fmr*oi in exile

[ red hook crit dropped in milano italia yesterday - ktel took 5th (out of 75)!  ]

unedited report from one of the nyc racers, al:

The turnout was nutty. Hundreds of spectators lined the start/finish with I think 75 racers sitting at the start line. The racers looked to vary in ability from one kid in a button down with his number pinned on his shirt to dozens of hardened Italian racers with experience in either track, road or grand fondos.

After the warmup lap I found myself boxed out of the front line at the start. I was insanely nervous, not about screwing up the race, but more about not crashing and injuring myself in some random country halfway around the world. Trimble called 1 minute, everyone looked forward and prepared for the fast clip in and the inevitable battle for the whole shot. We heard 30 seconds. I concentrate on my breathing and then I hear the whistle.

Racers jump from the line, clip in and sprint for the first right hand turn less than 100 meters down track. I completely screw up the start and it takes me a couple seconds to clip my left foot in. I must be in 50th position or so at this point. I round turn 1 and see the leaders already completing turn 2 almost 100 meters ahead. I know I won’t have that much time to make it to them before they open up an insurmountable gap. I begin the desperate battle of making up spots in the straights and turns. Halfway through the first lap, between the 1st and 2nd roundabout I can see that I’m closer but still dangerously far away. The leaders are less than 10 seconds in front of me and it’s completely strung out with gaps opening up behind them.

As I’m passing racers left and right I’m screaming, “Via! Via!”, which I was told meant “Move!” I continue making up position and a bit before the 2nd roundabout on the 2nd lap I’ve made it up to the leaders. All the Americans are there in addition to 6-7 Italian racers. I’m so relived.

After recovering for a half lap I see Jon Ander Ortundo attack in a straighaway and get a bit of daylight on us and I feel good enough to move to the front and pull him back in. After passing him after the finish I lead it for most of the 4th lap. It feels good to sit at the front of the race. Bombing through the turns with flash photos going off in your face and hundreds of people cheering from the sidelines. After going through the start/finish, I pull off and move to the back to sit in and wait for the fireworks.

At this point we’ve completed 1/3rd of the race and I’m feeling good. The americans are talking to one another and I get a real sense we are looking out for each other’s best interests. Through laps 5 through 8 the Italians sat at the front, top 4 or so, keeping the pace rather high with the American’s sitting behind them. I’m getting a bit nervous that a really strong attack will come from the front and the American’s might be caught off guard. As we complete lap 8 the pace slows and Chris attacks hard right in front of the giant crowd. I yell in english to not respond and make the Italians chase. The speed jumps and italians work to reel Chris in. Chris get’s pulled in but the pace remains fast. On the next lap we all slow up again on the back straightaway and spread out across the road, I tell K-tel to look for the attack as it will come any moment.

Kacey Manderfield launches hard, punches through the 1st round about and we bridge up before the 2nd round about. I look back and can see the attacks have done their damage. We have shed a number of racers from the lead group. At this point we are down to 9 or 10 leaders. Rolling through the straightaway I see Trimble holding the lap card indicating 4 to go. I move to the back and sit in for a lap looking for the right moment to attack.

The moment presents itself with 2.5 laps to go. JT is leading it through the 2nd chicane and I can tell he doesn’t want to be in front. He is slowing down, in turn slowing us all down, and as we exit the chicane I attack hard from 3rd wheel. Sprinting out of the saddle far left and then settling down into a rhythm. I don’t look back and concentrate on the the turns in front of me. I hear a rider approaching. It’s Neil Bezdek, a perfect breakaway companion. I hop in his draft and hold on, spinning fast as he rolls his massive 47x13 gear. We stay away up until turn 2 of the 2nd to last lap. When we are caught I move back into the group and recover again. Attacks go in the 2nd to last lap, but nothing sticks.

With 1 lap to go we roll through the start/finish. The crowd is deafening. For most of the lap its all of us eyeballing each other. Waiting and watching. This goes on for a half lap and after the 1st roundabout the pace quickens in order to get good positioning for the 2nd roundabout and the final winding kilometer that leads to the finish. I completely screw up my positioning leading into the roundabout and find myself being 8th wheel. The rider in front of me loses position and opens up a gap in front of him. I try to move around in the 3rd to last turn, but he blocks me. I get around him and open up my sprint at the 2nd to last turn, but the race is already up the road and I watch the finish happen in front of me. The finish is Jon, Neil, JT, Kacey, K-tel, an Italian?, myself, and a few Italians behind me.

The race was pure insanity. The course was perfect and the racers were safe. I couldn’t ask for more.

Great work, Dave.