Iowa Spring Classic Race Review

I braved some windy/cold weather conditions in and effort to kick off the 2011 road racing season at the Iowa Spring Classic, representing the 2011 American Equity Elite Racing Team.  The wind had a nasty bite to it, and really was noteworthy for all in attendance (in fact, they shortened the distance to 5 laps from 7, due to the weather).  I was encouraged to see a fairly large turnout in each of the races as I lined up for the Cat 1,2,3 event.

We ripped down the road with a tailwind to start things off in this event that included teammates from Bikes2You, Zealous Racing, Atlas, Mercy-Specialized, and a few solo riders, including myself.  Shortly after the start Lee Venteicher (Bikes2You) and Scott Robinson (Zealous) established a gap, facilitated by blocking from their teammates.  I patiently decided to wait this out, assuming this wasn't the winning move, though Lee and Scott did stay up the road for a very long time.

About half way into the race Andrew Fagersten (Bikes2You) unleashed an attack that seemed to start in the crosswind section and follow through to the tailwind.  I was near the back at this point, but recognized the seriousness of the situation and powered my way up through the ensuing gaps.  Soon it was just Andrew and Jerome Rewerts (Zealous) up the road and I was able to make contact.  I looked back to see a pretty significant gap.  The three of us organized to chase down the leaders. 

Slowly but surely, we caught Lee and Scott, as they hung on to our rotation (hmm, bad news for me... outnumbered).  Fortunately,  Lee and Scott were eventually dropped from the break, and the three of us continued to rotate through.  It was hard to decide how much effort to dose out, as I was not sure as to the situation behind us.

Lee V. tenaciously clawed his way back to within eye sight, which ended up being a very important development for Bikes2You.  Andrew dropped back, which sort of forced me and Jerome to do the work for the last portion of the race.  I tested his resolve by slowing down to a near standstill and he stuck to his strategy, knowing that Lee and him would have numbers if Jerome and I sat up.

The race paid back three spots, so things were looking good for me regardless.  I was the first to jump on the sprint to the finish.  I couldn't hear anyone behind me, so for a few fleeting seconds I thought I had the victory.  Unfortunately, Andrew excuted the game plan to perfection by taking advantage of his slightly fresher legs to come around me at the line.  He was gracious in acknowleding that me and Jerome were cordial regarding his tactic.  Well played by Bikes2You, and  congratulations to Andrew for excellent racing.

RESULTS

I feel good about this result, as the field was filled with some great riders, and my fitness seemed to be right on target.  It was fun to get back into things and see alot of familiar faces.  Things are only going to get more interesting from here, as the American Equity Team is poised for a rewarding 2011 campaign.