Wells Ave - Cat. 3/4

by Eric Silva

I decided to race Wells Ave at the last minute.  I was very late.  The official was announcing "B racers to the line" before I even had my shoes on.  I got to the line for the B race with absolutely no warm up (Wells Ave usually starts pretty mellow that wasn't such a big deal) and a hastily pinned number.  Another Quad Cycles rider, Jacob, was already at the start.

The race was typical of Wells Ave.  A few people off the front early possibly looking for primes.  One break got a gap of half a lap.  It fell apart and the riders were reeled in one at a time.  During that break, I noticed one Providence Velo rider was doing a particularly good job blocking for his teammate.

With 7-10 laps to go, a Gus Kelley from BRC and the same Providence Velo rider produced a gap of about 20 meters on the pack.  Because of the Providence Velo rider's previously demonstrated speed and his blocking teammate, the 4-6 BRC racers in the pack, and another Quad Cycles rider in the pack, this looked like it could be a winning breakaway.  

I sprinted away from the pack, taking no one with me, and spent one-third of a lap bridging the gap.  

We produced a 20 second gap and held it until the end of the race.  The result of the final sprint was: Providence Velo, Boston Road Club, Quad Cycles.