Hillsboro Roubaix Cat 4 Race Report – Rick

First lap started easy, I was in the middle of the pack during the roll out and stayed around there for quite a while.  We didn't have a moto judge so the field tended to take up the whole road, no real regard for the centerline rule during the whole race.  I started trying to move up midway through the lap, the group was pretty bunched which made it a little difficult to find space but I got to the front third after a while.  The run in back to town was faster but still, nothing too hard.  When we hit the hills I was plesantly surprised to still find myself near the front, before the race I figured that was where my day would end.  First lap result, just sat in, exactly what I'd wanted to do.

On the hills and the run through the finishing circuit a few guys got off the front but that got closed down pretty quickly on the way back out of town then the whole field sat up and had lunch…  We rolled for what felt like 10 mins at about 16 mph doing nothing.  Finally a few more guys started animating the race and the pace picked up.  I made my way to the front of the race to keep an eye on what was going on.  Midway through the second lap, two guys from Burnham racing made a move together and got a gap off the front.  Tyler jumped to bridge and looked like he was going to make it and in the field, Quantum Mesa started to push the pace to try and bring back Tyler and the other two up the road.  They caught Tyler then everybody started looking around for who was going to help with the work.

This was where I screwed up my plan.  I found myself at the front, Tyler and Larry were nearby.  At this point, I decided we needed to help with the chase since it was mostly Quantum Mesa working.  Some of the Half Acre guys were putting in a few pulls but things were getting disrupted by the "Got Wind" team that was apparently working with Burnham.  I put in too many fruitless efforts to help make the catch and started to feel cramps coming in my calves.

After a while, one of the Burnham guys dropped off and got caught by the field but the other was nowhere to be seen, Quantum Mesa got tired of doing all the work and at this point, it was pretty much decided that the guy up the road had won the race.

On the run in back to town, there was some sketchy riding and I got pushed off into the gravel on the right shoulder but managed to keep it upright and got back on the road after about a quarter mile when we hit a cross street.  The field had slowed a little and Neil jumped back to help bring me into the field which was reduced to 30 some riders.  I tried to fight off the cramps I was feeling and get myself back into position near the front for the final selection in town.

It was status quo up the first hill, then midway up the second, Neil made a big move hoping that I'd follow.  Joel went with him and in retrospect I should have gone.  I was riding at a high pace up the hill but not in the red but decided that if I'd follow I'd burn too much on the hill and have nothing left in the last few corners.  I took the first, fast, sketchy corner poorly with a 3 other guys while around 8 were just ahead of me then made up some ground on the downhill into town but never made contact with the front of the race.  

Everything started cramping on the final stretch so I just tried to power away at an constant tempo, never stood up to sprint.  One guy passed me there but I held off another right behind me.  Finished just off the back of the main field sprint but had a good view of Neil racing past everybody.

End result 10th.  

I wish I'd done less work pulling the break back on the second lap, I'm sure if I'd saved a little more gas I have had less cramps and a better result but considering I had few expectations, I'll take a top 10 finish here.