There was a 6mile nuetral rollout and then we took a left and it was on. Our goal was to get someone off the front from mile 1, so Michael Lalla rolled off the front, and as its a long day in the saddle, they let him go. Another team sent two guys up the road with him pretty soon after, and the field was content for a bit to let them disappear. I was sitting mid pack, and we took a right turn off the main road to some more twisty tree'd section, still on pavement but not a major highway anymore. I looked back, and all of a sudden I was at the back of the pack. The field had split, we were maybe 10 miles into the race.
I should have moved up at this point, but I was getting my feel for the P1/2 pack, and still apprehensive. There were some attacks through this section, my teammate Jesse was at the front covering most of them, he let one guy roll off the front, Jonny Sundt of Kenda-Gear Grinder. I've done a few races with him, and he's a really strong rider, so letting him up the road without a member of our team was our mistake for the day. He would solo for most of the day, catching my teammate and the other two with him, in the second dirt section around mile 70. He would flat with a few miles left, get a new wheel after a 5 minute wait, and still get 3rd on the day. I didn't even know that he was up the road actually, which is another reason I should have been closer to the front.
As we were approaching the 1st dirt section, Jesse organized us, and I was sitting on the front, to cover attacks. No one attacked but I kept picking up the pace until we hit the right hander into the dirt. I was glad to hit it first, as I heard breaks squeal behind me. I was at already at threshold, so I soon saw everyone else go by me, Christian Helmig, Jesse, Adam, and then Matt Davis almost ran me off the road. Soon I found myself off the back of the group. I would get back into a grove, and started picking off a few riders, riding with them till they flatted. I managed to stay with a rider from Herring gas for the rest of the first dirt section, switching pulls. The back of the group was ever so close but still far enough away that we couldn't make contact.
We got to the end of the dirt section, got a neutral bottle that was ice cold, and refreshed ourselves. The peleton creeped away from us as they picked up the pace being back on the road. We, myself and another rider from Herring Gas(the other major team in the race), kept a moderate pace as to not destroy ourselves to early, as it was potentially going to be a long day. Fortunately we saw that the peleton was getting closer, so I picked up the pace, and egged my partner to do the same on his pulls. We would catch them soon after and when we did I saw Rusty at the front of the group rolling a neutral pace. I was thankful for that. I let Jesse and Adam know I was back in the group and was instructed to stay near the front. There were a series of attacks by the Dalhiem/Helmig group, but we were right there everytime. Eventully this would end, and the pace settled down to downright slow. Adam and two other racers slow rolled off the front, and no one contested it. The guys who had fallen off the back/flatted were able to catch back on a few miles before the second dirt section.
Left turn into the dirt section was about .5 a mile of "carpet bombed road" before the dirt hill. With bad positioning through the left turn I fell off the back of the group, but was able to pick up a few positions up the hill and through the dirt. I caught back up to Jesse, and we would stick together for awhile. Reformed a group after the dirt, and started to rotate. This worked for a little bit, but not everyone one wanted to or "could" work. One rider would attack and stay a 15 seconds off the front, but no real threat. The left turn for the last dirt section, came up and the rider up the road had missed the turn. I don't know how, as the course is REALLY well marked.
I hit the gas, looked back and saw Jesse also at the front. I knew it was time to go at this point. The last dirt section is 83 miles into the race, and is a bit sandier than the other sections, and bumpier in general. I ended up walking/running about half of the first hill, and then it was just me and jesse, none of the "baby jokers" were left. We had ridden this part of the course the day before so we knew what we were getting into. Lots of short steep hills with sweeping downhills. Jesse would flat about halfway through the section, and left me to finish by myself. It was mile 87 by the end of the dirt section, so I had a little under 20 miles left. I grabbed a banana, and some fresh water at the feed station.
I would settle into pushing 300watts, as I knew I could easily hold this without going to far into the hole. I caught two riders, and recovered in their draft for a bit. We would drop one of them, and pick up Rusty my other teammate, who had wasted himself in the last section covering attacks. I told him I was going to attack the other guy we were with, so he let me roll off the front and create a gap forcing the other guy to cover. We rotated through again, and the other guy said he was in survival mode, I wasted no time, and attacked and rolled off solo for the last 10 miles.
We had driven the finish line of the course the night before, so I knew some of the land marks. I was picking up my pace, as I knew there wasn't much left, and there was sure to be stragglers up the road. I put it into TT mode, and picked it up to 350w. I hit the 1K mark and there were two guys at a bridge cheering me on. I was still feeling great and picked it up even more. The 500m sign was right before the final turn, I made the last turn to the hill before the finish and saw my last victim. I turned it up even more sprinted up the hill, and people started cheering me on. He was still a bit away, but I had 200m of false flat/hill to catch him, I pedaled as fast as I could, trying not to get bogged down, and then stood up and headed for the checkered flag. I got him by a wheel at the line. He actually commented to me "man, you didn't have to make me work so hard", I told him "Sorry man, I just never give up till I hit the line." I ended up 23rd overall, a pretty decent showing for my first P/1/2 race.
"Fight Never Dies!"
