To start the day off, we figured we'd do some interval warmups, so we showed up to staging a minute or two late to the start. The pack was just clearing the corner as Collin and I got onto the road. Lalla knew we were missing so he moved to the front and slowed the pace of the group. We weren't the only ones to miss the start, but that isn't the way I want to start anymore races.
I had downed a double expresso as we were leaving the car, and after the effort to catch the group, my heart was pumping and I was ready to GO!
I saw Bret Crosby(Elbowz) make a sly manuever, so I thought to follow him, he moved to the front, and took a hard pull down one of the rollers. One or two attempts to form a break went but nothing stuck. I was waiting patiently and saw Shane Haga(Super Squadra) squeeze through a gap and followed. There were two already up the road, once we made the quick bridge it was 4 of us.
Not long after that, Crosby, Stefan Rothe(Tulsa Tough), Michael Pincus(Squadra) and Zach Allison(Think!Finance/Mercy) joined us. With this mix of teams, two from Super Squadra, two from Elbows, Watt Posse, and the others, it was going to stick. Not to mention the firepower rolling through that echelon. Everyone was rotating through, smoothly but keeping the pace up. We quickly had 3 minutes on the peleton. I was glad to be in the 8 man break instead of fighting for wheels and road space back in the pack.
We made it to the feed zone/finish on the first lap, I knew what was coming, as I've done this race before, won as a Cat 5 even. As we made our way up the hill, I slowly drifted off the back of the group as Crosby was turning the screws in. I crested the hill and wasnt far behind, but after 10 minutes of trying couldn't manage to close the final few meters. I was done, off into no man's land, wondering how to get word back to my teammates that I was no longer in the break.
I told the moto ref, and some corner marshalls, but word never did get back that far. I continued to roll along, keeping a steady effort until eventually the break was far far out of sight. Towards the end of the second lap I saw a few riders coming up the road. Caleb Fuchs(Think!Finance/Mercy) and Evan Bybee(DNA Racing) were fast approaching. I ate an extra bar, and got ready to roll with them. The rest of the group was close, but we kept them at a distance of 1-2 minutes.
We held them off, and two miles from the finish Caleb attacked, I tried to follow but after doing a lap solo, couldn't respond to him. Evan and I finished strong with one final time up the hill, I used what I had left in my legs and sprinted around him after 200m and finished 9th, with Collin coming in soon after by himself for 11th. Not as good as I would have liked, but every race is a learning experience, I'm getting better at reading races, and learning to sit in some.
We are headed back down to ATX for Lago Vista this weekend, and then off to Louisiana for our annual trip out to Rouge Roubaix.
