Hugo RR

80 miles of wind and big gears:
The Hugo RR is not a hard course but it’s a bike race and the one thing you can count on in a bike race is that it WILL be hard. If anyone ever tells you a bike race was easy ask them if they won…
The dead on head wind in the first 30 miles made things hard at the front of the pack and very easy in the pack. I attacked first setting off a string of attacks but they were all just testing attacks. You could tell no one really wanted to commit. Until fellow Wild Oats team mat Ralf tock a nice flyer. And then had 4 join him with team director Chad Moore in tow. Neither our team leader for the day but fit and smart racers, we were content. After about 30 miles the road make a shard right hand turn and the easy sitting in was over! 15 miles of hard core Belgian style cross wind racing in sued. Well close anyway. I found myself in the second group but we were not far behind. We started picking up riders getting dropped from the group ahead and after some hard dicing riding in the gutter I found my self in the first group, less the early break. hurting with no teammates and 2 up the road I was trying to recover. A Mr. Jon Tarkinton number 1 on the Best All-round Rider list was with us and I did NOT want him getting to the front. At least not with me feeling the way I did. Jon is a crafty rider to say the least and he can do it all. Crits, long windy RR, hills doesn’t matter. He’s a threat. However me sitting on didn’t make for the best of friends in a group of 6 or 7 and the attacks started. I marked Jon and only Jon. This hurt me more, but I hung tough. Then flat. Yeah believe it r not another flat on the tubulars. I couldn’t believe it! You would think I was aiming for glass and nails! I got a change not the fastest but hey this aint the Tour. A large group pasted me with Max and Mike Sutter in it. I then went about drafting the car at some a really high speed. My monitor kicked out. 53 -11 speed. For maybe 10 minutes I was pinned the whole time. As I kicked out from behind the car I gave my new best friend a nod and realized that the group with me 2 teammates had joined the front group that I was in. our early break was still out. I sat in as Max gave me a few pushes to help me recover but I had already gone to far into the suitcase of courage, as Paul and Phil would say. Another little rise and our group split. Mike and I in the bigger one, A few guys ahead max out the back. With Mike Sutter feeling good I went to work giving everything I had to bring back the guys just ahead of us. After several miles of this we turned again on the last 15 miles and into a cross wind. I lasted a few miles and then I was alone. I could barley keep it in the big ring wit the wind. I did make it though. Not sure on the place. Our 2 early breakers came in 4th and 5th not sure on Sutter yet but top 10 I would imagine. So a good day for the team, tactically a supper race we just need some stronger legs and 1 less flat tires!
Crit tomorrow eve that will conclude the rocky Mt. Omnium!