Chris Hinds Crit (Ninigrit) Charlestown, RI P/1/2/3 - 4-18-09
Excellent work by Jim Thomas and Landen Wark-Acebo!
Chris Hinds Crit (Ninigrit) Charlestown, RI P/1/2/3
Jim Thomas: 4th
Jay Robbins: 22nd
Landen Wark-Acebo: DNF
It’s hopefully the coldest and rainiest races we’ll have this spring!
>From Jim:
Should title this one “A Saturday in Hell”
So for the first time in my racing career I decided to do what you are supposed to do and pack the night before and get on the road early. Well that worked in my favor until as I was getting dressed I realized I had forgot my shorts. The only place I thought I could have found anything that might resemble spandex was at Olympia Sports. Got back to the race with 15 min to get dressed. Threw all my stuff on, got the bike out of the car to see the pack go by and Landen shouting “Hey Jim what the hell?” Hoped on the bike and tried to catch the pack but slipped on the wet grass and crashed. So I decided to wait for the pack to come around again…free lap right…and warm ups are overrated.
Anyway the first 10 laps were uneventful. A few unknowns taking shots off the front. A group of 3 got away for 5 or so laps and the pack just let them burn. There was no way they could maintain a break that long with the 30 mph crosswind. My strategy was to hang at the back, conserve energy and wait for the second half of the race to make any moves. Ninigret is such an easy course to move up if you need to. Around the half way mark, the boys were getting restless. I looked over at Landen and asked him how he felt. He said “not too bad”, but I could tell he was cold. The 39 degree temps and wind were starting to wear me down. I definitely lost all feeling in my feet and hands at that point. Toby Marzot looked to have good legs and put in an attack that I followed. We were bridged by 4 other riders. Then another 3-4 guys bridged. A large group like that wasn’t going to get away that easily. We were soon joined by the rest of the pack and it was again groupo compacto. At that point I figured that this may just come down to a sprint. The winds seemed too strong to allow any break that didn’t have some serious fire power to get away. I am always just as happy to sit in and wait for a sprint as I am to follow attacks.
Marzot and Adam Myerson (of Moutain Kackis) put in another attack, that was quickly realed in. With 12 to go the pace had noticably picked up as the big boys fought for position at the front. There were a few more flurries of attacks but nothing looked like it would stick. With 10 to go a McCormack put in a massive attack, just smoothly accelerating away from the field. I was in a terrible position to follow, about 15 back. I could see 2 Mountain Khakis scrambling to get on his wheel. In the back of my mind I knew it looked dangerous, but I hesitated to do anything. After half a lap, I had the feeling that was going to be the winning break. They had a good 200- meters, were pulling away, and they were definitely the class of the field. I made a move to the front and as I did two other riders put in a bridge effort, and I decided to follow. After being out in the wind for half a lap, it was obvious the two guys I was with didn’t have the legs to make the gap. I just put my head down and went as hard as I could. I told myself I am either going to catch the break myself or I am going to die from lactic acidosis. I shocked myself and was able to bridge the gap in about 30 sec. At that point the break was: myself, McCormack, Adam Myerson, Nick Keough, and Gavin Mannion. The bridge effort had put me in the red so I had to sit on for a lap. As I motioned McCormack to go ahead and I was going to sit on I could hear him mumble something to himself and then accelerate to the front. The acceleration popped me off the back of the 5 man group along with Myerson. Again I put my head down and chased. I hoped to get some help from Myerson, but he was no where to be found. I caught back on after a lap and a half chase and it was back to 4 of us. I decided I had better take a few pulls to appease Mark, but I was bascially glass pedalling trying to catch my breath. At this point I believe there were 5 to go, but I have no idea since I am pretty sure I was on the edge of hypothermia. With 3 to go McCormack accelerated again. I made an effort to get on his wheel, but it was more for show, since I had nothing left in the tank. Keough and Mannion came around me and tried to chase. They gapped me by about 7-8 seconds while chasing Mark. At that point I put my head down and just did a personal time trial and hoped it would end soon. McCormack put 13 seconds on me and it looks like Mannion and Keough almost caught him finishing 3 seconds back.
After the race I went straight to my car, stripped off everything, wrapped myself in a blanket and put the heat on full. I think that may have been the coldest I have ever been.