Double Treat! Whenever we go to Boston to see family, I always check whether there are any cycling events in the area. The last time the stars aligned was three years ago – I jumped into the Wells Ave Crit in Newton and had an absolute blast. The race itself was super fun, but I also had a chance to chat with Danny Estevez, the 2021 USA Elite Road Race and Crit National Champion, and we stayed in touch (you can see Max and my interview with Danny on YouTube).
The three-year wait was over – and this time, I was in for a double treat! I joined the Best Buddies Three Trails Ride on Saturday and raced the Wells Ave Crit on Sunday. I was a little nervous about joining the Best Buddies ride because I didn’t know anyone, but I had an absolutely fantastic time. Not only was the 80 km ride nothing short of awesome, but so were the riders – I made several new friends.
For the Wells Ave Crit on Sunday, I was feeling ambitious and signed up for both the Cat 1/2/3 and 3/4 races. The course was just how I remembered it: oval-shaped and about 1.25 km long. However, one thing was definitely different this time – the wind! It was steady but very strong on the home stretch.
The 45-minute Cat 3/4 race was first, and I started with 27 riders. Once the whistle blew, a 545 Velo rider immediately attacked. His teammates shut down any chase efforts, keeping him off the front for the entire race. I tried attacking multiple times but got chased down each time. As the race wore on, the fatigue started to build. With three laps to go, a New England Devo rider attacked, bridged to the solo rider, and even took the win. I was in a good spot for the field sprint – 4th wheel coming into the final corner – but the brutal headwind was definitely my worst enemy. One rider got past me, and I finished 5th in the field sprint and 7th overall. You can see all the action on YouTube via my GoPro cameras.
That race left me absolutely GASSED, so I decided to skip the Cat 1/2/3 race. The most I probably would’ve gotten out of it was just hanging on. I’ve raced and trained quite a bit over the past few months, and I need to take it a little easier to be ready for the key events coming up: the Garden State Stage Race next weekend, Bear Mountain Classic May 4, Wilmington Grand Prix May 17, Delaware Gran Fondo May 18, Easton Criterium May 25, Tour of Somerville May 26, and the Hincapie Gran Fondo Lehigh Valley May 30.
