April 22, 2008 - Roubaix!

Schildge 5th at Battenkill Roubaix, April 19th

Today, Fiordifrutta lined up with a strong team of ten riders; Steve, Toby, Roz, Lipka, Josh, Jamey, Hayden, Cory, Whitey, and I. Before the race we met together to discuss our tactics for the day. It was decided that the team would race aggressively at the beginning so as to not miss the early breakaway. My job was to stay attentive, so as to not miss any major splits in the field, but to keep my nose out of the wind so I would be fresh if it came down to a sprint finish.

We certainly did race aggressively at the beginning of the race, and as a result, about one hour into the race, a breakaway was established containing 4 riders, including Josh D. After this, the team kept a careful watch on the front, and made sure that nothing else got away. On the key dirt sections, we made sure to move up and not miss the selection.

As the race continued, the heat (85 degrees and sunny!) and loose, rocky dirt sections began to take their toll on the field. By the final dirt section, the field was hauling, and we were rapidly closing in on the break. With a little help from Hayden in the way of a welcome push, I made it over the most taxing section with the front group. By this point there were about 15 people left in the field, with the four in the breakaway still up the road. Toby, Jamey, and I were the only riders left from Fiordifrutta. Liking our odds in the small group, I told Jamey and Toby to drive the pace in order to pick up some riders that had snuck off the front during the selection and sweep up the remnants of the breakaway.

We were able to catch all but two riders. Mark Walters (Team Race) and Bruno Langlois (VW) had escaped during the selection, and managed to stay away until the finish. In the final 7 mile circuit, riders were launching attacks off the front. Toby and Jamey worked hard to pull them back, and I covered a few in case they stayed away. While it may have been smarter to play it cool in the back of the group, my youthful exuberance got the best of me. Coming into the downhill finish a rider attacked early and I got onto his wheel. I knew that this was it. I jumped a little early, and wasn't able to hold off two of the riders behind me. I got third in the field sprint and had to settle for fifth on the day.