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Team Captain Matt "Mattattack!" Richards recently came in 8th while competing the the Housatonic Hills Road race. Here's a recap of his grueling experience!
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Housatonic began a week before the start, when David and I took a trip up to my family's place in Roxbury, CT for a romantic weekend getaway and course pre-ride. Our reconnaissance confirmed my worst suspicions:
yes, David was interested (sorry Holton), and that Housatonic is one bear of a course. In fact, I'd argue that this bear is harder then Bear. Perhaps that's just me...
Housatonic Hills RR is a rolling circuit with four distinct climbing sections, the most feared of which is Constitution Hill.
Traditionally, the race would only climb the hill once - for the finish. This year, the climb would be on the course. As 4's we'd go up it once neutralized at the start, and then again at the beginning of the second lap. Alone it's by no means insurmountable, but in the context of the race as a whole, it's a challenge. Another sections with climbs included RT 317 (KOM), Nicols Hill Rd, and Minor Bridge/Hut Hill Rds.
By all accounts the race was pretty straight forward. Stay towards the front, stay protected, stay with the front group, stay, stay, stay...
all the while the lead group was getting smaller as riders fell off the pace. A war of attrition in every sense. If you can make it over the climbs with the front group, you can contend. If not, you're spit out the back. No strategy to speak of.
We came over the KOM and a single rider slipped off the front. There were two problems with this: 1) No one noticed, and 2) he was the CT state champion. He solo'ed home and finished a good three minutes in front of the rest of the field, largely because we didn't put on a chase, as we had no idea someone was off the front.
That said, we did notice that our pace vehicle had changed...
Apparently they had taken our follow vehicle and brought it up to the front to take over for the lead car (which was up in the actual lead).
Thing is, we saw the vehicle and assumed that we were the lead group, so no one chased. We (and the race officials) gave him the win.
We only learned that we had someone off the front once we'd finished.
Colin Prensky (who had won the field sprint) and his Metro-Sanchez teamates contested the result, as apparently the lead car should not have been replaced.
The pace picked up dramatically over the last few miles as everyone started to jockey for position. Metro-Sanchez did a great job of having two riders in support of Colin, so Alvin and I tagged on behind them, hoping to benefit from their lead out.
The finish of the race comes through a long straight-away, takes a 90 degree turn into a slight uphill stretch of about 20 meters in length, then another 90 degree right hand turn before the sprint finish, about another 25-30 meters out. I attacked on the straight-away, but didn't get great separation. I lead the group through the two turns and uncorked my mediocre sprint attempt just as two guys went down on my left, and I realized that I was putting Colin in the gutter on my right. I feathered the brakes to avoid the mess, tried to restart the sprint, but by that time I was sprinting for 7th, which I lost to Patrick Clifford (who also nipped me for 4th at Battenkill!!!).
So, 8th place. It is what it is. I'll learn to finish a race correctly one day...
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