Rosewood Road Series 1 - Race 4

Rosewood Race #4
Now, I’m back on the line getting ready for race Number 4 of the 5 races series. I’m in 1st place, for the sprinters jersey (Which means the 2 intermediate sprints at the 17min and 32min mark), and I’m currently racing against 1 guy with his 4 teammates setting him up. I have 11pts, and Abdel Salas has 7pts. I just have to get 4pts to shut him out of the series. The break down is 3pts, 2pts, and 1pt for each sprint.

I’m in first place for the overall, and I’m racing 1 guy in that classification, and that is Chris Wright. He as 13pts, and I have a whopping 22pts. Then there is 3 riders with 8 and 10pts. So this is basically a 2 man Series. I have to finish 3rd to lock up the Overall, and I want to do this today, so I can come into the last race and become a spectator.

Now, I’m at the line trying to seem unassuming, and I can feel all the heat coming off the sprinters that got dropped at the dump and want to prove themselves this race. Then, to make it even worst for me Carlos ask who the yellow jersey is, and I raise my hand. He asked my jersey size because I have to put on the yellow leaders jersey. While his assistant was getting the jersey, he asked who was leading the Green Jersey, and I raised my hand again. He said, “No one has ever been leading the sprinters and overall on the next to last race of the series and that I was going have a rough day. When the guy came over with the jersey Carlos asked me, “Which jersey, yellow or green?” I said, yellow, so I proceeded to take off my Active Cycles Jersey and put on the yellow jersey right there on the line. I’m thinking to myself, “I have just put a Bulleyes on my back”.


Riders, ready! Riders Rolling! And we are off, and the pace quickly picks up and I’m not sure what kind of race it’s going to be so I just watch my usually suspects. Everything is groovy and the HR is low as we come up to the first sprint. I see Abdel’s 3 Sun Cycle teammates make a surge to the front with him in tow because he is second place for the Green Jersey. Great, someone that is making something happen. The train has a good pace and I’m sitting right behind him when we come out of the last turn. He has only one guy that is pulling for him (Raul) and he pulls through halfway to the line. Now Abdel slows down because he knows he can’t lead the sprint from that distance. Then we group back together and everyone is looking for someone to make a move, and a guy does. He jumps and Abdel jumps on his wheel, and I jump on Abdel wheel. I make my move pass Abdel to get the 2pts for 2nd, and Abdel gets third. Now I have 13pts, and he has 8. I relax a little bit, but stay close behind Abdel, because he is truly my guy of interest. I’m racing C. Wright in the overall, but doesn’t do anything until the second half of the last lap. So, a break goes up the road and I’m happy because that means that it’s so far ahead Abdel team won’t make an effort to bring it back. I’m still shadowing him, but quickly losing interest as the break stays up the road. Before long I’m looking for C. Wright to let him know I’m on him now. When the bell is rang for the second sprint, the pace doesn’t really pick up until we get to the next to the last turn. I’m so far back I can’t really see the action. When we get around the last turn I can see that Raul has just set Abdel up and he is charging the line. I think he picks up the 1pt for 3rd place. Shit, that was gusty and he kept himself in play for race number 5.

Now, I’m officially watching C Wright. Way before 3 laps to go things are already heating up and breakaways are really trying to stick, but the breaks don’t’ have the legs and they keep coming back. When Carlos says, “3 laps to go”, I start looking for Chris. With one lap to go the group slows down dramatically. So much that if any decent riders jump off the front, then it’s going to be tough to get back up to speed to salvage the sprint with the heavy hitters in it. Riders start shooting off the front, and I don’t really care because I just have to watch Chris.

The group ramps it up as all kinds of other riders are trying to bridge. Coming around the last turn it’s the usually guys with some rider that we are passing that have timed it wrong. I see Chris look back which means he is going to make his move. I start my sprint way too late, but I thought I finished 4th. I thought I got Daniel Londono at the line. As it would turn out, I didn’t get him at the line. So, I was moved back to 5th place. To make it even worst, Mike Bush won the race as he was the second guy to jump and he brought it in by himself, so I finish 6th and out of the points. Chris finished 3rd and got 5 points, which brings him to 19pts. Now, I know I really have a to work the last race. Because both of these guys are close enough to work together for the last race.

Here is the video from the race. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpXiJS2ftHs I was coming up fast on Daniel, because when you see us pass the camera, I’m already 5ft in front of him. After the race I looked at my HR monitor, and my max speed was 41.7 freaking mph. That wasn’t even enough to get any points
Now I have 22pt, and Chris has 19pts, so that is still a race. In the sprinters jersey I have 13pts, and Abdel has 9pts, so that is still a race. I couldn’t close the door on either one of these classifications. Now, I really gonna have my hands full for the last race.

Here are the point standing going into the 5th and final race
Overall

A little race video taped from Ms. P.

Pacer Out!