Ronde Von Manor

Last Saturday my dad drove me out to Ghost Town to compete in the 4/5 road race. I started off about mid-pack and just chilled for the first few miles until things started to pick up and I got into position to join any big breaks that might stay away. Only one guy seemed interested in getting away from the pack though, and nobody was inclined to follow. By the time the second of the 3 laps came around, I began getting concerned about the distance this gentleman was putting between himself and the rest of us, so I jumped up front and said "lets go get him". Unfortunately only a couple other riders were interested in the prospect. After my pull, rider 430 put in a hard solid effort before another rider took a short pull during which we lost precious seconds. I hopped back up shortly after his pull started, and the cycle continued. Eventually I got impatient and took my hardest pull yet, closing the gap to about 10 seconds just before I realized how close we were to the only significant hill on the course. I slowed down, but 430 didn't as he took his pull and closed the gap. We hit the bottom of the hill, and I could feel the rice and greenbeans from that morning coming up into my throat- I had to drop back or else risk losing nutrients I knew I would need for the rest of the race. I gagged twice and lost about 35 positions, but the food stayed down and my race continued. From there I tried to stay between 15 and 10th and just take it easy till the end, hoping it would come down to a sprint. With 5 k to go though, I saw my pal Mike Klein starting a vicious attack, and was discouraged to see 3 or 4 guys follow his wheel. Luck was on my side though, and as the decent in the last 3 or 4 k rolled up the pack closed the gap. Now I knew I had a chance- I got up to about 4th or 5th and got down real low and tight behind the large 430 rider. I barely had to pedal at all to keep up with the other riders who were clearly working much harder than myself. I got antsy at 400 meters to go and decided I felt fresh enough to start my sprint. It was a no go however, and riders started floating past around 200 k. I got onto my friend Brandon Smith's wheel, and stayed there through the finish line to take 6th place.