Zeeland Crit Race Report

Tyler Trask in the dusky light

This year’s Zeeland Criterium took place on the same turn-filled course as last year with hot temperatures even with the twilight start times. The race is a lesser-known crit but draws serious competition, as it is the night before the well-known Herman Miller crit and only a short drive away in the small West Michigan town of Zeeland. The course and its many turns took its toll on the Cat 3/4 mixed field where all of AAVC’s representation was. After an unfortunate line-up, Tyler Trask and Stephen Doll were in the back of the large field of approximately 70 riders. With Tyler working to give Stephen the chance to reach the end of the 45 minutes ready for a sprint, the two fought to gain position in the field. After 15 minutes of hard effort, Tyler seemed to be out of gas and signaled for Stephen to lead the charge. Shortly after, an opposing rider bumped Stephen going into a fast 90 degree turn, causing him to crash and forcing him to abandon the race. Tyler managed to avoid the crash with some crafty bike handling and rode on alone. Meanwhile, Matt Ronan and Jarod Winn had started in better position and were facing their own problems, with the second crash of the race forcing Ronan into the grass and out of the main pack and eventually forcing them to abandon the race. After a total of three crashes and a fast field, Tyler finished 27^th.

Matt Ronan before concession

Tyler is now our sole survivor in the race...

Perfect form for the sprint finish

Michigan State Championship TT

 AAVC was represented by Fred Feng, Mick Jones, and Tyler Trask in the Cat 4 Men’s division and Lucas Wall in the Masters 35+ division for this year’s state championship time trial. The course was relatively hilly for a TT in Michigan and included 3 out-and-back legs with a turnaround at the end of each making for a challenging 26-kilometer route. To add to the difficulty was the weather, hot and humid. Mick was able to secure a second place finish with Tyler finishing 5^th and Fred 9^th. Lucas Wall finished 3^rd in the Masters 35-39 age group division. With a taste of the podiums and riders within reach of state titles, AAVC will be back next year to improve upon this year’s results.

Lumberjack 100 Race Report

Harvey Elliott's report of the Lumberjack 100 MTB race at Big M in Manistee.

Riding rigid hurts, I can't believe I used to do this on a regular basis!  I finished in about 8:43 with Ellie, Craig North, Nate Kerns, and Jesse from Treefort Bikes not far behind.  Jack Miner (and son) provided excellent pit support although thankfully I didn’t have to use him much.  I’d describe my race strategy as “remember, this is only a training ride!” but looking at my time from last year that may not be entirely accurate.  

Dawn at Big M

I converted my rigid single speed to 1x9 while standing in a mud puddle outside Timber’s restaurant the night before.  We had a 30 minute wait so it was a real Gran Prix type affair.  A slapped it together and give it a quick spin before running inside and ordering a pitcher of the Horny Monk from Petoskey Brewing - QUITE DELICIOUS! It was nice to have a bit more flex in gear selection, but without a chain guard I would frequently drop the chain on downhills forcing me to scrub my speed.  It was maddening because I was riding with people then would drop my chain and be alone in the woods for the umpteenth time.  You’d hear a brake pad squeal or a bad shift so I knew they were out there, but somehow I was mostly alone.  There were several cases where I’d pass someone on the hill and they’d pass me back 1-2 minutes later after the drop.  At the finish line I played this out three times with a single RADING GREYHOUNDS rider.  


Off the start I was bound and determined to stay in front of the tandems which was fortuitous because they ran the course in reverse this year.  In reverse, there wasn’t much room to pass off the start and we started off with a fairly serious climb - something I rather enjoyed but everyone else seemed to lament.  I sat on with some guys from the RACING GREYHOUNDS (don’t ask me why they insist on all caps), but unfortunately dropped after a fast downhill where my rear wheel decided it would rather meet my bottom bracket then stay back there all alone.  I clamped everything down again but another good bump put me out of commission just before the gravel road section.  My Kenda Small Block Eights may have cut a hole through my frame because I was too into "feeling fast” to care about the bike.  There are about 300 photos of me as I stood on the roadside re-attaching my rear wheel.  After 30 more mosquito bites and another amazing fast gran prix style repair job I was back on the bike and rolling smooth.  I don’t know how much I torqued those bolts but the wrench (and the bolts) may never be the same. After that, things literally rolled smoother and I cooled my jets a bit.  

