Race Reports
Race Report: 2025 CCCX (XC MTB) Race #4 - Men’s Cat 2/Sport
Race: CCCX (XC MTB) Race #4 Men’s Cat 2/Sport Age 35-44
Date: February 16, 2025
AVRT racers: Michael Matthews
Top Result: Men’s Cat 2/Sport Age 35-44 1st/9 (Men’s Cat 2/Sport Overall 7th/47)
Course: ~3.4 mile lap completed four times for Cat 2. Minimally technical course elements aside from a few sections of sequential banked 180 degree corners that you can easily dump too much speed in. Three key separation climbs spread evenly across the lap. Easier passing opportunities were at mid-to-late lap. Trail conditions were dry but soft sand in areas affected by the recent rains. Really short finishing straight, so a late move would have to be done sooner. There were two long straight sections that were fast and easier to make moves on. The course had some new elements as the configurations in this part of Fort Ord are almost endless. Wind and weather were not a factor.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13646134907
Nutrition: ~100g of carbs in a bottle for pre/during race nutrition. Not a lot of opportunity to even grab a drink based on the course layout. Even the straight sections were rough enough that eating/drinking would be tough.
Event Recap: Mixed feelings about my readiness for this race. I was coming off a recovery week but also came off a flight the night before. My registration was a little messed up. My USAC racing age is 35 but I was placed in the 19-34 age category. So, I lined up at the front of my registered age group (19-34) but halfway through the field I was starting with. The U19 and 19-34 started together. Half of the U19 was very strong and took off quickly. I jumped about three wheels before the second separation climb but couldn’t get out from behind one wheel until it was too late. The leaders, all from the U19 age group and one from my (19-34) age group were out of sight before the end of the first of four laps. I would catch glimpses of them at certain points of the course so I decided to settle in and set a strong pace for the remaining laps. I slowly started catching and passing riders. After a big push on lap 3 of 4, and by halfway through the last lap I’d caught two other riders in my wave (not age group though). Anticipation of a three-up sprint for 5/6/7th was looming. I was third wheel into the last third of the lap. One descent and one sharp climb remaining before a fast singletrack descent into the finish. The youngest/smallest rider jumped on the descent at the base of the climb. I hesitated to do the same seconds earlier, but didn’t. Turns out I had burnt all my matches before the last climb and was distanced before the top anyways, but it was great to have battled back into a group. Overall fun and challenging race with a great result!
2025 Pine Flat Road Race - Men’s Cat 4
Race: 2025 Pine Flat Road Race - Men’s Cat 4
Date: February 16th, 2025
AVRT racers: Matin Massoudi, Jack Lund, Wil Gibb
Top Result: Wil Gibb (12/18)
Course: This course has a lot of variety. It begins with some out and back rollers for 25 miles before a 10 mile descent → flat section. Starting at mile 40, the road starts gradually ramping up, until you reach the main feature - a 3.5 mile climb (https://www.strava.com/segments/635567). This 3.5 mile climb averages 5.5% but gets steeper as you go, up to 10-11% (https://pjammcycling.com/climb/1766.Wildcat-Grade). This is also the most sun-exposed portion of the course. After this climb, there is a 6 mile fast descent with some rollers as well. The finish of the race is on a 0.5 mile kicker at 9.4% - basically a slightly “easier” version of Moody (https://www.strava.com/segments/31080757).
Strava: https://www.strava.com/segments/1008724
Nutrition: Two bottles of 100g carbs courtesy of Skratch Super-High Carb mix from The Feed, 100g carbs from Power Bar caffeine gummies, 60g carbs from Trader Joe’s dried oranges.
Race recap:
There was a lot of anticipation going into this race, because Jack and I felt we could work to give Matin a shot at victory. As you’ll see, sometimes the best laid plans don’t always work out.
The first third of the race is an out and back section with some rollers and amazing views. Nothing happened until the turnaround, when one of the riders took the slowing peloton as an opportunity to break away. This was easily covered however, and Jack and I took some turns on the front because we wanted to make sure to be in a good position for the descent. Since I was particularly nervous about getting dropped on a fast, possibly technical descent I’d never done before, I opened up a gap on the final climb that another rider was able to match. The two of us took the descent together before being caught on the flats. My effort here was probably a mistake as the descent wasn’t as technical as I thought and it would have been easy enough to catch back on if I got dropped.
Once on the flats, two unaffiliated riders started floating away as the front of the peloton slowed – almost as if they were blocking for the break. It took a few minutes for a paceline to organize, but eventually we were humming along and cut the deficit to the break in half.
I noticed that not everyone in the group seemed super comfortable with a rotating paceline, and the speeds on the receding line varied a lot, sometimes requiring harder braking. Unfortunately, Matin and Jack got caught up in one of these events and crashed. I stayed back to make sure they were ok, before eventually carrying on with two other riders who crashed but were relatively unscathed. Despite being delayed for 20 minutes, I was able to catch a few of the other riders – giving credibility to the idea that Matin may have been able to win the race. Given our history with pacelines, next year he might just have to win it from the break.
Thanks for reading!
Wil Gibb
2025 Cantua Creek Road Race - Men’s Cat 4
Race Report: 2025 Cantua Creek Road Race - Men’s Cat 4
Race: Cantua Creek Road Race - Men’s Cat 4
Date: Feb 15, 2025
AVRT racers: Jack Lund, Wil Gibb
Top Result: Jack Lund (1/23), Wil Gibb (3/23)
Course: Approx. 70 mi and 2000 ft of elevation. The course consists of three out-and-back laps with good pavement. The section of road is mostly straight and flat with some rolling hills near the start/finish. The finish is 0.8 miles with a 3% gradient. The flatness and lack of features contributed significantly to the race dynamics.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13636666489
Nutrition: Three gels, and two bottles of high carb maltodextrin/fructose
Recap:
Wil and I reviewed the course ahead of time. We determined that being in a break for such a long course would be very difficult and we would rather contest the last mile. Apparently every other rider had the same idea too.
The pace was very mellow in the first two laps, as we were all determined to save energy. At one point in the first lap, two riders tried a break. They didn’t get more than a 20 second gap before the peloton was able to form a paceline and reel them back. I think the ease with which we brought them back discouraged any future attacks for the remainder of the race.
Three hours in, at mile 65/70 I had averaged just 170W. I was getting a little bored of all the chit chatting we were doing, but we were all determined to race smart and save energy. We even had a pee break during lap 2.
