Saturday, November 25, 2006 - Verge Cyclocross Series - Sterling, Massachusetts
I've seen the Verge series cross races on DVD---but this was my first one live. True to form, many of the North Eastern big guns were out in force; Mark McCormick, Jeremy Powers and of course Tim Johnson, were amongst the competitors on this lovely New England Saturday-after-Thanksgiving. But even the not as well known but no less strong or crafty were Matt White, Jos Huseby, (and a large Fiordi Fruitti a.k.a. the "red men") contingent, and of course local boy Adam Hodges-Meyerson and Justin Spinelli to keep things interesting. There was also this guy who rides for "Stevens" who everyone kept talking about...like I ought to know who he is but I don't. Suffice it to say, The Men's Pro field was deep with talent.
Mike didn't pre-reg and so he got a horrendous start in the very back row in a field of 60 guys (give or take). As a spectator though, the Scrapper and I got first row seats! The start was not near the finish, but when he passed me near the finish area, I knew by his position that he had either a bad start or this was going to be a long hour of suffering. He was near the back. Sigh.
As the hammer went down at the front of the race, a decisive break got under way. McCormick, Powers and Johnson had escaped from the field at the first climb/run-up and were off and running (literally). Right behind them, about 30 seconds back was Matt White and the "Stevens" rider, and 30 seconds behind those two was the "red-men" train which included Jos Huseby and Hodges-Meyerson.
Around the 4th lap though, Mike had moved his way through the pack from 60th-ish to about 30th-ish. It was a notable change in his position...he'd ride with a group---then ride away from the group and join another group. He went from almost last place to inside the money of the race.
The above standings were pretty much how the race panned out for the top spots...Johnson attacked the threesome after the last barriers and won the race by 15 bike lengths. McCormick and Powers duked it out for second with McCormick taking the honors...and Matt White bunny-hopped his way to 4th and kept his leaders jersey. Mike finished just inside the money!
I hope you had a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
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