Craig North at the  starting line.

I had to make a few on-the-ride adjustments to the barrel adjuster but by lap two the chain and cassette were meshing nicely.  While I wasn’t riding hard, I also realized that I wasn’t eating or drinking enough.  I had a single bottle on me and 4-5 Hammer gels stuffed up my shorts.  Yummy!  I figured that since I did pay for this race and clearly wasn’t going to win, I should at least consume as much Hammer product as possible.  I’d grab an average of 10 or so gels every lap and add them to my shorts for good measure.  In all, I think I ate 18 and brought 8 more home with me.  At $1.50 per gel, I consider that a real win!  On lap two I made friends with some single speeders from Team Camelstache in Boston.  I also think it was the first time I’ve ever heard “you ride like a single speeder!” as a compliment.  Thank you, Team Camelstache. Thank you.  That was also the point I decided I should actually start riding and putting some efforts in.  On lap two I also realized that I was burning up my brakes alarmingly fast.  By the third lap I had the barrel adjuster all the way out and could still pull those levers all the way to the bar with little effect.  

On the third lap, I entered into Hammer gel dementia.  I was very talkative up to this point and heckling the guys I was passing - in retrospect I do feel a little bad.  ;)  In the third lap I hardly ran into anyone except some old guy I kept passing only to drop my chain and get passed again.  I don’t really remember anything else, except my ass and hands hurting.  A rigid 29’er should really have tubeless tires if you want to have use of your hands the next day!  I pretty much stood on the pedals and “sprinted” that entire lap or so I recall it.  I finished at 78th place with a time of 8:43:47.  Compare that to last year when I was 124th with a time of 9:57:39.  Considering that I didn’t work very “hard” and really wasn't sore (except the ass/hands) the next day I’m pretty happy.  I even went for a nice 40 mile ride on that Sunday.  

David Palan's Barry-Roubaix Race Report

David Palan reports on his return to racing in 2014 with his age-group at Barry-Roubaix.

The 2013-2014 cyclocross season was anything but what I had planned. An injury in August sidelined me for much of the racing season. I did manage to participate in a few races which included a podium finish at Veterans Park in Ann Arbor. ...

Somewhere in the fuzzy haze that indoor trainer sessions induce, I let someone convince me that riding a dirt road race would be a good idea. I decided to target the Barry Roubaix Classic Gravel Road Race. For road racers Barry-Roubaix represents the first race of the season — an early spring race and an opportunity to determine early season fitness. For me, Barry-Roubaix represented the end of ‘cross season — a late winter opportunity to put to rest a frustrating season of ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys.’

Read the whole story...

More Race Reports from West Branch

A couple individual race reports from Rob, Tyler, and Colin who competed at the West Branch races. 

From Rob Shoemaker (cat. 4 crit and RR):

Crit: I started in the front as I had planned. The pace was mild at the beginning with not much going on. I had made one ally during the warmup and planned to work with him. Half way through, an unattached rider attacked and went on a solo break until 3 laps to go. We attempted to chase him down via a pace line but some guys didn't know how to pull properly and the chase fell apart. I did some work but mostly observed others and conserved energy for the end. Two guys bridged with 2 laps to go and on the last lap
I bridged the 4 man break. I didn't want to sprint for 5th place and no one else seemed to want to pull the break in so I hammered it out. Unfortunately I didn't have any legs for the sprint and had to stay in the saddle. I finished strong in 12th with the top 12 within 4 seconds of each other. I felt good overall for not having any teammates in the race.