Finally as we neared the end, the pace picked up dramatically. Wil and I positioned ourselves near the front, ready to hop on any attacks. We surfed wheels for a bit, always staying near the front. Wil then launched a monster attack with a little over a mile to go. I latched onto his wheel and Wil pulled us to a 5 second gap ahead of the rest of the field. Coming out of the final roller, I launched a sprint to finish first, and Wil followed in for third.
This was a big strategic success for us. In the final mile I was close to max HR (even though I was second wheel to Wil). I have no doubt that I would have faded if I had attempted this solo. A good lead-out with just a two person team can be really effective, and ultimately took the day.
Race Report: 2025 Cal Aggie Crit - Men’s Pro/1/2
Race: 2025 Cal Aggie Crit - Men’s Pro/1/2
Date: February 1, 2025
AVRT racers: Jon Wells
Top Result: Jon Wells, DNF
Course: 1.1 mile loop in Land Park, up in Sacramento. The course runs clockwise around a loop with a single chicane and one final corner. The rest of the course is one long bend that works around the loop. No real elevation but the wind would be a major course feature.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13514965483/
Nutrition: a pre race Redbull and 60g flow bottle during the race
Race Recap:
Coming into this race, I was flying solo as the wind and rain had kept everyone else home. There were only about 30 people in the field and only Mikes and Terun had more than 3 riders on any team. I was expecting a break to roll at some point with both of them represented and then the rest of the field would lose motivation to chase as the break rolled away. In anticipation of this happening (Spoiler alert, thats exactly what happened), my plan was to only cover moves with those two teams represented.
The race got off to a rather slow start as everyone felt out the wet corners on the first lap. It had rained pretty hard all day but was just a drizzle once racing had started. The wind was still blowing pretty hard, probably 20mph, right in your face down the home straight. You had to be constantly alert to the wind direction when making moves as it could cost you lost of extra energy to attack in the wrong place.
I pretty easily covered a couple moves in the first 15 minutes that had both big teams, but on the third move when a counter went over the move I was in, I was tired from attacking and really not in a good spot to respond. As I tacked onto the back of the field, the move at the front had shattered the field into groups of 3-4 riders due to a combination of the crosswind section, wet corners, and big attack. Unfortunately the group I was in at the very back never made it back into the race and we got pulled.
Ultimately a group of 6 stuck together from that final surge when I was dropped, and it included 2 Mikes and 2 Terun riders, leaving almost no firepower in the remaining groups to chase. Glad to have racing back for this season and certainly looking forward to the next one for some redemption.
-Jon
Race Report: 2025 Valley of the Sun Stage Race - Women’s Cat 4
Race: Valley of the Sun Stage Race- Women’s Cat 4
Date: Feb 14- 16 2025
AVRT racers: Maeve Roach
Top Result: Time Trial 3/19 Road Race 1/19 Crit 1/19 GC 3/19
Course: Time Trial 10 mi “L” shaped out and back, Road Race 45mi 2.8 loop triangle with an uphill finish, Crit 30min 1mi loop.
Strava: TT https://www.strava.com/activities/13627095661
RR https://www.strava.com/activities/13635945614
Crit https://www.strava.com/activities/13645849071
Nutrition: TT I didn’t use nutrition, RR I had two Maurten gels and about 2/3 of one water bottle, Crit I had one gel prior to the start but nothing during.
Comments:
Stage 1 - 10 mi Time Trial
I wanted to base this effort on a power number, so I made my aim for this about 28 mins. I was going for a little over my 30-min power PR but I ended up doing it in 24:50. I was happy with the time but my power numbers weren’t where I had hoped. It’s a good lesson learned that power and speed don’t always correlate! I had practiced my aero position on my road bike in the days leading up to the TT, so I focused on keeping a good body position with my elbows in and head down. I broke the race up into thirds, increasing effort each section since there was a headwind coming back and I wanted to finish strong. I thought the start and finish were the same spot, so when I actually crossed the finish line, I was getting ready for my final push since I thought I had about 400m left -_- Another lesson learned to double-check start/finish before the race (getting that type B personality into order…)
Stage 2 - 45mi Road Race (2.8 laps)
I made sure to look at the course before this! One little “climb” (could stay in big ring for it) and the finish was at the top. The start wasn’t too hectic, but the women at the front would surge and then chill, then surge and chill. So it was good practice for various race dynamics. Sometimes I would be in a good position right behind the group in the front and then all the sudden I found myself closer to the back, and had to work up again.
On the second climb there was a QOM time bonus and a break happened on the uphill. I was caught behind a rider who wasn’t going for the break but saw about 7 strong women go for it, so worked up the climb to bridge the gap that had formed. Then we had a break that stuck which was exciting! We ended up getting neutralized a little later because the Cat 3 men had to pass us. So for about 5 minutes we had to wait and I could feel the lactic acid build up a bit. But once we started again we did some pace lining, so I was glad for the practice at Team Camp! Then on the final climb I was right behind the women in 1st for the GC. I could tell she was tired since she was at a low resistance and really high cadence. All the advice I received (thank you everyone!) was to be patient so I sat until someone made a move with about 800 to go, when I caught her wheel I waited until about 200m and then got out the saddle and pushed to the finish!
Stage 3 - 30min Crit
THIS was so FUN! We started out at a decent pace and I tried to stay out in the front in case there was a break and so I didn’t get stuck behind anyone on the corners. I sat at the front and worked with the girls who had been in the break yesterday pretty much the whole time. I found myself in the pack but out of the draft when I could have been in it at various points, so that is an area I want to be more mindful of and improve on.
There was a prime lap but I didn’t want to burn my matches before the finish so I didn’t surge for that but focused on keeping a steady effort to keep myself in the race. Down the back stretch on the final lap I was feeling good still so I surged and took the last two corners on my own, then down the final straight away I just decided to full send out of the saddle the whole block. It was a bit of a long sprint but I haven’t really sprinted ever so I didn’t know what I was doing and wanted to empty the tank. It worked out in the end but another take away is to determine where the best sprint start is for various finished before the race!
If you made it this far thank you for joining me on my first ever race recap! Learned so much and have so many areas I want to improve, but so grateful for all the support and mentorship from the AV squad! Feeling so lucky to be on this team.
