Sturbridge Road Race

Saturday, April 29, 2006 - Sturbridge Road Race

Western Massachusetts is lovely. The day started off on the chilly side, but warmed up nicely. It's just the opposite out here though, and when the wind blows from the East, what I keep thinking of as "off-shore" breezes (translates to the warmest riding and killer surfing conditions in California), are actually the on-shore breezy kind of days---with some cooler sea air in the mix. It's still a little confusing for this NorCal girl.

While driving to the race, on the Mass Turnpike, we hear this POP! Like a bonehead, I stick my head out of the sun-roof to see if the back tire popped, and I had my usual cap with sunglasses on top. Duh...we were going 65 mph...and off flew my Oakleys. Not a good way to start the day. (Horstmann...I may be calling you for a new pair!) It was the front wheel anyway, as we learned when we arrived at the amazingly architected High-school. Wow! I never went to school in this kind of a place.

A few pops later and Mike decided to ride his training wheels instead. Less risky. Mattison Crowe...a co-worker at Seven, who raced much earlier than we did walked by the car. It's always nice running into folks at a race. It's odd to be in such a familiar scene without a ton of familiar faces. But already there are a few folks here and there. (It's a pretty small scene in the big picture.)

And while you NorCal guys are whining about Levi showing up at your local jaunts, how about having none other than Mark McCormick showing up at our local races to add a little excitement and flavor to the day, along with a field of an upwards of 80 other fun-seekers. Sigh. I always hope for less competition...Mike always loves the challenge. Which is why he's the racer, and I'm the poser.

And off the went....8 laps around a rolling and twisty "just under" 7 mile loop, with a fast and furious slightly downhill finish. Perfect for a bunch sprint crash fest. Great. Mattison, Sydney and I got comfortable on the grass. It is so darn beautiful this time of year. I guess I now understand what folks mean by seasons. Having lived in "Pleasantville" most of my life---where it is generally 75 degrees and sunny, I guess I really had no idea about seasons.

Mike's front tire popped on the 4th lap and we watched him hammer past the start/finish to chase back on with a new Zipp 404 wheel. (Eat your heart out Karl!) Thank heavens for race support. Then on the sixth lap things looked interesting when Mike was joined with 5 other guys about a minute off the front. Too soon though. Round and round they went. McCormick was watching Taylor. Taylor was watching McCormick (as was everyone else in the field!) McCormick took a monster pull in his 53x12, and as everyone tried to hold on and recover, three guys snuck away. And there went the race!

Mike was second in the bunch sprint at the finish..but another small group of rider's had already snuck off the front...so he was just outside the money in 11th place. And Mark was right on his wheel in 13th place. Go figure! Hope we got our flat tire luck out of the way!