Race Reports for 15-16 March 2008

Paris-Troyes UCI 1.2
France
Who raced: Ian Holt

Perry Roubaix Stage Race
Perry, Georgia
Who raced: Sean Coleman

Sequoia Cycling Classic
Exeter, CA / Visalia, CA
Who raced: Holly Borowski

ReMax Town and Country Road Race
Albermarle, NC
Who raced: Chris Judy and Zach Garrett

Ian's report from the Paris-Troyes UCI 1.2 Road Race:
Team: Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy/Cycling Center
Web site: http://www.aubeffc.com/paristroyes/infographie.htm
Distance: ~168.9km
Conditions: Ridiculous
Peloton: Just short of 200, many continental pro teams
Place: 55th. The weather conditions were bad, rain most of the day and sometimes extremely heavy and cold. Winds 15-25mph but more toward the 25mph. Cold, miserable and dangerous! In fact 100 FEET into the NEUTRAL roll out one of my teammates front wheel got clipped and 4 of us piled up. Wow! After getting the bikes untangled, mine worked and it was already time to catch back on. When the neutral section ended the rain did too so I shed my rain cape (stupid) and made my way up to the front of the peloton (smart). I was able to stay up in the front third of the peloton through the first hour of the race in good position while the radio said guys were getting shelled already. One crucial round-about my group accidentally took the long way round and I lost a good 50 spots. I tried to work my way back up but only a few km later we popped out into completely exposed rolling countryside with 25mph cross winds. Two sweet echelons formed at the front, I wasn't in them and I was in the gutter for a good 20 minutes until I couldn't hold on and had to fall back into a chasing group. Our team leader got a flat and eventually I fell back to the team car to help him but the car went so fast eventually only he made it back to the front and the other three of us were popped again to a chase group. Our chase group kind of gave up when the weather turned even worse but the funny thing was there was a circuit in the middle of the race and when my team leader's group came around we reintegrated and no one said anything! I was about to look for the broom wagon but the race was back on. Our DS immediately told us all to go to the front and drill it to try to catch the leaders. Within 2 minutes we were all lined up and for the next 50km I completely tourtured myself on the front. I pulled the group up most of the climbs at 400 watts or so. The very last climb with only 10km to go I popped and worked my way through the caravan but not quite back to the peloton. I finished somewhere in the mid 50's having expended over 4200Kj. I know the only difference between making the winning break and not for me is a little bit of fitness but mostly getting into the right echelons. It didn't matter how strong you were, if you did not make the fist two echelons you did not make the break. The DS told me most people don't finish their first Kermese here, and don't do a UCI race for weeks, so finishing a UCI 1.2 no matter what the circumstances was pretty nice. Steven took 29th with our help, maybe could have been better without the flat tire.

Sean's report from the Perry Roubaix Stage Race:
Last year I won the Perry Roubaix Stage race just south of Atlanta so I came to defend the title but no such luck!
TT: The first TT since nationals last year and the weather was about the same, rainy and cool. I placed 9th in the 10-mile TT but 12 seconds dropped me 5 places. I think the new Cervelo TT bike will take care of that.
Circuit race: The race started with about 70 riders and only half finished the race due to the wind and pace. About 15 miles into the 52-mile race there was a large group that rolled off of the front and my local teammate made the split. I just sat back and followed wheels until I saw a group coming back with him in it. As soon as he came back a counter move went and I jumped in it and the chase was on. The wind kept us at bay and we ended up between the field and the lead group when they decided to shorten the race. The next lap they called five laps to go just as lead group lapped the field. With one lap to go I looked back to see the field strung out and jumped away from the seven man group I was with to beat the field to the line so I didn't get lapped. It turned out to be a good move because I was the only one who made it across the line before getting caught and ended up 13th. Everyone else ended up one lap down.
Road Race: The road race played out like it did last year with a four-man group going off of the front right at the start. That move lasted 40 miles and as soon as that move came back another two-man group went and Toshiba had a guy in it so they started riding tempo. When we hit the dirt fire road I went and tried to go solo to cross the now four-minute gap and spent the next 15 miles in full TT mode. I pulled in some KOM and MAR points along the way to help with the Omnium overall. I only pulled back 2 minutes before I saw another 12-man group coming across to me. I recovered and waited only to find out two more Toshiba guys were in this move. So I just took an occasional pull to keep everyone off of my back and followed a couple of moves but now felt the earlier effort at about the 95 mile mark. The group splintered at the 100-mile mark in the wind. I rolled in for 9th about five minutes ahead of the remaining field. The Omnium overall has not been posted yet but I am figuring 5 or 6 place overall.

Holly's report from the Sequoia Cycling Classic:
TT: 40th place. 40km out and back. This was the longest TT of my life, so I paced it conservatively in the first half, especially up the starting climb. My first half felt great--perfectly paced so I would have just enough left for the return trip. The second half could've been better--there were many moments where my focus waned and I know I lost momentum and time. Overall, I felt good--my TT is improving, but still has a long way to go!
Crit: 38th (just behind crash in final turn). This one was a bit dangerous, with a number of crashes at the front of the field and quite a few sketchy moments. I managed to stay upright, luckily. I stayed conservative for the first half, since the crit was fairly long, and quickly sensed that it would likely come to a field sprint. So, I maintained the best position possible without expending too much energy. The last two laps were fast, and I was in or near the top 15 riders...not quite as far up as I would've liked, but generally in good position. But, unfortunately, I was right behind a crash involving Laura Van Guilder and a few other riders in the final turn. I had to stop completely, and my race was over. Rolled in a couple minutes later with my friend, frustrated with the day's result. Overall, my fitness and handling skills felt good, although in retrospect I wish I had raced a bit more aggressively, since I didn't come away with a good result anyway!

Zach's report from the ReMax Town and Country Road Race:
Result: Unknown - race shortened due to severe weather
The race start was delayed 2hrs and it began to rain as the race started. Chris was at the front helping keep the pace high. I sat in the pack to conserve energy and be conservative at the beginning of the race. All the corners were followed by hills, allowing the opportunity for splits in the pack, which caused the last 10 guys in the pack to get shelled after each corner. Toward the end of the 2nd lap we encountered rain, wind, and hail, causing the race to be shortened to 20km(2 laps). Unfortunately the pack had dissolved such that there was no discernible sprint. Safety was the primary concern today.