Covered Bridge 1 - 4/22/2007

With a bit of success on Saturday, Sundays race promised a bit of a different result. The cat 1/2/3/4 Covered Bridge Race. Last 1/2/3/race I did was less than stellar, as I was dropped on the first hill... the field was spread all over the place for the remaining laps. I ended up taking the sprint for my group... at about 13th place. So this day was about testing the legs in the big race, sit in and see if I could finish in the group.

We had Dave and Tom, the two cat 3's of the team, and Chris and I from the 4s, with Ray joining the fun again. 35 miles... 7 laps.

Easy pace at the gun, the first time around the back side, and we're greeted by a pair of motorcycles coming at us... it wouldn't have been bad, except they met us on a left hander, where we tend to straighten out the road a bit. Even with the yellow line rule, there was no line there, so we were pretty much taking the whole road up... that will teach them motorcycles to use that road on Saturday mornings in April. A bit of a freaky encounter.

Overall the pace was very civilized. I tried to stay about mid pack... which doesn't really work well at all. In my normal fields, I'll stick in the front 10, but I was a bit intimidate with the big boys, so I was a bit lax on that idea. Of course, it's really hard to follow moves when you're that far back, but my goal was to finish in the field.

So from half way back, I see Dave cover the first move of the day. Nice... Then the days events get set there. A break goes off the front, someone chases it back. Pretty much works out for me. I just sit in. Second lap, Chris comes up to me and asks when the racing will start... I assure him, it will, and it will hurt.

Third lap (I think), we hit the covered bridge turn, and head to the bridge. I'm about half way back, as we set up for the turn, we swing wide left of center for the right hander. Just as another pair of motorcycles, comes towards us... the guy in front doesn't slow or anything, just takes his space and rides right towards us like he's going to take us out. I made it through fine, but behind me a split occurred. Dave was on my wheel, but there weren't many others... and we were drilling it. Then for some reason... the front just sat up. End of the hard stuff, and the group gets all back together.

Fourth lap, I think was a prime lap. I figured this was when the splits would happen. Through the start line, and they blow the horn. One guy gets away, and we chase for a while. Not a hard chase, but someones working a little. On Riverview, it seemed like we'd catch the guy, we had maybe 300 to 400 meters, when again... the front just stops pulling. The gap opens up, and the guy takes it by almost a kilometer. I'm shocked.

It's interesting that I am so lost in this race. I could easily be getting the laps mixed up. Sitting half way down, my total concentration was on not getting pushed out over the center line, not overlapping wheels, and simply surviving... I was true pack fill. I didn't even see the break actually take off. But somewhere in there Paul Martin took a group of four others away, with Tris Hopkins and an RGF, the teams that have the legs are represented. The race is made.

I did see Batke and Braumberger try to bridge, and get chased down. I also saw numerous other attacks attempted and failed. As we came through for the bell lap, I figured I'd made it... so I started moving up in the field. I suddenly had some of my confidence back. Not enough to actually attack the field, but enough to get into the top 10 or so, and sit there for a bit.

I guess everyone else thought the 5 places were gone, we were racing for scraps. Hey, us cat 4's like scraps. Those are bragging right scraps. So as we head to the line, there are lots of us SBRs at the front. I was just contemplating taking a flyer when, just before the school driveway, Dave says "John", I know he's going for it... so I pull up and off, as he attacks. I sit and follow wheels, as they chase after Dave.

Dave gets pulled back at about 200 meters, and then the sprints go. Not to bad, but I misjudged the wheel I was following, and got stuck into the wind before I wanted. I still made some places, and crossed the line 8th of the field, right behind Chris, with Tom, Ray and Dave right behind me. So overall we pulled in 12th through 16th. Not bad for scraps.

So, my first big race in the books. Overall it was an easy pace, not a typical A race in my limited experience... the field should have splintered into two or more groups again. I don't mind. First weekend racing, and doing the double to boot. Now I've got some confidence going into the next weekend.

In the 4/5 B race we had Jeff Comer, Dave, Rick, Gary, Jason and Pete Scacheri. You can check out Rick's Blog for that report. I know Pete came across in fourth with some solid work and attacks by the team. So a nice result there to add to the RATL podium places.