This would turn out to be my last MD race of my short career, so I really wanted to do well. Before the race, I reflected on the advice I got from John and Alex at CPSLO..."Attack! Attack! Attack! oh, and don't forget...Attack!" It got me 6th place at the CP crit, but that course had a slight hill and rather technical corners for some D riders. The SB crit was as flat as can be, and the turns were so easy that you could pedal right through them. This is why I love business park crits. As the race started I was nervous as usual, and some strange kid from Davis was telling lame jokes. "What happens when the smog clears in Los Angeles? You See L A." That is funny........NOT. Anyway we took off and the pace was really relaxed. There were a few attacks, but everything was being immediately pulled back in. There was absolutely no way to break. Viraj tried to attack, but not enough people went with him for it to work out. I decided to take it easy and sit in, i.e. danny style. I did nothing the entire race. All my powertap data was well below my personal best. Coming around the first turn of the final lap some USC D plowed into my RD. I heard the chain rattle loudly, felt the cranks stick and looked back to see his face stunned. I kept it up and the cranks started spinning again. Anyway, after this I was so angry that I didn't realize it was last lap. Oddly enough half of the other riders didn't know it either. Up to the last turn I was 4th wheel and kept it. I didn't even sprint. I was so fresh afterwards that I felt as if I was still warming up. What would have happened if I actually tried at the end? Who knows, but as Jose says "there's no glory in the D's". After the race we noticed that my RD wasn't shifting properly. I took it to a LBS and it turns out the hanger and RD were slightly bent and needed adjustment. I would find out the next day that the skewer itself was also bent. USC kid, you owe me. Big time. Ron maybe you need to give those D's another pack handling clinic?
MC RR- The C's are scared to breakaway. 5th or 6th place
Hans allowed me to upgrade before the road race, so Andrew A, Viraj and I joined Danny for our first C's race. To Danny's dismay, we wouldn't be leading him out Columbia-Highroad style (although maybe we should have). The race started out and I was very apprehensive because of all of my bike problems. I was using Hippolyte's trainer skewer in my rear wheel and my shifting was off. I also dropped my chain warming up, so I felt like something bad was bound to happen. As the race started SB and Santa Clara went to the front. They kept a very easy pace. Danny and I kept to the front and the tea party ensued. When we got to the front the pulls were at about 150 watts. Thats no joke. As we approached the first turn there was no course martial and Danny took a left. I followed and the entire field went right. We turned around and caught onto the back to find Cal Binder riding along with us. Danny began to chat and I worked to move up. I knew I screwed my chances with that mishap, so I made sure to get up there. It took me and entire lap to reach 10th wheel. During this boring journey the pace slowed down even more. Slowly the Cal Poly riders moved their team to the front. I noticed an attack off the front with mostly Cal Poly riders. At this point I was about 8th wheel. I saw the break slowly move away and wondered why no chasing ensued. The C's are very hesitant to let any breaks go. Then I saw SB, Cal, Santa Clara and some other riders just sitting behind 4 Cal Poly D's. This is what I like to call the Cal Poly Cattle Guard. They set up 4 of their weakest riders at the front and blocked the entire lane.
This is literally blocking the entire lane from the centerline to the shoulder so that nobody could pass. I screamed at the riders in front of me who didn't even notice to pass them, push them, get by them. I forced the group to catch the weak break and by this time we were ready for the 3rd lap. As we passed the feed zone I heard Jose yell out "ANDREW ITS THE LAST LAP!". As Hippolyte would say... it was time to drop the hammer and say goodbye. The pace started to pick up. I attacked on the first hill. I went hard its was a very short hill, so I just muscled up it. I Looked back after 10 seconds and nobody was with me. I wasn't going to waste energy like at the Cal Poly CR, so I let them catch up and kept second wheel. In retrospect I should have just gone for it. I can to race for first not tea party. "If you're not first, you're last." I heard things like "oh he got tired.", "Were not working with you.", "Good luck". Ok fine, let it come down to a field sprint and you'll get crushed by Danny. Second hill, I kept my position at the front and attacked again. A Stanford rider came with and we hammered it. He was doing okay until he cracked and almost took me out. He slowed so much that I touched his rear wheel. I took over and got aero, by this time the field chased and then it was over. I pulled off and got back into the group for the sprint. I was about 4th wheel coming into it and stayed there. I heard a crash at the back as some Davis guys apparently tried to move up and bounced off some other riders. I didn't look back. The sprint began, but I knew I wasn't in top form. The failed attempts at breakaways took a lot out of me. All of a sudden I see Danny come out of nowhere. He took second ostensibly, and I took 6th in the sprint. I went back to the van and devoured a blueberry muffin in about 2 bites. I really thought I could muscle that one out, but 5 second power isn't my strong suit at this point.
UCSC should be interesting. I'll either do well, or get crushed by the seemingly endless climbing...
- Andrew T, UCLA
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