Race Report: 2025 Cal Aggie Crit - Men’s Cat 4
Race: Cal Aggie Crit - Men’s Cat 4
Date: February 1, 2025
AVRT Racers: Clark Penado, Michael Matthews
AV Club Guests: Daniel Choi
Top Result: Michael Matthews - 4/45
Report Author: Clark Penado
Course: 40 minutes of a fast paced oval with a chicane section including a mild hairpin and a few additional turns
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/13513291238
Nutrition:
[Clark] 1 caffeine gel before, 1 bottle of 30g of carb mix (probably didn’t touch it)
[Michael] 1 bottle with 140g of carbs in it, got ½ way through between pre and during
Event Recap: This was a flat and fast paced course, with winds blowing mostly in the north direction, creating a headwind through the finish line. There was also consistent rain, keeping the entirety of the course soaked.
Off the start Clark was able to get a good clip in, and opted to try and sit into the group as much as possible. While letting the group shuffle around him, Clark saw Michael move up to take control of the race with a few others early on.
Our plan was to keep the pace high and stay safe by staying near the front of the pack.The first time through the chicane section was definitely a major test of braking ability in the wet. There were clear energy savings to being in the top 5 -10 riders through the first real corner. The group continued the pace from here to the finish line, and eased up after a sweeping turn, resulting in a tailwind. This section of the road also contained a slight s-shape to it, which the bulk of the group was following closely on the rightmost side of the road. During this Clark noticed that it was possible to take a straighter line, which allowed him to move up quite a few positions while taking advantage of the tailwind here. Michael noticed that this was where moves were being made. But every move was tested once the group turned onto the start-finish straight and into the headwind.
This pattern of managing the chicane, pushing hard through the end of the lap, and utilizing the tailwind became a consistent pattern up until about 20 minutes to go where Clark opted to try an attack during the tailwind section. Clark was able to enter the sharp turn section first, but not long after was caught by the group. Michael promptly launched a counterattack, which he was able to leverage into a breakaway with 3 other riders.
For the remainder of the race, Clark tried to stay within the front section of the race and cover any potential bridges to the break. Michael and the other escapees quickly got to working together to form and maintain the gap. This helped secure the breakaway sticking to the end of the race, allowing Michael to come across for a 4th place finish for the day. In the sprint, having been aggressive and active since early on, Michael didn’t have the legs to compete for the podium.
Although the weather conditions were far from ideal, this was definitely a type 2 fun situation where everyone was able to stay upright, while still moving briskly along the loop for the duration of the race.
Race Report: 2025 Santa Barbara County Road Race - Men’s Cat 4
Race: 2025 Santa Barbara County Road Race - Men’s Cat 4
Date: January 25th, 2025
AVRT racers: Clark Penado, Jack Lund, Wil Gibb
Top Result: Wil Gibb (10/40)
Course: A downhill neutral rollout leads to three laps of a 14-mile rectangular course. There is ~2,000 feet of climbing over the entire race (43 mi, 2,000 ft.). Rolling country roads throughout, including a short climb of about 500 feet halfway through the lap (averages about 5%, kicks up to 8%). The course ends by turning right onto a final kicker - a short punchy segment almost identical in profile to the Sand Hill Stinger (https://www.strava.com/segments/19606498).
The pavement is in good condition for all but the western road, about a five-mile stretch that is beat up and has sporadic shallow pot holes which were easily traversed on 32mm tires. The final side of the course, the eastern side, is a bit more exposed and crosswinds could be felt over the road. None of the descents are technical. The only consequential/technical corner skill is the final one leading into the finishing climb.
Course description adapted from Jack Larkin’s 2024 report
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/10643122227
Nutrition: Two bottles of 80g carbs courtesy of Skratch Super-High Carb mix from The Feed
Race recap: This was my first time in a road race with a team. It was about 50 degrees with 10-15mph sustained winds and intermittent rain showers. Given the poor weather and our limited experience with the course, the three of us decided to see how the race would unfold before committing to a specific strategy.
The race started very slow, with a decidedly Zone 1.5 pace for the first half of the race. This turned out to be fortunate, as my safety pins ripped through my bib early in the race, creating a built-in wind sock on the side of my jersey. The slow pace allowed me to one-handedly secure it back on before things picked up. The short climb halfway through the second lap is where splits started to form, though the fast descent that followed brought the pack back together easily. Throughout these first two laps, Jack, Clark and I all spent time in the pack and also on the front, increasing our comfort moving around the peloton.
At the beginning of the final lap, two riders attacked off the front, with no reaction from the peloton. Clark, Jack and I moved to the front to encourage a pace line, which conveniently failed to materialize after strong pulls from the three of us. We did catch one of the two riders, with one final solo breakaway rider still in sight.
I was feeling good at the base of the main climb and used this as an opportunity to catch the breakaway rider, who gave me a first-bump for the effort. I assumed this would be an encouraging sign that we would work together to maintain our gap. However, he was gassed from spending time on the front and our 15 second lead was erased on the fast downhill descent. On previous laps I had hit 45mph on this descent in the peloton, but we couldn’t even break 40mph in our group of two. Lesson learned.
After this descent, it was about 4 miles of rolling hills to the finishing climb. Jack and Clark noticed I was feeling good and offered to take the wind so I could stay close to the front. Though the peloton lost some riders on the first lap, the field had stayed the same since then, with about 20 riders of seemingly similar fitness. The final turn was much more slippery than we had expected, which killed some of our momentum. However, everyone managed to stay upright as we gave it everything for the final 500 meters. I hadn’t thought much about how I would pace this final portion (I hadn’t realized we finished on this climb!), and I ended up finishing 10th.
Overall, this was a great introduction to team road racing. I was very grateful to Jack and Clark for burning matches at the end to give me the best chance at a result. It was not a technical course, so it was easy to practice multiple strategies and move around the peloton. While it was fun chasing a breakaway and leading the race at certain points, it did ultimately lead to wasted energy. The smartest strategy would have been to tuck in for the entire race and leave it all for the end – but what’s the fun in that?
Thanks for reading!
Wil Gibb
Race Report: 2025 Early Birds #4 - Women’s Cat 4/5
Race Report Writer: Robin Kutner
Race: Early Birds #4 - Women’s Cat 4/5
Date: Sunday, Jan 26, 2025
AVRT racers: Alex Cameron, Hannah Chen, Elena De La Paz, Sam Dewees, Robin Kutner, Maeve Roach
AVRT mentors: Louise Thomas (head mentor!)
Top Result: We did 3 practice races (5 laps / ~9min each).
Course: 1km square, flat loop with four right turns. Strong headwind on the finishing straightaway today.
