Albany Masters RR

Ron, Bill and I raced in the combined 45+/55+ Masters road race in Albany.  There were about 15 starters, including a few teams with 3 racers each.  We were still sitting around for about an hour after our scheduled start time because the race director apparently thought it would result in chaos if the p12 field and cat 3 and masters field were to be passing eachother on opposite sides of the road! The race literally started with a 4-man breakaway!  Team Sfatto and a Florida team sprinted away into the crossing headwind.  I managed to bridge but was dropped when they surged again—going from resting HR to max and holding it is tough…..I’m sure that was why they did it.  We (team Neuro) attempted to get the remaining racers organized to chase, but there was a little active blocking from the one remaining FL team racer and lots of apathy and dragging tongues in the rest of the peloton.  We continued to drive the chase aiming to at least rip the “dead wood” off, which we mostly succeeded in doing.  By the time we got onto the long downwind leg of the course it was the 3 of us Neuros and two McCafe’ racers.  The McCafe’ racers had done almost no work on the front (one of them literally none), so when we sat up the pace slowed considerably.  The next lap we rolled at about 21 mph average, knowing the break was gone for good.  After many unsuccessful attempts, we finally isolated and dropped the primary McCafe’ sandbagger on the short tailwind leg of the course—he claimed to be weak/tired/out of shape as though that would gain some sympathy!  He was tough to drop because he wasn’t all that weak or tired or out of shape.  Ron and Bill then proceeded to keep a good clip going, punching it on the short, shallow hills to try and work over the remaining McCafe’ rider (who was in the 45+ class).  I got to draft on the back, a welcome change from the first lap!  Unfortunately McCafe’ wasn’t showing any signs of weakness.  The plan was to have Ron do a hard surge up the first hill on the 2 mile finish stretch and then I would attack.  My attack didn’t shed our adversary, and Bill countered to keep him working.  I attacked again on the last rise, but McCafe’ was able to stick with me.  About 100 meters from the finish he jumped and easily sprinted away for 4^th place in 45+ (the 4-man break had a 55+).  Bill and I were a photo finish, and Ron rolled in right after us.  Training and competing in 6 hr mountain bike endurance races are not helping my legs with snap for breakaways and sprint finishes! Bill was 2^nd and Ron 3^rd in 55+, while I took 5^th in 45+.  It was frustrating to not make the break and not catch them (if only the McCafe’ guys had worked with us), but it was fun to work together as a team.  

Jeff

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