Saturday was the road race. It consisted of 2 laps total; the first was coached, and the second was the race. The coaching was cool. They showed us how to paceline and climb. This lap was also good because it was pretty much a preride of the course. We regrouped at the start/finish and started the race. It started off fast, but once we hit the river road things started to calm down. From then on, the pace was kinda slow (18-20ish). Me, Dave A, and Taylor stuck together the entire race in the front, directing traffic.
After the last climb, we could all see the statues of the finish line. People started getting antsy in their pantsy, and a Harvard kid started to take off. I grabbed his wheel and was in 2nd or 3rd wheel going into the last turn. A couple of riders took the turn wide, so I tried to take it inside so I wouldn't lose my position. That put me in the front, and when I looked behind me, the rest of the field was a good 10-15 yards behind me. This is my chance! So I booked and made a run for it.
Unfortunately, an NYU guy got on my wheel half way and sprinted past me. I finished in 2nd. Dave and Taylor finished 7th and 8th. Kevin Miller came in at 20th.
TTT...Kevin, Dave A, and Taylor laid down an awesome time of 24:46 (which was better than most of the D times!) They were the only Intro team, so they racked up some points.
The Crit followed. We learned how to clip in!!! Hooray. I stayed in the front for the short 5 laps. Before I knew it, there was one lap to go, so I chucked my bottle [this is actually a bad idea, and will no longer be practiced in the interest of safety -editor] and put on my game face. After fighting all race, I was in an awesome position, and just before the last corner the NYU guy decided to go for it. I couldn't just let him win it again, so I pulled out and got all over his wheel. On the last straightway he tried to shake me off his wheel, jumping from the left side of the road to the right, but I wasn't having any of that. I waited til the last possible second and sprinted right around him. Shake and bake. My first ever road win. Kevin and Gerry finished strong in 14 and 16. Looking good out there.
Thanks to everyone for cheering us on. We couldn't do it without you guys.
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