Strava: Segment here
Event Recap: At this week’s Early Bird clinic, the focus was sprinting. This included the mechanics of how to sprint most effectively / safely, how to emergency stop + bike throw, and some practice races. The group was about 15 people, so we practiced some of these skills in smaller groups, and then we reconvened for practice races.
Finally, we did 3 5-lap practice races at higher speeds. We focused on practicing effective sprinting and bike throws during these practice races. I personally focused on cornering rather than race performance 😎. The races were pushed hard from the front and therefore there was a lot of time in single or double file. Alex and I were reflecting afterwards that we actually felt less safe in the corners this week compared to last week, and we thought it may be because the riders on the front this week hugged the inside of most corners rather than the smoother outside-inside-outside lines. This caused a little bit of slowing/accordion pacing down the line as everyone followed the wheel in front of them through corners. As the races neared the end, we got to practice trying to find a wheel for in the final sprint, which is hard and requires some split-second reflexes. Sprinting is also hard. My back and arm muscles are a little bit sore today (the day after). Fun!!
Elena’s perspective: In the second of the 5-lap races, after watching Hannah and Sam open a gap on us, Alex and I worked to bring them back. With about a lap and a half to go, we caught them. At the time, I didn’t think to let them know we were there, and their teammates. If we had, we could have shared the paceline effort more efficiently (possibly by not letting such a gap open up and then burning ourselves out trying to catch up). Compared to previous weeks it was definitely windier so the additional time in the headwind had an impact. However, the one upside of being in a small group was that we could pick our own lines into the corners and sometimes save some energy taking them less tightly.
Race Report: 2025 Early Birds #3 - Women’s Cat 4/5
Race Report Writer: Alex Cameron
Race: Early Birds #3 - Women’s Cat 4/5
Date: Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025
AVRT racers: Alex Cameron, Hannah Chen, Elena De La Paz, Sam Dewees, Robin Kutner, Brenda (not sure of her last name!)
AVRT mentors: Robin Betz (head mentor!), Louise Thomas, Ari Fischer
Top Result: We did 4 practice races (5 laps each) and did not closely keep track of results, although Hannah did win the 3rd practice race!
Course: 1km square, flat loop with four right turns. Headwind strong on one stretch.
Strava: Segment here
Event Recap: At this week’s Early Bird clinic, the focus was riding safely in different formations and group shapes as the peloton speeds up and slows down throughout the race. While using the skills we had learned from prior weeks (riding in drops, protect your front wheel, ride predictably, outside-inside-outside corners), we practiced riding bunched up in a group, then transitioning to a double paceline, and finally transitioning to a single, strung out paceline all the way to the finish.
We broke out into smaller groups to practice these drills. The different drills were:
Double paceline, practicing a continuous rotation, and learning how to communicate in these pace lines (calling out “clear” to the rider on your inside to come over from the inside to the outside line at the front of the group, calling “last” to the rider on your outside so that they know you’re the last in the pace line and can safely transition from the outside to the inside line)
Single pace line, practicing all of the above.
Bunched up group > double pace line > single pace line > finish, all within one lap
Finally, we did 4 5-lap practice races at higher speeds. We were able to use the skills we just learned and, most importantly, keep ourselves and everyone else safe as we completed the races.
This was my first weekend where I got to do the practice races, and I felt so much more comfortable than I expected. It has been so helpful to have these clinics to learn so many skills in a controlled environment. It has made me feel so much more confident going into the practice races, because I feel like I know what to expect, and how to keep myself from crashing out.
We had a really good group of women in these practice races, so there was a lot of trading the lead, and especially Super Sprinkles were planning and launching attacks throughout. I had a ton of fun trying to stay in the lead group. A couple times, I was able to get on Hannah’s wheel and stay with her - she tried to launch me at one point but my legs were so dead and I wasn’t able to sprint to the finish! I had a small scare coming around one of the turns, where I thought I could pedal through but we were going too fast, so my pedal caught the ground and gave me a little jolt. That was pretty freaky, and was a good reminder to stay calm and be smart.
Overall, it was another great Early Bird with a great group of AVRT 4/5 ladies, along with Louise, Robin B and Ari mentoring! We did a group ride prior to the clinic and practice races but were only able to do an out and back instead of the full loop due to time constraints. Excited for next week’s Early Bird focus - sprinting!
Race Report: Early Birds #2 - Women’s 4/5
Race: Early Birds #2 - Women’s 4/5
Date: 1/12/25
AVRT racers: Alex Cameron, Hannah Chen, Samantha Dewees.
Top Result: We did 4 practice races and did not keep track of results.
Course: 1km square, flat loop with four right turns. Strava segment
Event Recap:
This week’s skill focus was cornering. We learned how to have the smoothest, straightest line through a corner by taking the outside-inside-outside line and how to follow the leader of the corner. Then we split into smaller groups and did some drills:
Single file paceline where we practiced leading, rotating, and following the line set by the leader.
Double paceline where we practiced cornering with someone next to you, with opportunities to rotate and feel what it’s like to be on both the inside leading line and outside line
Three across! Getting comfy with our new friends, cornering in a tighter group, and practicing communicating with each other to coordinate rotating off the front.
Finally, we did four 5-lap practice races at higher speeds. Some topics during the post race talk included how everyone will hate you if you divebomb corners and how to be a safer/nicer racer by calling out cones and obstacles.
(Hannah’s experience) Generally it was the same set of people leading at the front. On the 2nd half of the last laps, people would attack into the final stretch and we got some fast corners in. I’m honestly not the best cornerer; so I used the session to practice moving around the group, taking turns leading corners as well as following others’ lines at faster paces. The course is really forgiving and you could pedal through every corner.
(Sam’s experience) Since this was my first time racing, I tried to position myself differently in each practice race to find where I was most comfortable/an ideal spot to end up in the front pack. In the first race, I tried to stay in sight of the leading riders and practiced following other riders’ wheels and cornering efficiently. In the second race, I found myself leading the whole group for the first couple of laps, which was unintentional but an interesting experience nonetheless. I knew I would likely get passed and dropped later if I stayed in front but no one else wanted to take the lead. In the third race, I tried to stay in third-fifth place as long as I could to best position myself to be near the front on the last lap. In the fourth race, I tried to do the same but unfortunately was a little too tired to keep up! Lots learned for races going forward.
