After getting locked out of Bear Mountain – one of my all-time favorite races – I raced in the Giro Del Cielo this weekend. It started with a 4.6mi uphill ITT (9% grade). I got third in the TT and the top 3 of us were really in a class of our own (admittedly the field was smaller and less competitive with Bear Mtn the same weekend). Sean Smith, the rider who solo’d to win his Cat 4 Battenkill Race and solo’d two weeks ago to win the Turkey Hill race, is an absolute animal — his 13m48s ITT time set the new course record and beat the 2nd place time set by 140lb Dan Chabonov from Adler by 1 MINUTE!! Sean has a background in marathon, endurance mountain biking (100+ mi races), but this is his first season on a road bike so he had to start as a Cat 5. Very nice guy and an extremely gifted rider; if only he had taken up road racing earlier (although he’s still only 33).

A couple hours after the ITT, there was a 15mi crit (22 laps). I spoke to Sean beforehand and we agreed to try to get in a break. Sean went on one of the primes and got a huge gap. I eventually bridged up to him (although it took me 5 laps) and we solo’d off the front for the last 5 laps. He said he wouldn’t contest the sprint so I sprinted past him for the win. Windy, “power” courses, albeit non-traditional crits, seem to be my new thing (see Tour de Parc last weekend).

Thankfully the qualities that help you do well in an uphill TT don’t really cross over into a windy crit course, so Sean and I had first and second in the GC locked up going into the 50mi circuit race. But the two of us were still battling it out for first. We again spoke before the race and discussed trying to get another break going around lap 4 or 5 (out of 9 total). We rode easy the first 3 laps and then tried to get a break going on lap 4. Unfortunately every time either of us moved into the top 10 riders in the peloton, the whole group took notice and moved forward. We rode VERY aggressively for laps 4-8, constantly attacking on the rolling hills and tight corners. Unfortunately the peloton was WAY too attentive and we never got much going (although it definitely wasn’t for lack of effort). Going into the last lap, we made a few more attempts to get away, but the day’s earlier efforts had taken their toll and the well rested peloton was eager for a sprint finish. I knew I had 2nd place in GC locked-up and given how aggressive the front of the group was riding in the last 2-3 miles I thought better of it to stay clear of the finish unless I was in the top 10 riders going into the final turn about 1/2 mile from the finish. The finish was eerily similar to Prospect Park races where the course conditions aren’t difficult enough to split the field, resulting in a lot of riders that have been “sitting in” the entire race coming to the front in the last mile or so. The end result is always a 60+ man sprint with the eventual crash as tired riders battle with overly aggressive rested riders. Ironically, the crash always seems to occur somewhere in the middle with the guys sprinting for like 27th place…and this race was no different. I managed to get stuck behind the crash, but steer clear of any damage. Sean won one of the GC points primes during the race and took 7th overall in the RR, ahead of the crash, taking 1st in the GC. I finished 2nd overall in the GC and tired as hell from the day’s effort, but ready for Syracuse this weekend!