Road Race: I started in the front with Harvey, Mick and Tyler Trask. Harvey got out front and kept the pace high. I took a few pulls until the race settled in a bit and other teams challenged for the front. Heading east, on the first climb I kept pace in the middle of the front and sized up the other riders. On the second climb I moved to the front and pulled on the down hill. I stayed up front as we each kept pace. Once we turned south, Tyler wanted to speed things up and we each took a few pulls until we got into the big roller section. I stayed towards the front and nestled in the peleton to conserve my legs. As we turned to the west Harvey attacked to act as a "rabbit" in hopes of other teams chasing him. He stayed out front but no one chased. As we turned North into the big climb he was still out front and powered up the hill. I didn't want to blow up on the first climb and decided to pace "lightly" up the hill. I dropped a little off the back but stayed in contact. I could of used more gears as my easiest was 39/23. As I summited the climb, I was starting to get dropped. I found two other riders one from O2 and I think one from Leadout. We chased the peleton down within 2 miles. I found my way back into the middle of the peleton but it got singled out as the pace picked up. After we got back into the rollers heading south my legs were getting tired so I stayed in the little ring on the climbs. When we turned west again, CMS got on the front and set the pace. I was stuck in the back and couldn't move up. When we turned into the last climb I was still in the back but powered strong up the hill. If I would of had better positioning coming into the climb I would of done much better. Harvey was up in the front and climbed strong. He ended up finishing 5th. Tyler struggled up the hill but managed 15th. I'm not sure where Mick finished but he was ahead of me. A CMS rider took the win. I had energy towards the top and was catching a few riders and passed one with about 500m to the summit. Overall it was a good race for me in the sense that I had gas in the tank, stayed in the peleton and only fell short in tactics. I finished 29th.

From Tyler Carlton (cat. 3 crit):

As we rolled up to the start line it was apparent that the Cat 3 crit was going to have a small field. The final count was 15 racers and after our little spiel from the officials we were underway. The folks from Team 02/Cadieux wasted no time showing their gameplan as they sent a rider solo off the front almost instantly. The field was content with this, letting him dangle off the front with a ~10 second advantage for several minutes. Every now and then someone would get inspired and pull it back a bit before giving up and letting the break go again. All the while Stephen and I were just being the sprinters we are and sitting in the field.

Eventually we caught the solo break away guy and 02/Cadieux was quick to send another off the front solo. In an interesting tactical decision, they'd never let anyone try to bridge up and turn it into a two man break. At one point Max Staran from Wolverine bridged up to the solo rider, but within a half a lap the guys from 02/Cadieux brought it back.

With about 5 to go there was still a rider up the road that we weren't really making any effort to catch. I was getting frustrated and broke character to do a quick turn on the front since teams were starting to look at us expectantly since we were one of the few teams with more than one rider. I was hoping this would inspire us to catch the break, but no such luck.

With one to go the race came back together. As soon as we hit the hill on the backside of the course the attacks started flying. My goal was to drag Stephen to the front so he could dust everyone in the sprint, so I swung out left and put the hammer down. All was well until a guy that was burned out from the break decided to swing over right behind me and cut Stephen off. I couldn't stop now since the flurry of attacks had put riders off the front with less than half a lap to go, so I just pressed on in the hope that Stephen could free himself and get back into a good position.

Going into the last corner I had caught the would be breakaway. One guy tried to light up the sprint right from the corner, but at close to 250m out I new he wasn't going to make it.

I tried to be patient since I was already way in the red from the leadout attempt, so I waited until inside 200m to open it up. I quickly caught and passed the early sprinters that had run out of gas. As I passed the 100m marker I was still out front, but could hear someone huffing and puffing coming up behind me. I gave a quick glance, hoping that it was Stephen, but alas it wasn't and I had to dig a little deeper as the finish line was in sight. Eventually the line came and I crossed it first and Stephen quickly rolled in behind me in third.

Definitely not the way we had planned it, but I guess you can't complain with putting two guys on the podium. The final effort also gave me some power PR's as I managed 712 watts for the last minute and fifteen seconds.

All in all a great race, and just a part of the wonderful day that AAVC had at the West Branch Crit.

