Miles Standish RR; 4/22/07 race report

Another top ten finish for the FAST/IF powered by Lionette's cycling team. Good, but not good enough. We will get there though as our fitness improves and as our individual abilities as part of the team become more consistent and defined. The Miles Standish Road Race was a 55 mile circuit race covering 11 laps of a 5 mile rolling course with one "hill", yet not steep nor long enough to separate the group at all. Present were Steve Weller, Brian Hayes, Tom Gosselin, Stan Jurga, and myself Adam Branfman.

Before the race we discussed our race plan and the importance of being selective and smart in the moves that we chase down and are concerned with. The big hitters are becoming clearer the more races we do, and we are learning who is a threat and who is not. The race was aggressive from the start with attacks coming a few miles into the race. It got strung out as teams began to chase and as the wind picked up, definiitely playing a role in the today's race. Tom made it into the first notable break of the day that stayed away for several laps. The rest of us in the field did a great job of blocking and mixing up the chase out front to prolong the gap to the break as long as we could. Once that break was caught, there was a slight lull in the action with a few more attacks, but nothing truly dangerous played out for a few laps. The second significant break of the day included 7-8 people I think, one of which was Stan who made a strong bridge up to from the main group. Stan rode in that break for 3-4 laps before getting caught with 1.5 laps to go. Once again we were off the hook as far as chasing duties, allowing us to rest and sit near the front to watch if any dangerous moves were developing from the field. Steve, Brian, Stan, and Tom did a phenomenal job of getting in the small moves and chasing the dangrous moves down as we got closer and closer to the finish. We decided that I would sit in toward the end with about 2 laps to go as we were beginning to set me up for the final sprint. The racing got very fast and strung out as soon as that final break was caught, with a flurry of attacks coming off the front, notably by Ward Solar of Nature's Path Cycling team, and Al Donahue and Patrick Walsh of Nerac Pro Cycling. We marked everything the best we could and didn't let anything get out of reach.

I was marking Michael Cody of the Jelly Belly Pro Cycling team toward the end of the race, as was Patrick Walsh of Nerac. It seemed as if neither of us would concede his wheel to the other. Coming into the final 2k or so, it was Cody 5 wheels back from the front, with Walsh on his wheel and me on Walsh's wheel. I thought the ideal sprint setup was on the way as both Cody and Walsh are super strong and I could definitely follow them to the line. Confusion occurred about a mile from the finish, as a Legal Sea Foods rider attacked the front and his teammates sat on teh front, opening up a gap of about 20-30 meters instantly. He was chased by 6-7 guys leaving Cody, the marked rider for the day, on the front of the peloton unsure of what to do. It seemed as if no one wanted to close the gap and waste themselves for the sprint, yet there would be no sprint if no one closed the gap. This was a situation that I was unprepared for, leaving me unsure as of what to do.

Cody then put in a big acceleration about 1k to go, closed the gap, and still had Walsh and myself on his wheel. Cody then sat up, leaving us a bit stranded at the tail end of the group that gapped the field. I sprinted for 7th place. Everyone cruised across the line safely, completely exhausted. We finished the race very pleased with how things played out. We did everything we could as a team and raced a very smart, thoughtful race with all of our efforts occurring for a reason, instead of haphazardly wasting energy. We are racing better and better as a team. Confidence in our fitness and trust in ourselves is improving as well, whic are crucial elements for the FAST/IF powered by Lionette's squad this season.

results can be found here: http://www.bikereg.com/Results/2007/04/22-Myles-Standish.asp

Thanks for reading. This coming weekend we will be in Sturbridge, MA on Saturday and Palmer, MA on Sunday for two of the classic New England spring races. Stay tuned. . .

Adam Branfman
Newton, MA
FAST/IF powered by Lionette's