This was a fun race.  I missed it last year due to a friend’s wedding, but would not miss it this year.  Celerity Cycling would be headed down two deep, myself and Dan Netzer.  We would be meeting up with Joe Altamore of Hilton Cycling and Mickey Turner of Careytown Bike Shop to form somewhat of a Virginia Composite team for the Cat 3/4 race.  It was displayed as a 62 mile RR, but after google mapping the course we saw it to be 64.  this is important for later.  The course was described as a “lollipop” style course.  A twelve mile stretch out to a 10 mile loop where we would do 4 laps, and then back down the 12 mile stretch to the finish; simple math of 12*2+10*4=64 miles.  Not that hard.  We went out there with a plan.  We would start with a high pace, and maintain it for a decent amount of time, and then lull the field.  At that point Dan and Mickey would attack and Joe and I would stay on the front to pace the field.  the plan went perfect.  We had a pace line of 5 or 6 VA faces on the front including our composite team, and joining us was Mitch Hunt of Fat Frog’s and a guy from Southside cycle and Tri (I forget your name, and apologize).  We were on a slight down slope out to the loop, but kept the pace between 28 and 30.  About 20 minute (or 7 miles) we slowed down, and Dan and Mickey went.  It was perfect; they walked away from us while Joe and I sat on the front.  The centerline rule was in effect, and we used this to our advantage.  Going to wide gave us just enough room to go slow, and not let anyone past, but to also try and keep a moderate pace so no one would want to.  A couple attacks tried to go early, but were smothered quickly.  I sat on the front of that field for almost 35 miles, before i was overtaken, and everybody got tired of letting me bask in the sun and wind.

I think it is important to point out at this moment that had it not been for the lsat minute volunteering of Mike and Brenna Hosang to give us bottle feeds throughout the race, that we would have been a lot deeper in the hurt locker than we were.  It ended up being a bit warmer than we planned on, and their help is greatly appreciated.  Thank you guys.

Dan and Mickey were caught about the half way point, and we then just kept the pace up, and moseyed on.  Nothing went off the front successfully until close to the return leg when a solo flier went off the front and Mickey bridged up to him.  This is where I don’t get people.  Dan and I decided to do no work as we were all racing as a team, but Mickey and the other guy stayed no farther than 30-45 seconds at most, and at one point were only 15 seconds up the road, and the field was wall to wall sitting up with nobody working.  It was a giant group ride taking up the entire road.  In my not to vast experience in the last 5 -10 miles usually the pace should be crazy fast single file, but not here.  I looked down and saw 65 miles click over on the Garmin.  I asked how much farther, and someone said 2 miles or so.  HMMMMMMMMM okay.  So much for 64 miles.  But again if we were only two miles with two guys insight off the front why wasn’t the pace higher….. I throw it up to laziness or the fact that everyone was happy with a field sprint for 3rd vice working to try for first.  Oh well.  We came into the final uphill 200m, and I was third wheel.  I gave it everything I had, but working so much that day had taken its toll on me, and as my legs cramped, and I rode through I drifted backwards to finish in 13th.   Mickey won that race, and Dan finished around 21st I believe.  IT was now time to check into the hotel, and rest up before the Sanford Crit the next day.

I know that this is so late that it is kind of a moot point, but its more for my records now.  I’ll keep it short.  The day started off gloomy; low 50’s and a little rain.  It had cleared up by the time we lined up for the Cat 3 race, and the course was drying up.  We did embro up the legs, and that made it nice.  The officials blew he whistle,a nd instantly I was in the back half of the field of 50+ people.  I spent the first two or three laps trying to move up while pondering how this had happened.  Meanwhile, team el capitan, Dan Netzer, was on the front setting a blistering pace.  After five or six laps I made it up to the front ten or so, and took my place.  I attacked once or twice, but to no avail.  Then Dan went and three or four went with him.  I took my place on the front seeing that 3 sports, Wholefoods, and HPC (all the big teams/ teams with #’s) were in the break, but then for some reason their teammates started to chase.  As shown in Dan Gibson’s video, this puzzled me, and I continued to pace while staying towards the front of our group and then it happened. one of the HPC guys who was chasing his teammate down lost his wheel in the 90 degree turn at the base of the hill and went down.  I might have accidentally kicked him trying to avoid running him over as i went up into the grass to avoid him, and sow my amatuer cross skills.  I jumped back on course and hauled myself up the hill.

The field was now split, with a group of 15 off the front, and the rest about a half lap back myself included.  I was now at a conundrum; do i chase to catch the group that contains all the BAR points and my teammate or do i pace the field and let Dan do his thing.  I decided the teammate thing to do would be to sit on the front and pace.  This lasted for a lap until I looked over at the front group, and saw Dan attack and take three guys with him.  As soon as I saw a decent gap between him, and what was now the chase group I kicked it into high gear and started to bring the field to the chase group.  It took a bit of work among a few of us over about half the race to catch the chase group, but we did, and with 6 laps to go.  This gave me a chance to recover a bit before the finish.  Dan and them were now a good minute or so away, and we would not be catching them so I sat in and waited.  As we came around for the bell lap the pace picked up, and the real race began.  We meandered up the hill, around the sweeping left turn, through a chicane, and down the hill for the final sweeping left, a small straight, and then another chicane before the 250m stretch to the finish.  A few of us knew that the real race was to the chicane, and that whoever was in the lead there would most likely cross the finish first.  As we went down the hill the front of th field sat up in the head wind, and I used this chance to attack.  I went off the front, and gave it everything i had.  Mickey Turner and someone else caught me at the chicane and passed me.  I crossed the finish third in the sprint and 7th overall, and found out my teammate, Dan, had won.  It was a good day.