Modest Showing

Very modest team showing out for Modesto Saturday.

There was Haydn Scott and I, plus I saw Maury. I think that was it!

Anyway, I liked this crit last year: short course, wind, lots of turns = breaks! And the race did not dissappoint this year. There were breaks in both the 30+ 1/2/3 and in the Pro/1/2, and they occurred pretty early in the race. Probably about 5 to 10 minutes in both is all it took. Luckily, TeamOakland was represented in both. The p12 was the more epic. I'll try to remember in the haze what happened exactly: Jameel and Neitsche went first I think, and I went pretty early before the gap got too big with Granshaw and two VMG riders: Halloway and Riggs. Vince from CVC and Kevin King from Squadra also bridged up.

That made eight and it was really really hard to stay in as we ramped up the speed to create a 20 second gap. Didn't help having been in break in the 30+ (need to rethink the 'two crits per day' strategy). To make long story short, Haydn made it in while the pace was over the top and didn't feel he could stick, so sat up. Right after that the pace slowed, until the gap came down to 12 seconds and we ramped up again, I was getting cross eyed.

We were out there for probably 50 minutes and mercifully I can't remember about 30 of those. With a lap to go I was on the front so I figured I might as well just go the last K, and attacked. Well that didn't last for long, and Jameel came by me fast. Riggs was yelling at me to bridge and I need to learn to make him bridge instead, but did too much work there again... With 400 to go I was in pretty bad shape, but was still in sixth place.

Last 100 yrds, Kevin King from Squadra, having successfully sat in the entire break took me! He apologized right after, which rang hollow since not even 30 seconds had past. The only one I beat was a sick Halloway. Long story even shorter in the 30+: 9th out of a 13 man break, did get caught behind crash in the last turn though. Got two bottles of that Cycles Gladiator wine out of primes. That stuff rocks! I recommend it. http://ronaldmariano.smugmug.com/gallery/2869377#154301669 http://ronaldmariano.smugmug.com/gallery/2869377#154302621 I even threw my bike in effort to get sixth: http://ronaldmariano.smugmug.com/gallery/2869377#154304640