by Evan
Quick briefs:
Stasburg, PA: cold! windy! this sucks! Raced 4/5 and nothing was getting away. Didn’t stop me from punishing myself with a last lap attack. It only lasted until I hit the brutal headwind on the backside of the course – about a half lap. Sprinted for 6th.
Strasburg part 2: A little warmer for the 3/4. MTB Pro (Trek/VW) Jeff Schalk decided to do a TT and didn’t realize this was a road race. He single handed destroyed the field and myself and 2 others just hung on for the ride. We tried to help to make sure the break – or pack – or whatever we had become – stayed away, but Jeff just liked being in the lead pulling us around. He got punked at the line and took 3rd. I got 4th. Not bad for the 2nd race of the day.
Kirkwood, PA: 4/5 race started with some rain and the Amish country roads were soon flowing with mud and um, horse poop? Great. Bike, legs, face, water bottles and mouth now cover in this “horse mud”. I put in some hard efforts to soften the field and it worked. We dwindled from 75 to about 15 and started to shed more weight. 2 guys took a flyer and I assumed we would just bring them back, but it soon became apparent the small lead field I was in was suffering and nobody wanted to work. I tried to bridge, but – like Strasburg – the wind was brutal and I was stuck in limbo. I sat up and waited for a very slowly approaching group. I tried to recruit some help, but the break was gone. I decided to just wait until the last mile where a steep climb would allow me to attack. It worked and only one guy could stay with me. As we approached the 200m I faked a sprint and he countered – dumb move on my part. Lots to learn in this road business.
Kirkwood part 2: 3/4 race…wind was getting much worse. On the final stretch we were echloning out and only going 12mph. I dropped my chain 3 times and chased back onto what was left of the lead pack – about 20 guys. 3rd time was a charm however. I went to the front, did my pull, and went right out the back door. I dwindled about 100m off the pack for a lap and then called it quits. 2 races and a saddle sore issue developing it seemed like a good idea.
Mt Joy, PA: 3/4 race was fast and, again, the pack was destroyed. Last lap there was only about 25 of us left. Two steep climbs and then rolling, twisting roads to the finish. First steep climb I downshifted into my smaller chainring – actually, the chain dropped and lodged in the frame. I dismounted and fumbled with it. Then started running up the hill. Quite a sight in road shoes…did my best impression of a cyclocross remount, calves cramping, and chased to save some honor as the pack took off. Finished 23rd. That sucked. I need to fix this front derailluer.
