Sunapee CAT 4 RR 5-19-08
NEBC results
7th Brian Campbell, 15th Keith Reynolds, Colby Ricker,
Michael Good, Wayne Cunningham, Geoff Martin, Oscar
Jimenez, Bernard Tan, James Hall, Joseph Jussaume, Jay
Robbins, John Gibbons, Paul Jobin
Course Conditions
mid 50s – dry
2 23 mile loops 46 miles
88 starters, 78 finished
The course consisted of two distinct parts, the mostly flat/down hill RT 103 and hilly RT 11 and 103A. RT 103 and 11 were very wide however 103A was much narrower. I also noted the distance from the rotary to the finish was just less than ½ mile.
The race started out at a leisurely pace and I was at the back because I accidentally lined up in the line for the next race. I should have moved up after the start but I must have zoned out because I was still in the back when we got into Sunapee Village. I did get a chance to witness some of the fun things that happen back here. Someone’s chain fell off and almost caused a crash and, then someone else ran into an orange cone on the double yellow in Sunapee Village taking down a bunch of riders. At this point, Geoff dropped back to inform me I was in a race and to get my butt going. The first climb on RT 11 had just started, thinning the field, and I easily moved into the mid-front of the pack were there were no more incidents. Two riders also had started an attack and pulled away from the field.
At the start of second lap we were in good shape, however the two attacking riders were well ahead. Joe organized our team to catch them without help from the other clubs. By the time we reached the climbs on RT 11 the field was within about 50 yards of the leaders. After big descent on RT 11 blocking slowed the field and again other teams did not step up. We finally got back up to race pace at the start of RT 103A. Three riders popped off the front during the climbs and two big riders started blocking almost the entire road for the final descent. This caused a delay in the field’s response and we ended up coasting. Wayne broke out twice and started two big accelerations but they did not last long because only one or two others riders were participating. I got feed up as well and jumped out just before the turn onto 103. On RT 103, I hit the wind and decided I would burn myself out if I tried to pull away so I slowed down to 20 mph. After a few seconds nobody passed me so I looked back and the field was not gaining!!! Finally at the top of the first roller, the pace picked up and I settled into a protected top 15 spot. Wayne and a couple of other NEBC riders were also in good position as we approached the rotary. We caught the 3 riders who broke off late but the early break got away so we were racing for 3rd place. As we approached the rotary I had a good position on the left side. The road widened slightly before the cones and unfortunately riders from the back decided to move up. They packed in the left side and then had to dive into the field to avoid the cones pushing me into the middle. I ended up getting hopelessly boxed in during the rotary (probably 25-30th place). I went up the right side after exiting and moved up few spots still behind others. I finally broke free with about a ¼ mile to go and accelerated. I was able to salvage 7th place but it was a messy finish. There must have been riders from other fields because I was biking around slower people constantly and I could not determine my position at the line. I also broke out of the field too late to be in contention for 3rd.
NEBC had great representation and put in a superb effort to pull in the lead attackers, unfortunately the others teams did not assist. I have no idea what BRC or some of the other teams were doing. I did not see any organization or urgency from them during the last half of the race. Also I found that the left side of the field was not a good spot for the rotary. On the right you had a much better chance of protecting your position as you enter and road widens as you exit.
Bill Chiarchiaro