From Colin Hebert (cat. 3 road race):

The pace on the first lap was moderate, everyone was playing it safe until we got to the big climb. Going up the climb at the end of the first lap, I was being conservative in anticipation of the hammer coming down any minute. I remember seeing a small group of guys going off the front, but I was happy to let them go. My focus was to save energy and make it to the end of the race. I didn't find out until the end that Stephen had made it into that break.

Danny and I were together in the group that remained. After we crested the climb, I looked back to see who was behind me and saw no one. Several riders got shelled and there were about 10 of us left to chase the break.

A small group of us stayed together for about another lap and a half. Daniel Painter went off the front and I remember wishing him luck as we turned into a headwind. A few minutes later, Danny bridged to him and I did what I could to buy him some time. Their gap steadily increased, and then there were five of us left.

The five of us worked really well together for the rest of the race. It was fun to be in a well-organized rotating paceline, especially on the east side of the course into a headwind. The wind out of the south got progressively stronger throughout the race, which made it even harder for the two small breakaways groups.

With about 3 miles to go, it was my turn to pull. Our pace was the same, but we were on the south side of the course and approaching the turn into the final climb. One of the guys behind me attacked and two others followed. It was a hard attack and I couldn't accelerate fast enough to catch on. Looking behind, our other companion was 100 feet back, so I saved energy for the climb in case one of the guys ahead of me blew up on the climb. I crossed the line by myself ending up in 9th place.

Looking at the results, it looked like Danny's two-man breakaway group almost caught the three guys in the lead group. Kudos to great rides by Stephen and Danny!

Also, I want to recognize the valiant effort put forth by Kevin. Kevin has been posting excellent results in Cat 4 over the last year and upgraded to Cat 3 just the day before. The West Branch road race is not an easy place to start out in Cat 3 - we'll see great things from Kevin this year!

This was the view from the back of the race, Stephen and Danny can tell us what it was like at the front.

A Weekend at West Branch

It was an exciting weekend of racing in West Branch, with a ton of great performances across all categories.

Andrea Merlotti wins cat. 4 crit.

The racing began on Saturday, with a 0.95-mile criterium course around an undeveloped subdivision. Road conditions were perfect, with smooth surfaces and wide runoff areas. In the morning we had our men’s category 4 and 5, with Rob Shoemaker and Matt Raezler respectively coming up with solid mid-pack finishes after putting in work to try to control the breakaway. It’s tough out there without teammates! (Check out Rob's weekend race report.)

The women followed that up with amazing performances, with Andrea Merlotti taking the group sprint from the women’s 4 field on the hoods! Sarah Seylee followed that up with a master’s class in timing in the women’s 1/2/3 field, taking a bike length out of her competitors in a long, tough sprint. In the men’s 35+, Lucas Wall flew the AAVC colors alone as he battled to control a small but loaded field. As the laps ticked down and approached the final sprint, you could see him picking his way up to the front, and with 200m left he lunged down the left side of the road, but was beaten on the line by less than half a wheel. Next time Lucas!

The last race of the day for the AAVC was the men’s category 3 race, the only one where we fielded more than one rider. Stephen Doll and Tyler Carlton were confident their sprint skills combined would yield an easy victory. After sitting on the back for most of the race, with about a lap to go Tyler moved into position and started leading Stephen out for the line. Everything was going smoothly until the final corner, where a rider being lapped made a frantic move to the outside and put Stephen off the side of the road. Without his sprinter on his wheel, Tyler decided to just win the race himself! Hugely impressive, considering he had been leading the field for almost a kilometer already! Stephen made up a lot of ground in the final 100m and managed to get third. (Check out Tyler's race report.)

Sarah Seelye (Top) and Tyler Carlton/Stephen Doll (Bottom) sprinting to the finish of the Crit

Sunday’s road race course was an entirely different affair, with an insane amount of climbing on the menu. The day started off cold but warmed up considerably, and with the strong, 20+ mph crosswinds this was truly a day for the hard men (and women!). In the men’s category 5 field we had a number of talented riders, with Matt Raezler, Ben Rothacker, Hani Habra, and Mike Kines all feeling the bite of the famous final climb’s 5% gradient.

