4/30/05 by Allied Decals Cycling Team
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I was very optimistic about the weather today, telling myself it couldn't be as bad as last week. It appeared many others were just as hopeful as the fields were much bigger today. Of the 30 some in this field, I think we had 8 ADCT. That's a nice feeling.
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We actually got a chance to discuss a few plans before the race, which adds a element of mission and comfort. Yet, as I lined up, and Denis pointed out Ernsesto Marenchin, I had a feeling there might be a new game plan. I never raced against him, but he is like the Lance of dirt world, from what I have heard of him. Though I thought I could sit in and watch what was going on, I new if he took off, I better be on his wheel if I ever want to see him again.
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I ended up introducing myself to Ernie during one of the many painfully cold neutral laps. He grew up in my home town, Hermitage, so that was pretty cool. Funny though, in such a small town, I have never crossed paths with him, until now.
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Speaking of crossing paths that's not something I want to do in a rainy race. When Ernie took off, I went after him. He seemed to realize I was on him as I caught up to him on the hill. Yet the others were coming around, and that's when I heard it that long screeching and popping. As the sound intensified, I wondered "is that me, am I about to die"? Luckily I was still upfront (hence the reason I would rather work hard then get caught up in that ^)(:) when, I guess John Lorson (from what I am told) tried to attack and crossed wheels. It was way too close for my comfort, and I sure didn't feel like racing after that. A 10$ prime isn't worth losing my teeth over.
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On the first prime, Denis had some great effort for which I was sure he would be rewarded. I followed after him, as I thought that maybe this was something that would stick and we could pull away from the pack. Not far from the line though, another guy came by. I thought we were all alone. It's a tough situation, because Denis deserved it. But next time I will be more careful to look around as I probably could have blocked the guy who got it. Denis made good on the second prime, and I got the third, so there was justice.
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I think the crowd, standing in the rain, deserves some action, so we should work hard for primes, even though it can really be counterproductive if you are trying to sit in unnoticed for the final sprint. I realize that the guy who wins the prime is a marked man. And burning that extra match for 10$ may cost you a good standing when you need ever ounce for that final sprint. But cycling is about more then just sitting around all day and drawing straws for a final prize. I have a lot of respect for the guys who pick it up a notch and keep the race alive.
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Alive is a good thing. Death is bad. And after seeing 3 wrecks (and I guess 10 guys were taken out from these), I didn't have much desire to continue on. And besides, I was cold. Any pre-race plan didn't account for this contingency. It was so great to have so many teammates out there. It definitely made it easier for me. I even heard other guys complain when they couldn't figure out which one of us was who.
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But it was confusing for me too. Several times I would take off, and vaguely hear a teammate yell, "NO NO", and have to fade back as another seemed to be saying "GO, GO". I was going to sit in more, but when Ernie took off, I wasn't sure if the team wanted me to go or wait. It was kind of comical in a way since with the rain and cold I couldn't hear or see too well anyway. I was just there to endure some more pain for a few laps. My biggest desire was to just go water a tree.
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About then (and I was about to take a pit stop), Bobbie had a great acceleration. That warmed me up a bit until George did the same thing. It appeared, with a half a lap left, that he would take the win. I was happy for him. Somehow, I picked it up a bit and passed him just after the hill. I think there were 3 or 4 going through the last S turn. That's where I think I passed Denis, thinking I could pull him in. Then, I thought about how he was robbed of the first prime, and figured I better just pull and pull, rather than try to dance around for position in a sprint.
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I thought for sure everyone would pass me between the final turn and the finish. I couldn't even see the line or what happened, since I my glasses were all fogged. It wasn't until after, Tricia had a picture of the finish, that I realized I had a comfortable lead. Like I said, I had to visit nature.
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On a side note, my daughter, Lorin, 14 did her first race earlier. Having her make it in safely was my biggest desire of the day. She hasn't been training, and was very reluctant to try it, to fit in etc. But she did well, and I was proud of her, and the other juniors, doing it despite the weather. I am thankful for the team and the encouragement from those there that day. It sure would be nice to see other youth get involved, regardless if they have expensive bikes or matching uniforms.
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Who knows, maybe some day I will have the pride Ted must have felt as Tricia tore up the field and soloed over half the race. Isn't it great to see people step out of their comfort zone and sacrifice pain for something greater. There is a "prime" out there everyday, and whether you race or not, be inspired and don't wait till your last lap to give it your all.
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Ed Delgros
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Well, the weather wasn't much better than last week - in fact, I think it might have been colder and wetter during the actual Cat. 4 race - but apparently everyone's pent-up desire to race needed to be released; there were a total of 24 racers in the Cat. 4 field, despite the lousy weather (40° and rain). Racing for Allied Decals were myself, Brian Ramsey, and Ben Kuhlman. We actually had a plan for this race; instead of waiting for the inevitable attacks, and reacting to them, we were going to warm up well and start the attacks ourselves, hopefully taking the initiative away from MVC and Spin Bike Shop's Ryan Williams.
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Well, the best laid plans of mice and men...Ryan Williams wasn't even in our race (he had upgraded to a Cat 3), and MVC turned out in force - I counted four of them, including the winner of the prior week's race, Dan Quinlan - along with a good showing by both Snake Bite and Orrville. All three of us set up our trainers under the eaves of the bathhouse, and warmed up for a good 20 minutes before the start. The initial plan was for me to attack right at the first lap, hopefully catch everyone unawares and be able to stay away for a bit, so as to wear everyone out.
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Unfortunately, it didn't work that way. I jumped before we even got to the bridge, got a slight gap but didn't hold it, although I did string things out a bit; I jumped again on the hill and got nowhere. I sat up and recovered, and decided that given the wind and the rain, that plan wasn't going to work. Ben moved to the front and helped drive the tempo...we started to shed a few riders but for the most part it stayed together. No one was able to get away - every attack was met by ourselves, Allied, or Snake Bite, and any possiblity for a breakaway got shut down in a hurry.
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Towards the end, things started to get a bit dicey; it was raining quite hard at one point, and everyone was pretty tired from the repeated attacks. Ben and I were sitting 3rd and 5th going into the final lap; Ben said he didn't have anything left for the final sprint, while I was pretty sure I did, so Ben offered to lead me out. Unfortunately, an MVC riders snuck in between the two of us, and when Ben jumped, I was boxed out from his wheel. I finally got around him going up the hill, right as Ben ran out of steam; next thing I know, I'm stuck behind Ben as the rest of the field flew by us. Ben recovered enough on the descent to take 10th; I ended up with 15th and Brian, who was totally spent from covering attacks, ended up 20th. Not a great week for us, but hopefully the weather will be better this week, and allow us to field a larger team in the Cat. 4 race.
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Phil Esempio