Wells Ave

by Michael McKittrick

Yash, Emily and I raced at Wells Ave. this Sunday.  Yash and I had made a plan to start a break on the lap after the a prime that happened after the 20th lap.  I was hoping that since, Yash was wearing a Hup kit that maybe no one would suspect a team effort.  On the other hand, I hoped that maybe a couple of guys may come and work the break. 

Upon lining up at the start line, I couldn't help but notice that 3 teams were at least 12 deep.  NEBC, BRC and Landry's brought crews.  My strategy was going to be to try the break and if that failed, mark a wheel to follow and hope for the best. 

The race started fast.  Yash didn't feel so good.  I felt really strong and as always, Emily was a powerhouse.  I went off with a couple of early breaks, just to get the heart up.  At one point before the halfway point I chased and caught a break by two Landry's riders.  As I was overtaking them at the start line, they rang the prime bell.  The Landry's guys ratcheted up the pace, but I was able to recover slightly. The first guy peeled off and the second tried to shake me.  He wanted me to pull.  I refused.  He slowed a little and I told him that he had better pull or niether of us was getting the prime.  He stepped it up.  I held his wheel until I was in sprinting position and swung out.  I was able to leave Landry's but another couple of guys overtook us going too fast to catch.  I may have been able to take the prime had I started sprinting sooner.  Next time.

Yash and I initiated a break after the afore mentioned prime.  He led me out like a champ.  There was one NEBC up the road and Yash tried to get me up to him.  He got me about halfway and I took over.  I got stuck in the middle.  I had a small jump on the field, but I was hurting.  A Colavita rider bridged and towed me the rest of the way.  We got swallowed up right as we caught the one off of the front.  In total, I had stayed of of the front for two laps.  I was completely spent.  I thought that I was going to vomit.  I wasn't seeing straigtht. 

During this dark period in my race, they called a women's prime.  I am ashamed to say that I was unable to be of any help to Emily.  She took the prime by stealthily following a woman out and swinging around and outsprinting her. 

Someone initiated a break after the women's prime and Emily was in it.  I was unable to block for her, I didn't have the juice to get up there even.  She worked it until it faded. 

Luckily, the peloton was mellow for the next two laps.  In three laps I had recovered totally and I started looking for me wheel with 5 or 6 laps to go.  I marked a muscly BRC rider and stuck to him like glue.  So I am thinking that I'll hold his wheel until the last lap and try to sprint and he goes on a break.  I followed because he looked strong and had been sitting in.  I figured that this was it.  There was only four laps to go.  He was just playing.   The break never even got far off of the front. 

I sat in for the rest and sprinted from the back up until maybe 20th.  I have not perfected my sprint and don't yet know how much road I need to spin out a gear. 

All in all it was a good race.  I was able to chase down some breaks, hurt some other riders and represent.  This race really got me thinking that since we are a small club, we need to be very organized and really ride as a team in order to maximize the talent that we have.