In the men’s 4 we had Tyler Trask, Rob Shoemaker, Harvey Elliott, Mick Jones, Doug Plowman, and Jared Salinger – quite a stacked deck. From the start four AAVC riders took the lead and made it painful for the pack hoping to tire them out before the big climb. About two miles from the main climb a CMS rider attacked and successfully broke from the pack. Sitting in on the chase, Harvey launched a counter-attack on the next climb and got a clean separation from the pack. The hope was to tire the best riders while Tyler, Doug, and Mick sat back in position to launch the next attack. Unfortunately the big climb proved to be too much and Harvey was caught when no one had the energy left to strike. Doug was at the front of the pack, but flatted at the top of the climb. Mick and Tyler were drained from earlier efforts and racing the day before. Moving on to plan B: Tyler, Jared and Harvey worked hard to keep the pace high on the backside of the course. When it came to the final climb, Harvey was able to finish in the top 5 with Tyler, Rob, and Mick in hot pursuit.

Harvey Elliott (5th) in Cat 4 podium

In the Women's races,  Andrea barely missed the podium by half a wheel as she attempted to muscle out her last bit of energy, finishing 4th in the 4’s and Sarah, who claims she isn’t a hill person, managed to pull out an outstanding 5th place finish in the 3’s.

In the Men’s cat 3 we had perhaps our best chance at victory, with Danny Soltan leading Kevin Juntunen, Stephen Doll, and Colin Herbert. The plan was for Stephen to go with the early break to take the pressure off AAVC to chase, but that backfired when the field split into shards and the break actually stuck. Danny had to chase alone, but despite his amazing climbing abilities, he never caught them. Stephen dropped his chain and fell back from the break, but managed to hang on for 3rd. Danny finished 4th just seconds behind him. (Check out Colin's race report.)

While I don’t know their full stories, I also wanted to mention that we also had Ed Koster, Gahl Berkooz, David Fanslow (taking 4th), Winston Benedict, and Rich Stark racing in the Masters categories. Great job guys!

 

Stephen Doll followed by Danny Soltan on the final climb!

Stephen Doll (3rd) and Danny Soltan (4th) in Cat 3 podium

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Stories of Mount Pleasant

Overall, I think we agree that Mt. Pleasant was a great race for AAVC Racing to show its prowess.  While we had several teammates podium, several others unfortunately went down in some gruesome wrecks.  This post isn't so much a race report as a collection of survival stories.  Still, I'd like to take the time to highlight some of our top finishers.  

Andrea Mertlotti at the start of the TT

Time Trial:
Sarah Seelye, 4th (W Cat 3)
Andrea Merlotti, 3rd (W Cat 4)
Tyler Trask, 9th (M Cat 4)

Criterium:
Andrea Merlotti, 2nd (W Cat 4)
Lucas Wall, 2nd (Masters 35+)

Road Race: 

Lucas Wall sprinting to the finish in the  Master's 35+ Crit

Tyler Carlton, 7th (M Cat 3)
Harvey Elliott, 8th (M Cat 4)
Sarah Seelye, 4th (W Cat 3)

Omnium:
Andrea Merlotti, 4th (W Cat 4)
Harvey Elliott, 6th (M Cat 4)




Kyle Schroeder's (Cat 4) Race Report:

I HAD A F**KI*G BLAST!  I have never been part of a race with that much team organization from start to finish.  It was a great feeling to look over at the other teams’ facial expressions as we turned up the heat (30+ mph heat) for the first 10 miles of the road race.  We dominated both the Crit and RR, and with clean finishes would have placed extremely well!  However, crashes are an unfortunate part of the whole equation which is Cat 4 cycling.  With continued practice at executing team tactics I believe we can put our team out front in the future and avoid the carnage. Every rider on our team played a crucial part in this weekends races. Even if it was sitting in near the back in case a pileup takes out the whole front half.  I would like to point out some AAVC riders who made a big difference in the Crit and RR.  

