Don’t slack when the field is neutralized! So I learned at today’s Lucarelli & Castaldi Prospect Park Road Race where I competed in the Cat 1/2/3 field. My goal was to ride at the front of the pack and get involved in any potential moves, which I did until lap 6.
It was fast from the start. Constant attacks kept me on my toes. We went so fast that we closed in on the Cat 5 finish and got neutralized. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to eat some of my energy chews to refuel. While I was trying to down a chew that had become stiff and inedible, riders were positioning themselves. By the time the race resumed, I was mid-pack and unable to join the breakaway which consisted of 13 riders who sprinted off the front once the whistle blew.
The one team that had three riders in the breakaway prevented the relentless efforts from the main group to chase it down. I often got involved in chase efforts, but all of them failed. The breakaway group was working together and built their lead up to two minutes. I revised my plan to position myself well for the field sprint. I was mid-pack leading into the hill on the last lap. Other riders were also focusing on positioning themselves for the sprint, causing a lot of shouldering and bumping. With roughly 300 meters to go, I found a path to sprint. I rode as hard as I could and finished 7th in the field sprint and got 20th out of 62 overall. You can watch my race on YouTube but the quality is poor as my GoPro cameras got hit by wet dirt early on.
While I failed my goal of staying with the front throughout, I was satisfied with my result and happy to gain confidence sprinting in a large group. I hope to put all this knowledge to good use at the Tour of Newport News next week.