(Alex’s Experience) This was my first time learning anything about crit racing, which was so exciting for me. Unfortunately, during our group ride prior to the clinic / race, Hannah noticed that my rear wheel was not true. After some investigation, I realized my spoke was loose. The mechanic from Trek ended up pulling it completely off, and advised that I only do the drills with the group, and sit out on the race simulations in an abundance of caution. I loved the drills and learned a ton about cornering, all things I had never really known before. Louise, Ari and Robin did such a great job teaching. I think it was most impactful to learn the unwritten rules of riding in a group during a crit to keep everyone safe. I’m grateful and relieved I’m doing these Early Bird races before signing up for a real crit! Bummed that I had to sit out of the races, but I’m SO excited for the next 2.
The weather was perfect and sunny, and it was great to ride with new teammates! Thank you Robin Betz, Ari Fischer, and Louise Thomas for mentoring us <3
Race Report: 2024 High Cascades 100 - Open Men
Race: High Cascades 100 2024 - Open Men
Date: July 20, 2024
Written By: Flo Costa
Result: 12/93
Course: 91 mile MTB race race with 8000 ft of climbing on epic singletrack trails in Bend.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/11938583527
Race:
After a bit of rest following Oregon Trail gravel, my next objective for the season was to tackle the High Cascades 100 mountain bike race in Bend. Ever since I first heard about this race it’s been on my bucket list because of the amazing courses on the endless Bend singletrack. I figured after a few solid months of gravel prep I would have the endurance to carry me through the race. I was stoked to race on these trails and try out a marathon mtb event. The only problem was I didn’t have a mountain bike. Thankfully, I was able to borrow one from a buddy and put some miles on it in the 2 weeks leading up to the race.
Another big challenge for this race would be the heat. In the week leading into the race, it had consistently been 100 degrees and it didn’t look like it was going to let up for the race. As a result, the organizers reduced the race from 100 to 90 miles. We also had a 5:30 am start time which meant we could start in the cooler morning temperatures.
The race started out pretty chill until right before we entered the singletrack. This was expected since everyone wants to be in a good position before entering the trails. The first singletrack section led us up a steady 6 mile climb and here the race quickly blew up. The pace felt pretty tough so I dialed it back and stuck to my own rhythm, especially since I figured drafting would be less important. By the top of the climb I was still in the top 10 as we entered the first downhill and fast trail sections. This is where I realized how technically sharp some of these mtb racers were. Despite being able to hang on the climbs, the two guys in front of me effortlessly dropped me on the downhills and even the flats. Meanwhile I was accelerating out of every corner trying to close the gap, which definitely cost me a lot of extra energy.
At the second feed zone I grabbed some ice and food from my mom which greatly helped. Even at 7:30 am I could feel the sun beating down on us. At this point in the race the gaps were already fairly big and I was pretty much alone. All I had to do was keep pushing the pedals and keep eating. I had a lot of fun through the next few sections of hills and fast descents and was happy to have pre-ridden some of the trails in the weeks before the race.
About halfway through the race was the hardest climb of the day, which was steep, twisty, and rocky. There were a few sections that were quite challenging to clear and required more high bursts of power. After this main climb we were rewarded with over 30 minutes of downhill on a super fun trail that weaved through many trees and bushes. Next was the final climb of the day which was close to 10 miles at pretty low gradients. This was on some more super nice trails, but here I started fading. The combination of trying to accelerate out of every turn, not being able to eat as much on the technical sections, and the heat started catching up to me. Up to this point I had been able to maintain my position, but on this climb I was passed by 2 guys. I was struggling quite a bit until the last feed zone of the day where I picked up more ice and food.
This last feed zone brought me back to life both physically and mentally. All that was left was 15 miles of gentle downhill all the way to the finish. I had the next guy up the road (trail?) in sight so I was motivated to try to catch back up. This section was also probably the most technical, with a few pretty large boulders and rocky sections to clear. I tried to keep up a good pace all the way through to the finish, but wasn’t able to catch up to the guy in front of me.
Overall on the day I was 12th with a time of 6:57. It was a pretty long day on the bike, but I was decently happy with my performance given the circumstances and had a blast ripping through all the local trails. I was really impressed with how efficient the top guys were, and I do think I wasted a lot of energy trying to get back up to speed out of corners. Racing with these strong mtb riders really makes me want to practice more and get better technically. For the rest of the season I had a lot of road racing planned, but I definitely think I’ll be back one day for this race after some proper mtb training. Maybe by then I’ll even have my own mountain bike.
Thanks for reading,
Flo
Race Report: 2024 Cascade Gravel Grinder - Elite Men
Race: Cascade Gravel Grinder 2024 - Elite Men
Date: June 2, 2024
Written By: Flo Costa
Result: 5/16 (98 men overall)
Course: 90 mile gravel race in the Central Oregon Cascades with 9000 ft of vert. Chunky gravel with lots of climbing and great mountain views.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/11559639468
Race:
Previously in 2023 the Cascade Gravel Grinder was a 3 day stage race, but in 2024 they decided to make it a single day event to put more focus on one big day. For me, this was an important training race in preparation for the Oregon Trail less than one month later. The idea was to get a sense for where my fitness was and what I needed to work on in my last training block leading up to Oregon Trail. After doing some solid openers the day before my body felt ready to go.
Things seemed to be going quite well in the lead up to the race until about 5 min into my warm up when my rear derailleur stopped working. The shifter was completely unresponsive. I pulled over to see what was going on, and in doing so I discovered my cable had completely snapped (thanks Shimano). Oh boy. An extra cable is not something I typically carry with me and even if I did, I don’t think I would have been able to fix it in time before the start of the race. This meant I was completely stuck with a single speed in the rear cassette and thankfully a 2x chainring in front. I was also thankfully able to adjust the derailleur to put it in a middle cog so at least I could make it up the climbs.
This completely changed my mindset going into the race. Now there was no pressure to perform and all I could do was give it my best shot. I’m also pretty sure people have done much harder races on single speed bikes, so surely this couldn’t be too bad. Overall, I would completely spin out over 18mph and would have to average 50rpm or less on the climbs.
I was able to hang with the front group on the first gentle climb of the day, while spinning out, but immediately got dropped on the first descent. I felt pretty helpless but didn’t give up. Over the next couple climbs I would go nearly as hard as I could to catch back up to people who previously passed me in the flats or descents. I was feeling pretty good overall, but every climb was a grind and it was only a matter of time before my legs exploded.
The implosion came after about 3 hours on the fourth climb of the day. Physically, my body didn’t feel cracked but muscularly my legs couldn’t produce power at threshold. The low cadence of each climb completely sapped my legs. At this point, the race had completely blown apart but I was still somewhere in the top 10.
