Maine Race Weekend, Adam Branfman, June 3rd
Sat: Lake Auburn RR; Adam Branfman (myself), Scott Cole, Scott Brooks, Dave Chiu
Well, we got very wet. 50 miles in the pouring rain. This being said, the race was very worth it. There were lots of attacks early on. Scott Brooks made a nice solo attempt and got reeled in unfortunately up one of the hills. Corey Masson from TNM also made a nice solo break attempt and unfortunately for him, flatted at the top of the KOM hill. The pace was comfortable, nothing extraordinary and the group stayed very safe in the wet and cold conditions. I stayed 3-4 wheels back from the front the whole race in order to stay safe and mark breaks and attacks. Scott Cole unfortunately had to abandon early because his body was not cooperating in the cold weather and he could not warm up his core. The race came down to a field sprint. After the final right turn, Dave jumped to the front and made a great pull to prevent the usual surges toward the end of the race. HE eventually pulled off and Scott and I lined up to the oursite right of the group. I Said to Scott, I am on your wheel go now and away we went, past the group, to the front and we sprinted. It was a beautifullly executed leadout plan giving me 1st and Scott Brooks 2nd. Couldnt have been better.Sunday: Great Falls Crit; Adam Branfman, Scott Cole, Dave Chiu
A frustrating race. The group was very lethargic and seemed content to let breaks go up the road and stay there. Scott and Dave both abandoned early as their bodies were not cooperating. There was a nice little power climb that made the legs feel nice and wore down a lot of the field. There were several breaks that went and got caught. I was doing too much work up front to catch these breaks, however. Not much else to report, however. It came down to a sprint where I was not positioned that well and finished 7th. A great workout nonetheless. That’s all folks. See you next weekend in CT.
Adam