Here's a race report I wrote up after Saturday @ Chris Hinds.

Chris Hinds Criterium, 4/8/07; Charlestown, RI
All in all a good day for the FAST/IF powered by Lionette's boys. Jon Bruno, Brian Hayes, Steve Weller, John Hanson, Greg Montello, and myself took the line at the start. Legal Sea Foods, CCB and ourselves had the largest team representation, so our chances of doing well were pretty high so long as we worked well as a team. It's amazing what you can learn from one bike race. I am fairly new at this, lacking the same experience that the majority of my teammates have racing in a pro/elite peloton. It was decided before the race that I would shadow Michael Cody, a Jelly Belly Pro Cycling team rider, and one of the most powerful sprinters in the country. I would learn a lot about positioning, moving through the pack, leadouts, following wheels, etc. from this mission. And I did. Steve would stick on and mark Matt White from the Fiordifrutta Elite Cycling team, another powerful sprinter in great form right now. The rest of the team would mark other breaks and attacks throughout the race. We all made our way into breaks, sharing the load of chasing down attacks. There were two breaks of note I think that looked promising, one in particular with Brian. John Hanson in particular unleashed the power to drag back the final break and set up our team for what would be a field sprint. Cody jumped off the front with 3 to go I think, and I jumped with him to begin the leadout and final acceleration before the sprint. Our team massed at the front with Weller, Hanson, and Bruno forming an awesome leadout for me to sit on and ready myself for the sprint. I had never been so comfortable in a bike race before, as I was in this moment. Having a team of guys who are watching your back at all times is a huge reassurance, and I am proud and honored to be on such a team as this. They went hard for the next two laps, trading pulls as I sat on their wheels, leaving me on Cody's wheel going into the final lap. The pressure was now on me to follow through and demonstrate my positioning and sprinting abilities. Cody took the sprint for 1st and I ended in 4th, with Brian in 9th. Overall, a great team effort with lots of offense and a good bit of control over the race. As a whole we were pleased with our work today. We stayed organized and worked together, taking turns and sharing the load. I have so much to learn about bike racing, and among the countless things I learned today, most importantly I learned that I am racing on a team with the ideal group of guys from whom I can learn everything I need to know about how to win bike races. I can't wait to take this momentum into next weekend's racing at the Battenkill Roubaix in Salem, NY. As usual, huge thanks to our title sponsors FAST, IF, and Lionette's; and all our other sponsors who make the FAST/IF powered by Lionette's Elite Cycling team possible.

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