of this race" does not mean the same thing as "you are the bestest sprinter ever I want to be your leadout man always, big boy". Okay, Zane already did his mea culpas on this point, but I needed to get that off my chest. Otherwise, I thought the final lap was nearly ideal. I seriously thought I was getting the full leadout treament when Arlen went full tilt after the break with slishtly over 1 to go with Matt and myself in tow. We hit the break and he peels off and I'm thinking, damn, thats a long way to make Matt lead me out. Matt just tells me to get ready and goes full on through the sweeping 180 and up to the top of the hill before peeling off. I figure damn, thats a long way for me to sprint, but give a shot across the top of the hill into the wind. As I was bogging before the descent, the sprint started heading by on the inside. I sat a few beat an spun, then tried to kick it in again - no dice. Next thing I know Arlen's head past me and I'm figuring , okay its his game now and spin easy for rest of the way in. Its not until we line up for the 30+ that I learn that Zane thought I told him he was the man. C'est le vie, had I known, I would have buried myself completely once Matt was off, but I figured I just had opponents behind me by that point and was trying to do damage control. I can't emphasize more that Matt did an awesome job in that last lap stringing everything out and keeping things safe for us up front. There is no reason we can't put one of us in the top ten in any of these crits if we get the end game worked out.
Nutmeg 30+: a bit slower, but I was a bit crampy (I'd already done not only the 35+ but the cat 4 race earlier - don't ask, buggered the sprint again...). Here I figured I do more supporting work for as long as my legs held out. I tried to be active up front chasing or trying to get in breaks on a couple of occaisons. Stage 1 was everpresent in the breaks and with a bit over 2 to go, a stage 1 rider was up the road with none other than Stuart Jensen. With some of the Stage 1 riders blocking, we were slowing on the back stretch and I had momentum. I shot by Matt on the right and gave it my all to bridge up, catching the pair just after the start/finish with 2 to go. I figured either the break would stick or the pack would chase us back and give Arlen, Matt or Wade the chance to sprint. Once up there, Stuart pulled, then I pulled through, and then Stuart again! I look back and the Stage 1 guy had sat up figuring he was going against 2 teammates and didn't like the odds. The main pack caught us after the hill and I dangled on and off the back through thethe last lap and into the sprint.
Berger 35+: I was in beautiful position behind Matt up until just before the 2nd to last corner. Then some NEBC guy came from the inside and swerved right at my front wheel. I chickened out, dabbed the brakes and was slowing just as Norton opened up the sprint. I ended up nowhere near Matt's wheel in the end.
Berger 30+: I was in that damned break. I pulled too hard then got shed off the back as Roszko pulled through. I dangled off for a 1/4 lap and gave up too soon, figuring the break couldn't possibly make it all the way. I should have dug deep on the start finish stretch and clawed back on once we turned into the fast back stretch. I pretty much kicked myself about that all the way home and then some.
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