Image credit: find this and more great cycling route maps at http://www.2450mhz.com/jfg/bikeroutesFirst big race of the season, all the the usual suspects are here, Saturn, Mercury, US Postal plus the dozen other small US pro teams hunting for glory. I arrived last night after driving for 2 hours in torrential rain. Hey I thought - it never rains in California. Smiley has found a $20 motel special, that means a bed and a tv, bring your own breakfast plate and spoon, which we eat as it pisses down outside.
Lots of riders around with all looking worried and cold, that would be me also. I try to warm up and try not to think 'haven't I had enough of this stuff - I'm too old for this shit etc etc'. Strange thing but here we are in deepest rural California and we have 8 kiwis on the start line.
Yep, 180 starters, rain, flat, crosswinds, blown over trees and lamp-posts, I was feeling homesick for the Tour of Southland. Usual scrap to get in the front 50 at the start line followed by bigger scrap once the gun has gone. All the guys that you see in Velonews - Gord Fraser, Trent Klasna etc look about as happy to be here as I am. Straight into the gutter it is, with a few lock-ups for good measure and then Mercury puts the hammer down and it all splits to pieces. I look up from my 50th back position and see a long line of Mercury jerseys disappearing into the distance.
The bunch splits but strangely doesn't get very far up the road. I'm in the 2nd group with Smiley, Nathan Dalberg and about 40 others. There is about 40 in front. I think this is great just roll around and get my first race out the way. The group in front splits again and again and we start to catch them. This is not good, our bunch is a good size for a gutter to gutter echelon. Getting another 15 guys coming back at us will only be trouble. We pass a few crashes. The continual gale force crosswind is a racing condition your average Pro/1st cat American rider doesn't get to deal with that often. When you think about it Wellington would be the only place to have that dubious pleasure. We absorb the 15 from the front group and it's attack, attack, all that does is blast 20-30 guys off of the back of our group.
My front tyre starts to feel soft just as the support goes screaming by. That leaves our group 2nd on the road and with no support. I to roll along at the back of the group with the rim banging on the road every now and then - still no bloody support vehicle. They are apparently held up dealing with one of the many crashes. I sit up the tyre completely flat, then proceed to ride the next 15km to the finish of the huge lap on the rim and freeze my arse off doing it.
Eventually I get there and I'm greeted by a warm and dry Smiley. Nathan does another lap and quits. Millar punctures, Vesty finishes in the 2nd or 3rd group looking like he has not enjoyed a minute of it.
So that was my US pro/am debut. I was a least pleased that I started well and was relaxed and comfortable when I was there. As for the real race Mercury and Saturn boys fight it out from a small 8 or so group. Who won? I have no idea I was well on my way home, in fact as they were sprinting for the line I was doing 90mph in torrential rain on freeway 5 along with all the other insane American drivers.
Next up Pinole 2up TT, Sacremento criterium and the legendary Sea Otter.
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