Quabbin Road Race Report

So this weekend was my first race of the year that was over 100 miles. The race story from Turtle Pond sounded like a classic strong team working over the field…Rapha took the locals to school.

Team members:Dylan M,Tim Mitchell,Yahor,Sasha and me.

The plan: based on my previous long race experience a early move would work and stay away to the finish.  So the plan was to try and get someone in a early move who was capable of staying away to the end.  Based on last weeks Battenkill Invitational Tim and Dylan were the people for the job.

What happened: We started off in the rain,downhill neutral with most people shaking by the bottom.  A relatively fast start ensued with attacks and counters and some chasing.  Since we missed the move we needed to move towards the front and keep the move in check.  The break consisted of 4-5 riders with only one Rapha rider, the rest were locals.

Next part gets a little tricky.  You have to understand you do not always want to chase and catch the break.  Remembering the pre-race plan we want to be in the early break but we only have 5 guys and of them only two that can do something for the end.  If we catch the break then we need to be in the next move.   A strong rider would be able to bridge a 15 second gap on their own without any help.  What Rapha and any strong team could do is get a rider up to the break before we get there and then ride further away.  If we were to miss the move,get the wrong rider from out team in the move or our key riders has a problem we are out of contention.

So we set about chasing when the gap had grown too large.  But with one longish pull by me and then Yahor and a few others the group came back into sight.  At this point it was better to leave the break a little room to keep riding to leave our options open.   One thing to realize is that if a break thinks their move is doomed they often sit up, again putting the race in a difficult situation to control with attacks and counters etc.

When the gap was holding steady Dylan made a counter attack and was joined by three others.  This would have been good except they missed the turn went back and kept going.  The field closed in and a Rapha rider countered through the group I followed.   I refused to work because the guy just would have ridden me off on some rise and then the team would have been in a defensive roll again.  Then his team mate bridges up with a few riders.  I sit in and try and make it over the next rise which I do with the groups help.  I continue to sit in in hopes that someone from the team will bridge up.

Tim comes to the rescue.  Bringing the group up to about 15 riders.  3 Rapha riders a few westwood velo a few ccns, two Mengoni and some random guys with no team mates.  Again this is still not great for us since we are out numbered by Rapha.  We roll through for awhile with the weaker riders including me having trouble keeping the pace on the rolling hills.  Notably there was a rider who keep forcing the pace on most of the climbs making it harder then needed.  More on him later.

With a little less then a hour to go on a longish climb the inevitable attack came and the race for first was over.  Two Rapha guys and Roger Aspholm were gone.  By the time I bridged back on the race was for 4th.  With half the guys in the bag and the third Rapha guy sitting on it was just a matter of riding it in not with any chance of catching the break away.  I was not a whole lot of help since most of the time I was getting dropped and chasing back on.  I let Tim know not to tow the group around,extra work here would not catch the break and would also likely lead to a worse finish.  Just ride with the group and then make a move later.  I didn’t say to Tim to attack because with a long way to go the group will normally out pace a strong solo rider or what happens more often then not the group breaks down so badly they get caught much sooner.

I finally came off the last time and rode in at my own pace.  Being caught and passed by the groups.  I looked up and upon turning into the park entrance I could see that Tim’s group was about to get caught by the chase group.  I hoped he had enough left to make a run at the finish.   I was cramping badly and was blown out the back of every group and was riding 8 mph all the way to the line.  One thing to note was the guy who was forcing the pace on all the climbs and was amply strong didn’t make the move and was in the group that I was in.  He should have been in the break