Kevin and Jarod enjoying a hard won North Peak Vicious Ale after the Crit

Tyler Trask was continuously up front for both races helping coordinate leadouts and cover breakaway attempts. He was also set up perfectly for a podium finish both days, but hit the deck in the crashes.  Small cuts and bruises only, and his bike is all good!

Matt Ronan had a rough start for the Crit but made up for it with a dominant presence on the front of the RR. He also made huge efforts to chase strong breaks and was one of the guys helping set up our beautiful leadout train for the RR finish. 

Kevin Donovan was up on the front of the peloton for the majority of the RR setting a strong pace.  Kevin and I made a strong attempt to ride off the front but the other teams chased us down pretty quickly.  He was in contention at the end and had a nice set-up in the leadout train for the RR.

Harvey Elliott was a tank for both races often opening gaps for teammates to help keep them near the front, and he definitely put in his time, and then some, at the front of the field.   While his hopes of a breakaway fizzled in the RR he finished 8th and kept his skinsuit in one piece!!!

Kevin Juntunen was an AAVC race favorite for a podium both days but fell victim to crashes in the final hundred yards both days. He was in great form for the entire race often helping chase breaks and working hard to keep his wheels near the front. 

Jarod Winn had a very strong showing in the Crit and was pulling the pack for a lap or two near the start.  He stuck with the main group until the final explosive lap that dropped well over half the pack.  

Rob Shoemaker had a strong Crit but got caught in the back working tirelessly to maintain contact and eventually blew up and had trouble breathing (I've been there before too!). He redeemed himself during the RR with his constant presence in the top 15. However escaping crash one didn't mean he was out of danger as he got caught up in the smaller but faster crash immediately before the finish.  

Tom Wamsley was extremely fortunate to evade crashes and improve his standings.  He commented after the race that this year is the fastest racing he's ever been part of, and I would have to agree.  Great job staying with the pack and outsprinting me in the Crit! 

Mick Jones might be trading his road bike in for a cross bike after jumping a curb on the final sprint for the RR to avoid the crash.  He was well placed in the leadout train to make a podium sprint, but lost some places due to the crashes. 

Overall, the weekend had lots of potential for AAVC and I personally enjoyed each moment of racing and hanging with the team.  I like to look at the whole picture to justify why I do this crazy sport and put myself at risk, and it finally came together this weekend, with having everyone around supporting one another and picking each other up off the asphalt. 

-Kyle

Harvey Elliott's (Cat 4) Race Report:

In the Cat 4 Crit, the team did a great job working the field and we were positioned 3/4/5 going in to the second to last turn.  Position 2 slid out causing Kevin Juntunen to lock up and endo.  Tyler Trask tried to ride through but got caught up on the downed bike.  I went wide and was able keep it together, but lost position in the pack.  Kevin recovered and finished without any major injury.  Tyler suffered some road rash and damage to his shifters.  Up until that point everything seemed to go according to plan.  We took a omnium points preem with a 1/2 sprint, nearly brought home an Applebee’s gift card, and I almost won some Oakley sunglasses.  I’d also like to call out Jarod Winn's pulls early on that really set the tone for the race and Kyle Schroeder’s monumental effort with two laps to go that put us (Kevin/Tyler/Me) within striking distance of the win.  

