This is the year,
2014, going to dedicate my racing calendar to the road scene. Follow in
the footsteps of 'Spartacus' or as you may know Fabian Cancellara, one of the
most talented and prestigious riders in the peloton today. Though I am
surprised I didn't get the call up to the newly formed Trek Factory Racing
Team, I was able to join a team that is a bit more on my level of play. That's
the team of Trek Midwest. The team, based out of Waterloo Wisconsin at
Trek HQ seemed to be a perfect fit for me considering I work at the team HQ as
a Sales rep for Trek Bicycle. My name is Tony in the office but many on
the bike call me 'Bonesaw'.
Coming from years of
racing experience on the mountain bike, this was the first year I plan on
hitting the road scene hard with my new team and help Matt or Nick get a win in
the Cat 3's. But first I need to upgrade from the 4's.
The first GDVC race
was a nice spring day with temperatures in the mid to high 50s. Very nice
for our Wisconsin Spring this year. A group of 25 of us joined at the
start line to commence our 35 minutes of racing. There were a couple
solo attackers but none of it stuck and we all came to the line together.
I ended up with a 4th place finish. For my first race this spring,
I was happy with that. However I wanted a win.
As Sunday of the 2nd
Great Dane race came around, the weather did not seem to pleasing for
the amateur cyclist. It had been raining all night with the
potential of more to come. I knew I had to race, for myself but more
importantly for the team and upgrade points. I know Matt could use a
teammate to draft behind. Thankfully the rain held off for our cat 4
race. 15 of us set off on the same course as last week but in the
opposite direction. I felt good. I was ready for that win I have been
training for. 6 miles into our 12 mile race I decided to attack from the
front of the group on a slight hill that was half way on course. Not sure
what I was thinking, maybe I thought I could take it home just like Niki
Terpstra did in Paris-Roubaix that morning winning from a late race attack.
And so there I go.. off the front. I started with a decent gap of
20 seconds. At times, I would look back and not see the peloton.
Were they chasing? Was I going to be able to hold this off and grab my
first ever road win!? Third lap into my solo effort I started to lose
steam, heart rate dropping, legs tightening, oh oh... Here they come. I
was caught with 3 laps to go. I've been in this position before thinking
to myself. Just hang on and rest. Get a good spot going into the finish
and give er all you got. And so I did, coming across the line in 3rd.
Considering my mid race fun, a podium finish suited well. I am
happy with the way my form is coming along. Job well done Sir. My
parents came to cheer me on and they offered to take me out for a burger and a
beer(s). A successful race...
Until next time....
Tony
