An unusual concert cancellation today allowed me to get to Boston to do the Wells Ave Cat 3/4 race. 30 laps on a fast, flat course. The first half of the race was pretty uneventful; the usual attacks and catches. I stayed attentive on the front. There were a lot of primes during this race though which would shake things up slightly though nothing really stuck. On lap 16 there was a prime and I decided to test my legs out and counter after the prime sprint. After 2 laps, I’d built up a 15 second gap and was feeling really good so I was happy to park it in TT mode and enjoy the ride. Shortly after, two guys bridged up to me. They were both strong and we worked a nice little rotation together. Two laps later 3 more bridged up though they must have paid for the bridge effort because they were taking some firepower out of the move. A prime two laps later woke the field up and they ended up catching us not too long after. It was a good move though and my legs still felt great.
In the dwindling laps to come there were some halfhearted attacks, none of which lasted more than half a lap. With 2 to go, one team (Cambridge Cycles?) started to organize and drilled it on the front. They must have given up the ghost a little too early because with half a lap to go, the field was definitely dogging it and everyone started to queue up for the sprint. Not me though. I didn’t want to do a field sprint today and as we came around the last sweeper with a 750m straight shot to the line, I threw down a Haussler/Cancellara-style attack. I didn’t look back but I’m sure I caught the field sleeping since nobody reacted when I jumped out. I got pipped (Cavendished?) on the line by two guys, but managed a strong 3rd place. Woof. Here’s my power file from the race finale:
