Breakaway

Kenosha training crit #3 yesterday. It was quite windy this time around, but less cold and it was dry. My legs felt pretty fried from a team ride the day before so I planned on hanging back for the first couple of moves (since last week there were quite a few futile ones that didn't get free), let the legs settle in, and then go with one that looked good. It's only a training race and I wasn't feeling great, but riding smart can often make up for that.

A few uneventful laps went by and at one point I happened to be moving up on the outside of the pack. A couple of guys got maybe a 50 meter gap heading into the stiff headwind, with the pack lined out on the other side of the road, mostly trying to hide and not eager to do the work into the wind. I was in good position on the outside of the pack and decided I didn't want to be left out of this one if it went somewhere. I jumped, and when I looked back there was no reaction from the pack. Over the next lap or so the small gap stretched back and forth with a few more riders getting across eventually, and a group of about 6 of us soon solidified the gap and settled into a rhythm. The gap stayed within about ten seconds for a while, then grew as the pack settled down and apparently lost motivation to chase. After a while, a few more riders made it across, and then Chris Hurst (Baraboo Sharks, last weekend's winner) bridged up solo.

Looking around at the composition of the break, I was pretty sure it would stick. There was a good representation of teams; WDT, ABD, Flatlandia, Baraboo Sharks... I can't remember who else. There were a couple of guys who were clearly looking strong, and a few like myself who weren't feeling great but were still working hard.

Eventually we got about a minute on the field and settled in for the last few laps. Coming into the last corner on the bell lap I thought had a good wheel, but the two guys who had been going hard sat up in front of me and I got boxed in when Ted Burger (Flatlandia) and Tomasz Boba (WDT) jumped on the right side. Chris Hurst was boxed in near me but pushed his way out to follow. I got around the roadblock and jumped past two other guys with a little shoulder bumping but went too early and died on the long, slightly uphill finish with a strong headwind. Having missed the winning jump, I should have stayed on those two guys until closer to the line to have a chance at 4th, but I'd rather botch a sprint from a break than sit around in the pack all day and botch the field sprint.

Overall a really good race, I rode smart and worked hard and was happy to get into the winning break. My fitness seems pretty much on track for this time of year and it's time to start ramping up the intensity. The next race for me will be in two weekends for the WCA opener at Evergreen Park in Sheboygan.