Trophee and Devos Reports

TROPHEE

So this was a pretty fun race, but I didn't expect it to some down to a feild sprint. I went in as the team leader with 3 guys riding support for me. Scott did great on the flats, keeping me protected and at the front. Doug helped out at the front as well. Eric stayed near me, ready to make it to any break that might form.

On the hills, I would always end up off the fron with 4-5 other guys who were also good at climbing, but we never stayed out there and always ended back in the peloton.

Thats pretty much how it went, lap after lap. A break would form then it would get pulled back. The climbers would battle on the hills, but eventually be pulled back. There is too much flat road between the climbs. The race needs to finish on top of Col de Trois to make it really interesting.

Anyways...the last time up Col de Trois, I made a move and got some of the other climbers to go with me. We wanted to cut off the straglers and downsize the peloton. But it was expected, so once we were at the bottom of the decent and saw the peloton on us, we sat up and went to rest to try and battle out the last climb.

The approach the the final climb was great. Scott and Eric did an awesome lead out for me. I kept yelling "BOTTOM OF THE HILL!" and thats where they got me. However, there were about 5 guys who had just been sitting in doing NOTHING the whole race and they took off from about 350m. I stayed with them for about 300m and came undone in the last 50m.

I ended up 9th, just behind Tony in 7th and Eric in 6th. I was disapointed in my placing, I thought I could do better. But congrats to Alexey V. who finished with the 3/4 peloton. Too bad BB couldn't be at the race, I'm sure he would have been right up there too.

NOTE: Team Fusion, please inform the rider on your team that got lapped by the peloton, that attacking while being a lap down is bad form.

NOTE: I got to drive neutral support for the Masters and Womens. Video below.


DEVOS

Didnt race Sunday, but woke up Monday morning ready to race. I picked up my freind Jason who just moved here and is a cat 3. We drove over to Aubrun Hills where my parents met me with my race wheels which I hadn't brought to school.

After I registered I met up with the team which consisted of Joe, Scott, Dominick, Eric and me. A pretty strong team if you ask me. Other heavy hitters there were Antonuck, Minnema and Birmann.

The course was kind of an 'L' in a bowl. The two highest points were the 180-turns. There as also a 90-right turn and a 120-left turn. We knew the 180s were going to be a little sketchy. And they were. They took down about 4 riders and I was almost one of them. I clipped my pedal pretty bad exiting one of them.

The race was fast. 52 minutes at over 26mph. There were constant attacks and bridge attemps so it wasnt hard to move around the group, but hard to hold your position.

I made an attempt or two to get in a breakway. Scott Eric and Joe did too. None of us were very successful. The feild was riding very sketchy for some reason. It was just a 3 feild of about 40 riders, but it wasnt as relaxed and safe as it usualy is.

However, we did make it through to the end. As we came around the last 180, it was about a half mile to the line. I went to the front with Eric on my wheel with Scott on his. I dug as deep as I could to give Scott what he wanted. But it was too hard for Eric. A gap formed and it was too late to recover and get a good leadout. Scott was left to his own in the last 400m.

I was hurting bad so I sat up about 200m from the line. As the peloton flew by there were some elbows being thrown and riders sliding into each other. One rider went right into Scott which resulted in Dominick going down hard.

After we got him off the road and looked at by the paramedics, I got him to a care center where his wife met him. My dad thought he had broken his collar bone. It turns out he seperated his shoulder. So D is out for a while and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Seeing as I finished behind the feild, I didnt bother looking at results. But there was some mix up and the officials wrote me down as having finished 13th. They paid to 25 places. So now I have to see if I can get that money. haha.