Marblehead Road Race

Attendees: Michael and Marcus (Where the hell was everyone else? Better havebeen helping at Casters)

Weather: 40 degrees or so at 8am. Partly Cloudy with Gusts of 30mph off theocean

Setting: 2 mile circuit around Marblehead Neck (The Rockefellers have a househere so it is a nice neighborhood except for we bikers. Course is very rollingwith the front side consisting of a decent little climb a fast downhill tofinish and then another climb to the turnaround to the back. Back is on theocean with a car parked illegally on the right and a sharp S turn on thedownhill into the only flat section which goes right into the wind. Nasty wind.Finishes with hairpin turn which is the bunching of the pack into the frontsection again.

Race: 4/5 First Race of the Year

Warm Up: Good and Sweaty. Got the heart rate up.Mistake 1: Forget to fill the tires last night and was low about 10-15 psi.

Start: Almost missed it by going back to car but cut up the inside and putmyself in row 2 behind the host team CCB. Whistle goes off and the soft peddlebegins up the first hill.

Goal: At least five serious breaks, leading at least one full lap, stay in frontat the end with two to go and give it one last try for a top 20 at least.

Result: First lap, Michael takes off and leads for a full lap. Everyone sat inthinking I am crazy (which I am). Pack catches me on the second climb on thefront side. Sat in for half lap and broke again into the wind around the hairpinturn and up the first climb. Pack catches at the finish line and Michael breaksagain into the first turnaround. Finally everyone wants to race with me andWayne(the ponytailed cyclocross guy), Mark Tatar and Nissim Mishal (Quad) comeup on the break. Try to work together but no luck going into the wind. Comearound into lap 5 now and the crazy people come out. First some guy runs intothe back of the illegally parked car. Reaction from that is some guys touchedwheels and took out maybe 10 guys. Now it is a race of attrition. Michael goesto the front again to try to break it up. In fact in the first five laps I madethe hairpin turn in front.

But....races aren't won in the beginning but can be lost. Stayed in front.Marcus then tried to take off but no one was working together. I sat in toregroup for a couple laps. Tried staying in first third. Come around with 2 lapsto go and was in decent position but not perfect. Worked by way up coming intothe start line for one lap to go. There were four teams which made up 80% of thefield. Threshold took the left and I noticed the top sprint guy Nissim from Quadon the right and I said perfect, I will go with his wheel. Logical but the wrongchoice. Some do do brain slowed up on the hill and toppled over into Nissimwhich caused everyone including me to either fall or like me jump off and try torun with my bike up around into the grass and up the hill, then jump on the biketo catch the pack. Mistake 2: Bad move. My muscles cramped up and I never caughtthe pack. Oh well. Felt strong all day and definately had one more good one inme to finish strong but there is always next Saturday.