The New England race season sure had changed. We used to start with Myles Standish in late April, and most people treated that like a training race. After that, there would usually be Connecticut crits in Moosup, or at Ninigret, which was still a bumpy old B-52 runway, with the course delineated by old car tires laid on the tarmac, rather than the purpose built bike race course we enjoy today. The season didn't really start until the second and third weekends in May, when the Greenfield and Stow road races, as well as the grandaddy of the spring classics, the Putney Tour of the Valleys took place. Everyone wanted to be ready for Putney, because this was perhaps the only race that scored results for every single rider who finished. Most races back then, before video, posted the paying places and that was that. The West Hill boys had the finish on a hill, and they would time and pick everyone, and a few weeks after the race, along with a thank you letter, they would mail you a printed sheet with the complete rundown.
How things have changed. Now we get complete results for nearly every race in hours, not weeks. No more waiting for next month's issue of Velo News to see if your placing made it into the fine print at the back of the rag. Not only that, but here it is, May 21, the traditional Putney weekend, and I have already done seven road races, and could have done more. Sunapee, which used to come in the fall, but has moved around the calendar over the years, marked the end of the new "Spring Classics" season. I guess promoters figured out that people are itching to race in the spring, and promotion is just more lucrative as fields easily fill up.
Sunapee went up against another race at Ninigret the same day. This seemed to have worked out well as the two races attract different types of riders. Team BOB has no shortage of speed merchant sprinters, and Duano and company made one of their frequent pilgrimages to the Ninigret holy ground for a multi-race day in the sun and wind. The rest of us, the ones who can't sprint, headed up to Sunapee. In the 45+ we had a field of about 60 starters. CCB had their usual powerful squad; we had the second largest team with six riders. There was only one rider from Gearworks, but that was enough, as Joe Rano took the win from a two up breakway with our team mate Eric Pearce. These two were clearly the strongest in the field. Rano attacked repeatedly and Pearce was up front all day long. Some others infiltrated their winning break, but the duo rode them off and sent them packing back to the peloton.
Things were pretty animated in this group. The first lap had a lot of attacks. I even ended up solo when I took to the front entering the narrower road that connects the two state highways which make up the other two sides of the triangular course. Just rolling in there because in the past, I have found you can kind of get trapped at the back when the field does not circulate, the next thing I knew I was alone. I seem to roll down hills faster than most... Not putting much into it, when I nonetheless approached the first hard climb with a gap, I kept it going so as not to be caught on the climb itself. This worked out, as I was absorbed while coasting on the subsequent downhill, after about 6k solo. Then things felt easy. :o)
Completing the first lap, things seemed to slow going through the rotary. I thought this might be a good time to yank off the leg warmers. Wrong. Just after getting the first one off, all hell broke loose and we went single file in the 12, with a big split occuring at the front. So here I am, head down, bridging the gap, one leg warmer on and one off. Needless to say, I collected a few barbs from friend and foe alike for that. Eventually we slowed for a moment and I got my chance to take the other one off. The attacks resumed soon after, and the Pearce/Rano move went on the old feedzone hill (the part where there is a climbing lane). A chase group/response broke up the field, and I tried to go at first, then the warning lights went on, so I backed off a bit. Luckily someone else came by and I got on him. He couldn't close the gap, but he kept it from growing. As we reached the crest, glancing over my shoulder to see that the field was all busted up, I was able to bridge it up to reach the 10 man chase group. With Pearce up the road, I sat on. However, eventually the field regrouped as the break rode away.
There were more attacks during the last half lap, but nothing too serious until about 5k to go when the Cronoman bridged up to Terrence Parker (Boston Scientific) and another guy. They did not have a big lead, but their situation was not hopeless either. Pearce and Rano were gone off and contesting the win by themselves. Grouppo Cronoman held a slim margin around the rotary and up the hill, inside 1k to go. I got shuffled back in the melee that ensued in the pack, but got a spot in the left hand gutter as the finish climb began. The wind up was totally slo-moe due to the strong 3/4 headwind coming from the right. I was kind of boxed in as we absorbed the Crono-break, but it was a good thing as it probably kept me from jumping too soon. At about 500 meters I forced my way through a narrow gap just out of the soft shoulder, and led it out. Graydon Stevens came by on my right at around 150 meters, and I was going so slow grinding into the wind that I couldn't believe the whole pack hadn't crushed me yet. I peeked back and realized that unless their bikes suddenly transformed into motorcycles, I was going to make it. I gunned it as Stevens slowed, but he held me off by half a bike length at the line. He got 3rd and I got 4th just a few seconds ahead of the pack.
Pretty damn tired, I was still satisfied because this was my best result in anything other than a TT since coming back to the sport 3 seasons ago. Another top 5 at Sunapee, and it went down much the same way as in the past. I am good on this course, but not strong enough to ride away with the winning break. The spring was better than what I expected, and I am looking forward to a nice easy ride on Sunday...
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