Fitchburg Classic Recap, Mike DelRossi, July 4
Thought I’d share some final thoughts on Fitchburg, and a brief recap. Sorry for the delay, but I’ve been away for the week resting my legs and getting engaged. That’s right, after 10 years Melissa and I are finally going to do the deed. How’s that for endurance?
Stage 1 (TT): An unusually good time trial for me put us in orange from the start, and set the stage for the rest of the race. Scott Brooks also had a great TT, putting him in 14th place. I still can’t believe how selflessly and enthusiastically the rest of the team put aside their own goals and dedicated themselves to racing for the jersey. The team had great potential for the points jersey and multiple stage wins, but they unwaveringly kept their eyes on one prize day after day.
Stage 2 (Circuit race): With a perfectly executed plan and an incredible show of force, NEBC stamped its authority on this race and let everyone know that we intended to keep that orange jersey. I stayed out of the wind and close to the front for most of the race, conserving myself for the road race the following day. The team goal was to keep me protected, and if possible try to steal some time bonus points from the other teams at the finish. The boys worked the front for much of the race, keeping the pace high and fending off attacks. At several points we were leading the peloton with a text-book perfect train of 4-5 NEBC riders. There were no substantial breakaways that I can remember. The icing on the cake was Adam Branfman’s 3rd place finish, putting 2 of us on the podium at the end of the day. Gary Douville finished 6th as well. Our aggressive finishing tactics played an important role, as Areil Herrmann (2nd place GC) sprinted for 5th place, dangerously close to a time bonus.
Stage 3 (Road Race): Those of you who saw me before the start of this race could tell how nervous I was. I knew I could count on the team to deliver me safely to the bottom of the final climb, but after that it was up to me. They had worked so hard for that jersey up to that point, and I was so afraid I would let them down. You’ve seen my race report for the road race, so I won’t go into detail again, but I feel this was our team’s finest moment. Scott Brooks’s decision making and leadership, and our teams excellent communication and commitment made it obvious to everyone else out there that NEBC was a well oiled machine. I don’t think anyone was prepared to be competing against that kind of teamwork. As promised, the team delivered me safely and as fresh as possible to the beginning of the final climb. It was a terrifying battle up the hill (for everyone), and as I said before I’ve never dug that deep before. You can tell yourself that you put it all out there on some of your training rides, but until you have something like we did to lose, you never know just how deep the well goes. The spirit of my teammates was incredibly inspiring and I have no doubt that if I wasn’t climbing that hill for them, I wouldn’t have been able to hold on as long as I did. I finished 8 seconds behind the stage winner and was extremely relieved to have held on to the jersey.
Stage 4 (Downtown Crit): I was even more nervous than the previous day. Once again, the fate of the jersey lay in the hands of the team. I have little to no experience in crits, which the guys will tell you was obvious from the look on my face the entire race. Fortunately, most of the other guys were very experienced crit racers. I’m not sure Gary has tons of crit experience, but somehow he managed to stay calm and cool enough to make faces at the crowd every time we went through the finish area. We knew 2 things were going into this race: there would be crashes, and ECV would be racing very aggressively for both the points jersey and to dethrone us and claim the orange (they needed 18 seconds). The team did a great job of working the front and keeping the pace high enough to discourage too many breaks. My lack of crit experience landed me in the mid-pack danger zone a few times, but every time I would work my way to the inside edge of the pack and one of the boys would come from behind and tow me up to the front. It was like clockwork. My goal for the race was to mark Ariel Herrmann and know exactly where he was at all times. A pivotal moment was about 6 laps to go when Ariel jumped off the front and attempted a solo breakaway. I had known this moment was coming and I very quickly bridged the gap and got on his wheel (with gary right behind me). Ariel towed us for 100 yards or so, and when he finally glanced back over his shoulder he didn’t look to happy to see me. We all sat up and folded back into the pack. It was a psychologically important moment, as Ariel didn’t try anything else for the rest of the race and the pack finished together (with Adam and Gary sprinting for 5th and 6th). After the finish the team regrouped and rolled around the course and back through the finish line together, with Richard Fries announcing the arrival of the winning team. It was a moment I will never forget as long as I live (somebody got a great photo of it).
A few important takeaways:
1. A strong TT is critical in this race. The top 3 TT finishers on day 1 were the top 3 GC finishers on day 4. Ross had told us from the beginning that this would be the case.
2. You can’t keep that orange jersey without an incredibly committed and well run team. Just ain’t going to happen. The victory here went to the best team, plain and simple. ECV had the strongest climber in the road race, and he only needed 36 seconds. I venture to say that if teamwork and tactics were reversed, they would have been able to pull it off.
3. Riding with a team for one common goal is the most fun you can have on a bike. Sure, sounds a little biased coming from me, but just ask the other guys.
4. God loves a happy story. No other team had the support and fan base that we had. On the side of the road, in the feed station, and via e-mail we were extremely well supported. I’m not an overly spiritual or superstitious guy, but I know good Karma when I see it.
Thanks everyone for everything. I’m sure this is the story I’ll tell for the rest of my life.
Mike