Because Michigan is mainly a flat state, the racing in Michigan of course, is mainly on flat roads, favoring a bike racer with a strong sprint. I am not much of a sprinter, neither is my teammate Cam Trimmer, we do like climbing however, and typically do well when we have some hills to work with during racing.
Cherry Roubaix, the Michigan state RR this year does in fact, include some steep hills, offering Cam and I a more realistic chance of winning then say racer who has a big, more powerful build, but doesn’t do well when the road tilts skyward. Are plan was to follow all attacks throughout the race and hope one would eventually stick, and if that didn’t work out, we would lay it all down on the line on the last climb. Unfortunately all attacks were brought back. With it being that we had a good mile of flat roads before the finish line following the final climb, Cam or I would need to attack and get a gap on that climb in order to have a shot at the win. And Cam did go for it, (I was suffering from cramps) and he had a small gap over the top, unfortunately he was brought back on the flats and the race ended with a sprint. That’s how it is in racing, the best of plans don’t always work out, and all you can do is hope for a bit more luck in your next race.
Cheers!
2 Comments
Good job at States. I’m glad my teammates enjoyed the hills as much as I loathed them.
Sounds like a good ride to me…the course was brutal…being one of those larger riders with a sprint. I think I’m a good all-rounder and can stay on teh climbs, but it killed all the TPH 45+ riders including our climbers…so good job making it to the sprint! Ina wierd way, despite the suffering, i am a little geeked to do it again next year…i know i can hang better than 16th…