After this fourth climb there was a very rocky 4 mile descent. It was incredibly difficult to pick a line without hitting these huge rocks that were scattered everywhere. Pretty much the limit of what I think is doable on a gravel bike. Thankfully, I had recently installed tire inserts which gave me more confidence. I was also still motivated and had nothing to lose, so I went full send. In this section alone I managed to pass 3 guys who either had completely flatted or were more hesitant in the downhill.
This small win gave me even more motivation to keep pushing on the final 7 mile climb. I made sure to keep eating and grinded all the way to the top. The final descent was long, technical, and super fun. It was still annoying to be stuck in an easy gear on the descent, which definitely felt less stable, but despite this I really enjoyed this rip on a beautiful red cinder gravel road. I managed to pass another guy on the descent, which meant I couldn’t let up the pace. After the descent there were a few final miles of flat which I powered through (while spinning out). I crossed the line with a time of 5:48.
Somehow I managed to finish 5th overall on the day, with 3rd place less than 3 minutes in front of me. On the bright side, this may have been the best result possible for me with a single gear. I ended up having quite a good day physically which also makes me wonder what could have been possible without the mechanical. Nevertheless, I was happy with the effort, the result, and the workout. Can’t ask for much more (except for maybe an electronic groupset)!
Thanks for reading,
Flo
Race Report: Oakland GP - P123
Date: September 15th
AVRT Racers: Jon, Jack, Flo, PA
[Report written by PA]
We wrapped up the crit season on a super cool course and had a solid squad with four of us lined up. I was all set to race hard and make it into a solid breakaway. Right from the start, it was intense with Mike's Bikes pushing to split the group. I was feeling sharp and jumped on any moves that looked like they could break away.
About 20 minutes in, I found myself in a two-man break with Jackson (Mike's Bikes). I wasn’t totally sold on our chances, so I held back a bit, but we still managed to get a decent lead and held it for about 10 laps. Eventually, Dolce Vita and a bunch of strong solo riders reeled us back in.
As soon as they caught us, Sean (Mike's Bikes) hit us with a counter-attack. He was quickly joined by Miles (Voler), Trevor (Enjoy), and Ethan (Subaru Santa Monica). We tried to bridge across to them, but by that point in the race, we just didn’t have the legs, and they got away. I still gave everything in the final sprint and managed to snag 7th place.
Race Report: Gateway Cup - Pro 1
Date: September 1st - September 4th
AVRT Racers: PA
[Report written by PA]
Day 1 - Tour de Lafayette
The last major US crit series of the year blasted off on a Friday night at a scorching average speed of 31.5 mph. With 130 riders jostling on a super-wide course, the race was set for a tricky finish with high-speed thrills and spills.
Flying solo for AVRT, I knew a field sprint was inevitable, so I played it safe for most of the race, sticking to good lines and steering clear of trouble. As the laps came down to seven to go, I made my move to 15th wheel, feeling strong and managing the chaos well—right up until the last lap. Trying to hold my high position, I was edged out in the first corner by Justin Williams. Outweighed and outmatched, I crashed into the curb at 35 mph, clipping a few spectators—thankfully, with no serious injuries. Battered but mostly unscathed, I was ready to tackle the next day.
Day 2 - Tour de Francis Park
After a day spent scavenging St. Louis for bike parts and a new helmet, I lined up already spent. The course was wide and primed for another sprint. My energy sapped and still shaking off yesterday's crash, I wasn't up to the vigor to challenge in the sprint, settling for a top-40 finish and setting my sights on better days ahead.
Day 3 - Giro De La Montagna
Day three’s profile—a narrower course with a modest hill—suited me better, disrupting the sprint teams’ rhythm. As part of the American Criterium Cup, the competition was fierce. Foregoing the sprint, I threw everything into breakaway attempts. Despite strong early efforts and joining promising breaks, I missed the decisive move eight laps out. I contested the bunch sprint and took 36th—a disappointing result, but I stuck to my plan.
Day 4 - Tour de Florissant
The finale on this brutal crit course—arguably the toughest of the year—featured narrow roads, two hills, and rough pavement. Learning from my mistakes in Chicago, I've gotten better at the silly line up game, and managed to secure a spot on the second row. The pace was relentless; the field of 130 was reduced down to about 45 by the half-hour mark, people were getting popped left and right. My legs felt good, but looking at my computer, I knew I couldn't sustain this pace for one hour, eventually, I got dropped with eight laps remaining. Still, finishing 31st was my best result of a frustrating weekend.
Race Report: Sand City Crit P12
Date: July 7th, 2024
AVRT Racers: Jon, PA
[Report written by PA]
Still feeling the burn from Saturday's race in Watsonville, I rolled up to the first 90-minute crit of the season in Sand City a bit wary but ready to tackle its technical twists and turns. I usually like courses like this, so I was quietly hopeful.
With the same fast crew from Saturday, the race kicked off intensely. Various teams were eager to dictate the pace, launching attacks left and right, aiming to break away early. Mid-race, I found myself in a dicey two-man break with a guy from Mike's Bikes. Given that it was just Jon and me from AVRT this time, I decided to roll the dice and push hard, hoping we could make it stick.
We gave it our all to stay out front, but with about 15 minutes left, Voler Factory Racing teamed up with Terun, and they reeled us in. After that, I did what I could in the field sprint, but my legs were shouting at me from the earlier effort. Looking back, betting so much on a two-person break might've been too bold, especially with so many teams itching for a chase.
I crossed the line 12th, and honestly, that last lap felt like it lasted two hours.
Race Report: Watsonville Criterium P12
Date: July 6th, 2024
AVRT Racers: Jon, Cam, PA
[Report written by PA]
This Saturday race kicked off a great weekend of racing crits in Monterey Bay. The course was a blast—had a neat little hill and some twisty corners that kept things interesting.
Right from the start, it was clear we were in for a fast one with guys like Tobin and Ryan pushing the pace. I thought a break might actually stick, so I hung at the front for most of the race, keeping an eye on the big moves while trying to save a bit for the end.
After about 45 minutes of all-out racing, it looked like we were heading for a group sprint. I was gearing up to mix it up in the final dash, but Ryan went for a super early sprint on the last lap. Caught me a bit off guard, and I just couldn't catch up to the lead group that sprinted for the win, ending up 6th at the line. Jon pulled off a strong sprint from the main group and snagged 8th.
What a day!