In the Cat 4 RR, we called an audible on the break and instead chose to focus on a lead-out sprint to the finish.  I had tried to “negotiate” with some other riders with teams that could help, but the pack was anxious to hunt down breakaway attempts and nothing got very far.  Instead, much of the team sat back 10-20 positions and waited.  This subjected us to some close calls from juniors and other shaky riders in the pack.  I can think of several instances

Kyle Bohnsack's Trek Project One

where the pack was 6-7 riders wide and someone would start sprinting up a small hill or in to a turn or dart around a pot hole and cause chaos in the ranks.  It seemed like staying back was suicide (especially in the last 10-15 miles) and so we started to assemble the team at the front.  Personally, I rode by the gutter until I could pick some nice juicy potholes and was able to sprint up the right side.  With less than 1 mile to go we had six AAVC’ers in a line on the left side with Kyle Schroeder and Tyler Trask at the back.  Kevin Juntunen and I stayed on the right near the front when I heard the sound of scraping carbon just behind me.  Kevin got

Kyle Schroeder's new tattoo!

pushed to the outside and hit the gravel, but didn't go down.  However, this crash took out our leadout line.   Kyle, Tyler, and indeed much of the pack went down with that one and I think half of our guys now bear a bloody chainring mark on some part of his body.  This was also the pile-up that took out Kyle Bohnsack from Wheels in Motion.  The second crash happened 200-300m out near a barricade on the left side.  People were pushing to the front and with the constriction several guys were forced out to the right and onto the grass.  When you combine nerves and a 30+ mph pace bad things are going to happen.  It was a full on sprint when I saw Kevin go down on my left.  Part of me wanted to stop, but I kept pushing through the line and managed to pull out an 8th place finish.   Looking back it looked like a war zone.  One junior who slid to a halt just in front of Kevin suffered severe lacerations to his face and some teeth/jaw injuries.  In comparison, I think Kevin got lucky but still suffered some pretty bad road rash and damage to the bike.  

We had one UM rider (Andrea Merlotti) who slid out in the women’s race and earned a trip the the hospital, but after a few x-rays she was ready to check out.  There’s going to be a lot of road rash around the club for the next few weeks, but we were otherwise very fortunate considering.  


-Harvey




Mick Jones's (Cat 4) Race Report:

Except for the last 2-miles the Mount Pleasant RR was pretty much a great race for me and I think most of the AAVC guys.  The first 10 miles seemed fast and furious but for the most part was under control.  I felt great working on the front taking my share of the pulls and then rotating on the front with other AAVC and some of the Leadout team guys.  I over heard other teams say that they felt nervous because AAVC was on the front for the whole race and wondered what our strategy might be.

I did get shuffled back about mid race because I was on the left during the stretch with the right hand cross wind and that lane just kept getting slower and slower so I finally made my way to the right lane found Wamsley and made my way back to the front.  

I was sitting about 12th place rounding the last corner and made a move to join Harvey on the front, took a pull but then realized I didn't want to be on the front too long because of the head wind so tucked into about 8th place and was waiting to get closer to the line, a couple miles later a wheel hit my left shoe and popped the buckle off then another wheel hit my right leg leaving a wheel burn and sending me across the road into the left hand gravel all the while I heard carbon mixing with pavement and looked right to see riders and bikes flying everywhere.  I didn't go down and was able to get myself out of the gravel and onto pavement and sprinted to catch back onto the remaining group, finding Matt's wheel then moving over to find Kevin's wheel and figured he's strong so I'll follow his wheel to the sprint.  Several riders in the remaining group were immediately wanting to make a move to the front with two riders going off the pavement to the right and several yelling to calm down.  It wasn't about 30 seconds later the second crash happened (don't know how) and I saw Kevin hit the deck and I did all I could to hit the brakes to avoid Kevin while hopping the curb at 28 MPH and slowing into thick grass on the right hand side and was able to somehow steer the bike back onto the road.  As I got back on the road I was a little confused on whether I should stop to help Kevin or keep going, at that point I heard Wamsley yell out my name and I caught his wheel and sprinted to the line.

AnywayI plan to race West Branch (Cat 4) then reevaluate whether I should try Master 45+ in Kalamazoo or what I should do.  We all know crashes are a part of racing but when you hear guys screaming on the ground, teeth being knocked out and $8000 bikes being broken in half it really makes you wonder if the excitement of racing is worth the price you might have to pay if you are unfortunate enough to get in the middle of something like that.

I'm glad we all pretty much walked away and look forward to West Branch.

-Mick