Housatonic Hills RR - Cat 3

by Jonah Tower

After scoring a 2nd place finish here last year (cat 4), I really wanted to fins my way on to the podium again this year. I was feeling absolutely great and knew that I would have no trouble with the course, but the weather was just perfect (I was hoping for blazing hot) and thus the race was not hard enough to tear people apart. After the KOM on the second climb, the attacks began to get away and I (a bit over eager) started to get involved in many of the moves, before I had burned the matches I had for that sort of stuff, thinking that the rest of the race would keep up a strong pace. But, alas I didn't find the right move.

5 got away and the field really was not in a mood for chasing. Only a few were working (there were several big teams that could have), and not to long into the chase on the of the "big engines" flatted and the hunt all but ended. So, we're racing for 6th now and in no rush either. Then, with about 5 miles to go to the finish we were all sent single file through the grass to avoid a car accident that occurred on course, and of course it took another 2-3 miles before the field had come back together, because some folks thought that to be a good time to attack.... sprinters!

The finishing climb left far too many people still together (something like 20 made it to the top all together), and then the bad juju struck me. In taking a look back to see what was where, my wheel was crossed with the guy in front of me, and despite a long exchange of bumping and grinding I managed to keep the bike upright and the wheel in one piece; however, that was at 700m and I had had my rush of adrenaline about 500m too early. As the sprint picked up with 200m to go, I had nothing left and had to sit up finishing a disappointing 29th.