Cat 3 Men's Lake Sunapee - Scott Brooks 5-20-07
The crew:
Scott Brooks – 1st
Roy Van Cleef – 6th
Dave Rizzo
John Broussard
David Chiu
Julian Gent
Chris Hong
Jay Francis
Jesse Chebot
It was a beautiful day for racing, with temps topping out at 45 degrees and the rain alternating between drizzle and pouring. Of course, sitting in a pack of over 40 riders, the spray from the road made everything feel like a downpour. This race had been slated as a team race at the start of the season. A team race is one that the team has agreed to work towards a single purpose, to put their own aspirations aside and ride as a single unit. This early in the season, the goal was to ride at or near the front and control the race. With the pack rolling off the start line, two riders took off on an early flyer and the NEBC mass moved to the front. Working together as a team and with a couple of other riders, we quickly brought the two flyers back. The next 15 or so miles were extremely quiet. When the conditions are sour, riders just keep their head down and mouths shut (probably to limit the amount of road salt that lands in them). At one point a small group of eight riders make a gap between the main pack. Jesse Chebot quickly jumped into the front pack and joined Roy and Chris. With three riders in a group of nine, we were content to let it go. Of course, with that big of a group, other riders weren’t so content and brought them back. Gavin Mannion of CCB (a great young and upcoming local rider) went off the front solo. With the pack back together, everyone looked to NEBC to bring him back. Gavin was immediately out of sight and Julian and I started to lead the pack on the chase. Noone else was interested in working and we let him go. If Gavin could stay away for 35 miles solo and no other riders wanted him back, then we would let him go. 10 miles later, and one long four step climb later, Gavin was still gone. The NEBC train again went to the front and with five riders sharing the load, and a couple of other teams working, we brought him within 100 yards of us and let him sit there for a bit. Shortly everything came together again and we rode as a single pack.
The course has three climbs on each lap. With the team riding so well together and the initial goal accomplished, my goal was to stay with the pack over these three climbs. For the past two years I slip off the back and have to hammer to catch on. Over the first of the three climbs at the front of the group, I looked at a slight rise shortly up the road. There was a street sign half-way up and I decided to pick the pace up when I got to the sign and push it over the crest. We had 13 miles left to go in the race and I figured if I felt good at this point everyone must and the finish would come down to a bunch sprint if the status quo remained. Over the crest I looked back to see what was going on and noticed that a gap of 75 yards was immediately opened up. A single International Bike rider was coming with me and we quickly started to share pulls. The rider was fast on the downhills and good on the flats, but struggled on the hills. Unwilling to go it alone from this distance, I relaxed and let him set the paces, continuing to share the work. Six miles later, he is really hurting and the second of three climbs is daunting around the corner. I start thinking that if I can get over the climb before the pack catches me, anything is possible in the last seven miles. At the top of the climb, I can see the pack at the bottom and my fellow breakaway rider reintegrating with the peleton. The gap is quickly lessening and a rider from Incline Training shoots off the front of the group and bridges up to me. The gap has shrunk to under 100 yards. This is the point that the team shone. They went to the front and shut down the race. With a fresh partner and the confidence of a controlled race behind me, we quickly work together and get out of sight from the pack. Turning onto 103, we have about three or four miles left and the last climb that has four parts. With the rain continuing to pour, the coldness started to settle into my muscles. Shifting was controlled by my shoulder, rather then fingers, as I leveraged my entire arm to do it. My legs were slowly solidifying into a mass. Onto the four part climb, I led up the first pitch, he took the second, I took the third and he took the fourth. As we were cresting the fourth, I keep hoping the my body would let me hold on for second place. This guy was riding very strong and I had now been away for nearly 12.5 miles. With a kilometer to go, I just feared being caught and passed by the group. Over the fourth crest the course drops down to a rotary where we go ¾ of the way around before heading into Sunapee Ski Resort for the finish. The other guy waves me around him, but I’m not interested, I would rather he pull me as long as I can stay on his wheel and hope for second. As we exit the roatary, I can now see back onto the course and notice that the pack still is out of sight. Confident that I have second, I take a deep breath and focus on the wheel in front of me. Approaching the finish, I can feel the rider trying to push the pace, but my body is really starting to recover. A couple of deep breaths later and the finish line comes in sight and I start to wonder when he is going to sprint for it. 200 meters to go and we keep pedaling, 150, 100, 75 the rider keeps looking over his shoulder at me. After the third glance, I decide to attack while he is still rotating his head forward to maximize my element of surprise. I stand and attack hard going left away from him. The split second was enough to gap him and take the win.
After crossing the line I turn around and wait for the pack where Roy takes fourth in the field sprint and the rest of the team comes across the line to celebrate the team win. Goal one for the day was masterfully accomplished by the team working together. With everyone riding at or near the front, they were able to control the race and allow me to keep my head down and hammer. A team victory is just icing on the cake!!!
Thanks to everyone who was at the line cheering for me, and a special thanks to Mike Rowell for capturing the moment on film