FAST/IF powered by Lionette's had nearly a full team line up for the Sterling Classic Road Race on May 12. Tommy Gosselin was missed tremendously as he was slated to work the whole day in Maine. The race would be 11 laps of a 7 mile circuit for a total of 80 hot and fast miles. The team lined up against the forces of Legal Sea Foods, Kenda/Raleigh, Coast to Coast, CCB/Volkswagen, Justin Spinelli (a lone rider from Kelly Benefits Pro Cycling Team), Dan Vallaincourt (a lone rider from Colavita/Cooking Light Pro Cycling Team), and the full Nerac Pro Cycling squad; in addition to other elite amateur riders.

72 guys left the start line and after the 2 mile neutral section, the racing was on, very fast and aggressive. FAST/IF powered by Lionette's came out swinging and raced a very aggressive first half of the race, working to get into the breaks and go off the front with small groups. I managed to place myself in the first main break of the day with the likes of Spinelli and Chris Jones, easily two of the strongest all around racers in the field and in New England. Spinelli and Jones, however away as a pair for 9 of the 11 laps and I shortly drifted back to the pack because I could not hold the pace.

At around lap 4 or so, I again went off the front with one rider from Kenda/Raleigh and a Coast to Coast rider in an attempt to bridge up to Spinelli and Jones, but again I could not hold the pace and drifted back. John Hanson and Jon Bruno put in a furious chase on a long flat section of windy road before the climb to reel in the other two attempted brigders. The next few laps were primarily controlled by FAST/IF powered by Lionette's at the front as we began to paceline with Kenda/Raleigh and a few Legal Sea Foods riders to bring back the break. The short, steep, 300 or so meter climb seemed to steadily wear the peloton down each and every time we crested because the group was getting more and more strung out each time over the hill. With one lap to go, Nerac Pro Cycling attacked with three riders, one of which lay dormant the whole race waiting for this opportunity to explode the peloton. Aidan Charles, Alec Donahue, and Adam Myerson attacked the group right after the climb and took one other rider with them. Once y caught the break of two, the 6 escapees drove the pace to the finish line where Nerac went 1-2-3. I managed good positioning leading into the final power climb up the hill to the finish and ended with a 14th place, and 8th place in the field sprint.

Sterling was another hotly contested race and FAST/IF powered by Lionette's was there nearly every time to mix it up and to take some risks by going off the front and testing individual fitness along the way. The race was another learning experience for the young team with so many different and new situations that we found ourselves in. We can surely take the positives out of this race and use them toward what will hopefully be a successful coming weekend at the Lake Sunapee Road Race on Saturday and the North Stonington Classic Road Race on Sunday.

Thanks for reading and keeping up with the team as we make our way through the long and hard elite cycling season. It is a tough road with many obstacles along the entire way. We are aiming to achieve little goals in pursuit of a breakout season in a few short weeks, and so long as we make steady progress along the way, the results will come. Please check back next week for more team and race coverage.

Thanks.

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