Race Report: 2024 Green Mountain Stage Race - Men’s P/1/2
Race: Green Mountain Stage Race - Men’s P/1/2
Date: 8/30/24-9/02/24
AVRT Racers: Nathan Martin
Top Result: 10th overall, 5th Stage 1
Stage 1 - TT:
Nutrition: 1 gel before
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12282803944
Recap:
My strategy for this was basically going all out for ~10 mins, then holding on for dear life the rest of the TT. I plugged the course into bestbikesplit the night before and generated some rough power markers for each section of the course. It was more for me to get an idea of where to go hard and where to ease up, because it’s a pretty tricky climb. Steep in parts, shallow in others, can be easy to go hard where you don’t need to.
Overall, not much to it beyond just sort of following the plan and gritting my teeth. I was super surprised to have a 5th place finish, I missed my power number by a bit and there were loads of strong riders, so was awesome to see.
Stage 2 - Circuit Race:
Nutrition: 3 bottles of mix, 1 gel
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12291205771
Recap: My goal for this stage was basically just to finish. There was some rain on the forecast, it’s a big group with center line rule enforced on narrow New England roads, and I learned last year that Stage 3 requires every bit of energy you can save, so wanted to do as little work as possible.
It made for a pretty uninteresting race for me. I basically sat in, and just tried to stay in the top 20-30 wheels or so. It was absolutely pouring with rain in the middle of laps 2 and 3, some odd weather due to the hills around us causing the rain to be on the same part of the course both laps, and then the rest of the course was dry. But the descent was pretty wet each time, and it’s fast with poor pavement so was a little nerve-wracking.
I think I did a decent job of saving energy and eating well. Didn’t chase any moves, didn’t take any solo fliers, and was lucky enough that everything that did slip off the front got chased back. Nice day for me.
Stage 3 - Road Race:
Nutrition: 3 bottles of mix, 2 gels
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12300384781
Recap: This was basically the stage I cared most about. Minutes of time for GC to be won or lost here, and I was hoping to do well. My plan was to stay with the main group up each of the first two climbs, but not go with any breakaways.
The first climb was a ripper of a climb. My heartrate was getting up there, the group was already splitting up, and I was really worried when I saw some other high up on GC riders slipping off the front towards the top, but I stayed patient and they were brought back on the flat top and the descent.
After the first climb and for the first 5-10 miles or so, there was a ton of attacking to establish a breakaway. I covered a few moves here I deemed dangerous, but generally stayed towards the front trying to not do much work, but it’s hard to avoid doing work with lots of sudden accelerations, so my power profile is a bit spiky here.
Once the break got established, however, the group eased up quite a lot, and I was able to take in the scenery a bit. GMSR is a tough race, hard to get to, and just generally a lot of effort, but man the scenery here was amazing. We’d rip through open valleys with hills on either side, then dive onto a windy twisty road in a narrow canyon with a river right below us, cutting over covered bridges and ripping through small towns. It was pretty fun.
We hit the second climb, the feed zone was right at the bottom and was able to get a bottle, I expected it to light up a bit on the climb but it was reasonably steady, nothing too crazy. We could see the break still, so I think people weren’t wanting to overdo it or anything.
The descent right after the top was a little technical and fast, navigated it safely, and then was more of the same, just sort of staying in the group trying to conserve energy for the final climb.
We got some time updates as the miles ticked over that the break had about 3 minutes on us at one point. There really weren’t any teams large enough to organize a chase, some small teams were doing some work, but really people weren’t working that well together.
As we hit Baby App Gap, there was still a really big gap, and at that point it was pretty obvious the break would stay away. On this penultimate climb, I did some work staying on top of some accelerations, maybe this wasn’t the smartest move, but I felt they were dangerous and did some work to cover them.
We hit the top of Baby App Gap, and from there it’s just a descent to the start of App Gap. I had decent position at the top of the descent, but got swarmed a bit on the downhill and filtered back a bit.
Once we hit the climb, I ate a bit of wind trying to hold position and move up, and think this really hurt me a bit. When the climb started to get steep and accelerations started going, I had nothing to follow them and just had to try to go my own pace the rest of the climb.
I would end up losing a couple minutes, finishing 22nd, and dropping to 13th overall. Not too sure what went wrong, didn’t do too much work the whole day, maybe a little bit much right in the fight for position, but nothing crazy. Just a lot of strong people out there who could ride bikes really fast.
Stage 4 - Crit:
Nutrition: 1 gel before, some of a bottle of mix during
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12308929327
Recap: My nemesis. Last year, I lasted about 5 minutes in this crit before being pulled. It was a different course this year, but in many ways harder than last years. Technical, bad pavement, and the bottom of the descent had a weird corner where the edge of the sidewalk sort of jutted out into the apex of the turn, so you had to really slow down before taking it.
I had a decent starting position, about 50th or so. Some people had waited 45 minutes to get a good spot, and for good reason. This would string out fast, gaps would open up, and people would be gassed early.
The race started fast, people stringing it out early just as expected. I was hanging on well, closing some gaps, but still nowhere near the front.
My goal was to make it 15-20 minutes. It seems every hard crit ever is excruciatingly hard for about that long, then it lets up. Sure enough, about 15 minutes in, the pace started to ease up and I could breath.
Still, I was not near the front. I probably only ever got up into the top 15 wheels or so, staying most of the time near the back. I’d keep looking back and the group would be getting smaller and smaller. Eventually at the finish, we were only 35 or so of 100 starters.
Because it was such a tough crit, some GC riders were dropped, and I was able to sneak into the top 10! Overall, super happy to finish the crit and finish top 10 overall. Disappointed that I fell apart on Stage 3 and maybe could have finished even higher, but improved over last year and had fun, which was the goal. Excited to go back next year for sure!
Race Report: 2024 Giro di San Francisco - Men’s Cat 4/5
Race: Giro di San Francisco - Men’s Cat 4/5
Date: September 2nd, 2024
AVRT Racers: Clark Penado
AV Club Guests: Wil Gibb
Top Result: Clark Penado - 26/75
Report Author: Clark Penado
Course: A fast paced somewhat bumpy L shaped criterium with a small hill and a flat wide finish
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12309143934
Nutrition: 1 caffeine gel before hand, 1 bottle of high carb drink mix
Event Recap: This was a fast course, and the category 4/5 field was the biggest of the day with a sold out registration of 75 people.
At the start we were offered a warm up lap to get a feel for the course, which I opted not to take to get a spot on the line. I wasn’t the only one who had this idea, so there were ~3 rows lined up excluding those who took the warm up lap. Notably, Dolce Vita had a strong presence for this race, so strong teamwork from them was expected.
