Connecticut Cash Crits

6.12.09

Things finally really started to come together for us this past weekend.  Saturday was the 1^st pro12 crit in New England this year with a prize purse over $1k.  It was down in New Briton on the easy winding crit course through the inner city park just south-west of Hartford.  There’s always a few races held on that course each year.  Being that it is a simple course the likelihood of a break staying away is low and we were preparing ourselves to set up Morgan for a field sprint finish.  Manny took a $100 prime with a savvy sprint early in the race and I went for one about half way through the race but timed my sprint poorly and couldn’t come around Jerome Townsend so I sat up and got nipped at the line for 2^nd then learned from Manny on the next lap that it was a 2 place prime and 2^nd won $50… A move went up the road with about 9-10 laps to go and was dangling at an uncomfortable 15 second gap as the next few laps ticked by.   So Manny moved up the inside and I got on his wheel and we hit the front at 6 to go when I pulled through on the backside I realized the field had allowed us to walk right off the front and we had about a 100 meter gap already.  So we put the hammer down and Manny practically killed himself to get me across to the break.  Manny was unable to stay in after his great effort but I sat behind the break for a bit and then started to put in some heavy pulls.  We opened the gap up on the field a bit more but I was still skeptical that we were going to be successful.  Fortunately we had the right teams in the break, with Wheelhouse, CCNS, and one of the Dutch riders that were over from Holland, the great diesel time trialist Josh Liptka (formally of bikereg.com team) was in it as well.  So Manny, Morgan and other teammates of the break were severely hindering the chase behind to give us a chance on this course.  I felt a lot stronger than I had yet this year and I worked really hard the 5 laps I was in the break.  We made it to the last lap still holding a gap on the field, after getting over the small hill on the back side, the wheelhouse rider made a move but I held his wheel.  Then just before the final turn the CCNS rider jumped and opened up a small lead on me (the 2^nd rider) the Dutch rider who we all assumed was dead because he only pulled twice in the last 5 laps came off my wheel, caught the CCNS rider in the sprint and won the race.  I held off a charging Liptka for 3^rd.  It was my best finish in a pro12 race ever and our biggest result as a team so far.  I definitely couldn’t have done it without Manny getting me up to the break.  Also I’d like to give a shout out to Daniel Greenfield for “giving us young guys a break” and ride off the front.

6.13.09

Sunday’s crit was held on one of my favorite crit courses of the year, just off the water in New London CT.  It had a $1,500 prize package so attracted a lot of the strong New England teams, along with the Dutch team as well.  So we were careful to make sure we had a rider in all the moves that had a dangerous mix of teams.  The course was much more technical than the day before, with 6 90 degree turns, one long sweeping turn, 2 elevation changes and a solid breeze coming off the water, all in only a 1k loop(definitely my kind of course).  So there was certainly a threat for a break to go.  At one point I had to put in a few long, strong pulls at the front for a couple laps when there was a scary break up the road that had several teams as well as lightning quick Luke Keough of bikereg.com.  Once there were about 10 laps to go I could tell that it was evident that it was going to come to a field sprint.  I asked Manny how he was feeling, he said alright and asked him what I wanted him to do.  With Morgan out due to some fit issues on his loaner bike, I was the designated sprinter, so I told Manny just to lead me around the final turn in front of the field and give it everything.  He and Tristan had both taken a prime earlier in the race so things had already been going pretty well.  I felt very strong, completely recovered from any previous efforts during the race, I began to move back up toward the front.  Nick Keough of the Kenda Professional Cycling team, tried a flyer at about 5 to go which raised what had been a very fast pace all day a bit more, but I still had no problem moving up into position, and Nick came back a couple laps later.  With 2 laps to go I was in excellent position but as we got the bell it began to swarm a bit at the front, I moved back to about 9^th but after a few turns I followed one rider up on the backside into about 5^th again, but I knew I needed to be further up coming around the final turn to have a shot at the win.  We took the 2^nd to last turn, Alec Donahue followed by Luke Keough at the front, I had an opening on the left and I jumped up the side taking the front just as we entered the final turn. I took it well and put my head down and tore into the pedals trying to hold off the field in the long 250 meter slight up hill final stretch to the finish.  About half way down I shifted one harder and used every ounce of my roaring adrenalin to keep accelerating up to the line and was just able to hold off a charging Luke Keough and take the win.  I couldn’t believe it, definitely the biggest result of my life.  Cornering has always been my greatest strength, the last crit I won as a junior was also the result of diving into corners faster than anyone else would dare.  I now hope things can keep moving up from here, my fitness is definitely at a level that I’ve never been able to attain before.

PAtrick~