Off the start, getting a good clip in and surging was critical, and from what I heard there was a crash off the line and a lot of commotion through the first turn. Into the small hill, things settled a bit, and continued through the back stretch of the course. Coming through the final turn of the first lap, the pace picked up quite a bit, and the speed carried through the line and into the first turn of the second lap. After this, I recognized a pattern that the group was slowing down a lot through each corner.
The rest of the race was fairly uneventful, and followed a strong pattern of surging through the final straight, losing some speed through the corners, and rolling through the back straight. The back straight did not feel as intense in terms of effort compared to the rest of the lap, however at one point I tried to move up here and this was certainly an area where being in the draft was a huge benefit. For the most part, I was able to move up where I could by maintaining as much speed as I could through each turn.
With a few laps to go, the pace picked up as one might expect, and I tried to hold my position/move up as much as I could. On the final lap I saw someone farther up make an attack off the front just before the final two turns, which they were able to carry through to the line. Coming into the finish I gave as much of a sprint as I could, edging off a few others for a bunch finish at 26th.
This was definitely a fun one to end the season on, and had a great environment with a lot of spectators.
Race Report: 2024 Winters RR Men’s Cat 4
Race: Winters Road Race - Men’s Cat 4
Date: August 25th, 2024
AVRT Racers: Clark Penado
Top Result: Clark Penado - 6/11
Report Author: Clark Penado
Course: Three 24 mile loops of country roads, with one interrupted climb and a narrow twisty fast descent. short uphill gravel stretch.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12241419508
Nutrition: 4 energy gels, 2 bottles of high carb drink mix and 2 bottles of plain water
Event Recap: This year featured the same classic course, with a small gravel bit to mix things up. With that in mind, I threw on some 30mm tires and dropped the tire pressure accordingly.
The start rolled out fairly conservatively, with some commentary from some of the other riders asking if it was a coffee ride. After the first turn, there were a couple attacks, but nothing particularly stuck. At one point a gap opened in the group with a Dolce Vita rider leading a small second group I was also in. Since there was a rider from the same team in the group ahead, I opted to close the gap with the assumption there may have been some tactics involved with forcing the break in the group. From here, we stayed together through the gravel section until the one climb on the course, which immediately attracted a surge in pace. A small way into it I didn’t feel like it was a pace I could maintain for the climb, and opted to ease up slightly and try to make up the lost time on the descent immediately following.
Coming off the descent, I was able to catch back up to a Dolce Vita rider, but there was a larger gap up to the main group of about five. We agreed to work together, and spent the bulk of the race taking turns trying to chase back up to the group of five. During this I was extremely diligent to pay attention to my nutrition, and not to exceed a heart rate of ~185 when I was pulling. This continued through to about the gravel section of the final lap.
From here I was able to accelerate into the final climb solo. About halfway through this climb, I noticed one of the riders from the pack that we had been trying to chase back on to. This gave me a second wind, and coming off the descent I was able to catch onto their wheel. From here we traded turns a bit until the finish, which got a bit gamey between the pair of us. Going into the finish, a little over 200m the other rider got the jump on me, just edging me out in the sprint putting me in 6th for the day.
Overall this one had a lot of fast bits, and it was a bit of fun being able to come to an agreement with someone from another team to share the work.
Race Report: 2024 Winters Road Race - Men’s P/1/2
Race: Winters Road Race - Men’s P/1/2
Date: 8/25/24
AVRT Racers: Nathan Martin, Greg Mccullough, Cam O’Reilly, Flo Costa, Jon Wells
Top Result: 7th - Nathan
Course: 4 laps of this. Some ripping crosswinds to start, a short but steep at times climb, fast and technical descent, then some flats to the finish.
Nutrition: 2 bottles of mix, 3 gels, partial neutral water bottle
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/12241763562
Race Recep (written by Nathan):
Winters hadn’t been run since 2019, so pretty much everyone was coming into this race having not done it in a while, aside from the people from Sacramento who do a group ride on the same roads sometimes. Regardless, it was going to be fresh and new for most.
The leadup to the climb the first time wasn’t super eventful, but Erik from Dolce Vita would attack on the climb and go solo. Nobody chased him, there wasn’t much panic since it was a long day, but perhaps we would regret that.
I would push it a bit at the top of the climb, break up the group a bit, and there would be a small group formed after the climb, where we had a gap for a few miles, but eventually we got caught by the main group since it was still pretty early.
Soon after the start of lap 2, once the wind started, attacks would start flying. We did a pretty good job of moderating our efforts, and we got Greg, Jon, and Flo up the road in one break or another. I was in the back group with Cam, along with some strong riders from other teams, so figured we did well.
Rest of lap 2 was pretty tame for us in the rear group, but it sounds like the breakaway was tough on the climb and the descent, where people who had ridden the road many times before had an advantage and really could push it.
On lap 3, we started catching some people from the break, so I knew it was getting tough there. Jon and Greg had dropped from the break along with some others from other teams, but Flo was still up there for now. Still nobody was organizing a tough chase from the group, but some people like Ryan and Sean were taking some hard pulls.
After the 3rd time up and over the climb, we would catch Flo, and I was in a tough position now where I would be expected to work since I had nobody ahead. I would take some hard pulls from here to the start of the 4th lap.
When we were on the 4th lap on the southbound straight, the wind really started to hurt the group, it felt like there was nowhere to be safe. People from our group would keep popping off, and when we neared the bottom of the course I flicked my elbow, only to see nobody was behind me.
It was then me, Ryan from Voler, and Jack and Sean from Mikes’ left chasing the main break. At this point I was gassed and just trying to hang with them.
Once we hit the climb, we could see the breakaway just ahead, and we would catch them about halfway up the climb at the feedzone. However, as we caught them Miles would attack, and I’d also find out that Erik had been caught by them after his solo move lap 1 and attacked on the bottom of the climb the last time.
We were then essentially riding for 3rd place. Everyone was too gassed to chase up and over the climb, just sort of had a hard pace.
Unfortunately for me, after the descent I noticed that my di2 cable plugging my rear mech into my battery was unplugged, and basically I could not shift. I stopped to fix it, but took too long and the group rode away from me. I’d ride in with another rider to finish 7th.
Disappointing that a mechanical cost me a fight for a 3rd place finish, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I was happy to stay with some strong riders in the rear group and stick with it, bit of a bummer the way things ended though. Fun race all around!