The number one highlight for me was seeing so many local riders racing and racing well. Everyone was sharing their personal accomplishments and encouraging each other throughout the weekend in ways I have never observed. It was quite moving and further confirmation that northern Vermont has one of the finest cycling communities around. The volunteerism was remarkable, as I am sure the race promoters can attest. Many local participants both raced and volunteered! All for the love of cycling.

Another highlight for me was seeing many members of our masters team race their hearts out. The GMSR is no easy race. These guys gave it there best and I couldn’t ask for more. I am thankful for the relationships I have with these guys and the sacrifices they make to participate. It is the main reason I put the team together and continue to move it forward.

One of the most spectacular highlights was watching Dean Philips go from “down and out” (after a mechanical ruined stage 1) to launching what has been described to me as one of the “fiercest attacks and breakways” the young-ins in the CAT 2 field have ever observed. He so deserved that win!

Lastly, I can say that I had the race of a lifetime. My results aren’t spectacular with a 24th overall out of 65 starters, but then results never tell the whole story. The last time I raced GMSR I was a Cat 5 beginner in 2002. I dropped after the second day in dead last. I finished the race as a CAT 5 in 2003 but again I was near the bottom. Fast forward 9 years. I raced competitively all weekend and finished 3 minutes behind Roger Aspholm and David Gazsi after 4 days of racing in an extremely difficult Master 40+ field. I felt great all weekend, never ran out of energy, and hit all my goal wattages for various hard sections each day. I couldn’t ask for more.

I am always reflective about my performance as many racers are. I am already setting goals for the winter months. Already plotting my race calendar. It is easy to become consumed with bike racing and forget you have many people in your life that sometimes get less than the attention they deserve. It is important to remember that cycling is a hobby (unless of course you get paid to do it) and our results don’t define us, our character does. Chances are the people you like the least, care the most about your results and the people you love, just want you to be safe and have a good time. I should say that I did almost have an epic crash at the finish of Stage 2. I believe it was God’s way of reminding me of my mortality and checking to see if my priorities were in order. He got my attention.

I want to thank our sponsors again for such an incredible season. Burris Logistics, Fit Werx, The Music Emporium, Vermont Chiropractic and Sports Therapy, DuBois and King, and Performance Field Testing have been tremendous partners in this endeavor and we could not do it without them.

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Looking at my file from the race, my power was consistent with the last few weeks and my heart rate was pegged at 180+. She don’t beat much faster than that. I don’t think I could have gone any harder although I could have sprinted harder at the end and possibly gone under 15 minutes. Good goal for next year. Stage 2 starts at 1:10 this afternoon. Not sure how I am going to race it, but I dream of getting the 48 seconds back.

Philip Beliveau had a great ride in the 50+ finishing in 15:32 and currently sits in 8th place. He is a great climber so I have high hopes for a top-5. Dean Phillips is in the Cat 2 field. He was on pace yesterday to go sub-14 before he jammed his chain on the final incline. This cost him a few minutes and further confirms that bike racing can offer the highest highs and the lowest lows. I have a sneaking suspicion he will unleash his frustration in a big way today!

GMSR is a great race. The weather this weekend is spectacular. I feel very fortunate to be racing this year and look forward to the rest of the stages. Stay tuned for more updates…

mike

Vermont Chiropractic and Sports Therapy has been with us from the beginning. Located in Hinesburg, VT, they offer services in Chiropractic, manual and adjunctive therapies, rehabilitation, sports performance care and nutritional wellness. Not only have many members of our team received incredible services there, but many of our friends and family have as well.  www.vtchirosports.com

The Music Emporium of Lexington, MA has also been with us from the beginning. The Music Emporium is THE premier dealer of acoustic instruments. They have served the discerning acoustic guitar player and collector in New England, throughout the US, and abroad since the 1960s. Their goal has always been to help customers, near and far, find the right instrument that is inspiring to play and reflects the quality and passion of the finest guitar builders. www.themusicemporium.com

Performance Field Testing (PFT) has supported our efforts for the last two years. PFT’s mission is to make sure outdoor products are the best they can be — before they go to market. PFT conducts rigorous in-the-field prototype testing of all categories of outdoor equipment and apparel, checking performance, fit, durability, construction, wear and other client-specified factors. www.performancefieldtesting.com

New to us this year is the engineering firm of DuBois and King. Founded in 1962, DuBois & King, Inc., provides engineering, planning, permitting, and environmental services for projects throughout New England. www.dubois-king.com

These sponsors along with Fit Werx (www.fitwerx.com) and Burris Logistics (www.burrislogistics.com) have been tremendously generous and supportive of our team. We are very thankful for their investment in the sport of cycling and we could not do what we do without them.

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I really respect the elite riders in New England. They train hard and they race even harder. Still, I have tremendous respect for many masters athletes that give quality time to their wives, families and jobs and yet still find time to train and race hard all season. The guys on our team are no exception. We have attended every major race this year and we have held our own against the best masters racers in the Northeast.

My last race report was from the Coupes de Ameriques. The racing hasn’t stopped since then. Our riders attended the Tour of the Hilltowns, the Barre Grand Prix, Capital Region Road Race, and the Concord Criterium. Our strongest finish came in the Barre Grand Prix, a local circuit race, where Philip Beliveau took 2nd place in the 40+ and Christian Verry took 7th in the Cat. 3 race. Six of our riders are set to race the Green Mountain Stage Race on Labor Day weekend. This is a brutal 4-day race in our own backyard. From there we will turn our attention to the cyclo-cross season with the  Verge Series opener at Catamount Outdoor Center. Our team will also be sponsoring this event.

Of note this year, two of our riders are currently leading the Green Mountain Bicycle Club’s Time Trial series in their age categories. Stephen Taylor and Mike Burris could clinch the series tonight with a strong showing at the Jonesville course near Bolton Valley. The time trial series has been very competitive this year. At the last South Greenbush installment, places 2-6 were separated by 1 second with Mike and Stephen taking spots 3 and 4 respectively.

Also of note this year is the incredible season Dean Phillips is having. If you don’t know Dean, he is one of the owners of the Massachusetts location. Although we have not had the opportunity to race with Dean, he is part of the family and we look forward to watching him punish the field at GMSR in the Cat 2s!

It has been an incredible season so far and we are very lucky to have sponsors like Burris Logistics and Fit Werx to keep us rolling.

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The North American Masters Championships, otherwise known as the Coupes de Ameriques, was held just over the border in Sutton, Quebec last weekend. Sutton is a quaint little town in the eastern townships of Quebec southeast of Montreal. The town actual organizes the event and is a tremendous host to hundreds of cyclists for a great weekend of racing.

As life would have it, I contracted a significant head cold two days before the start of the race. I very rarely get sick, so this was a major bummer. I ingested every possible vitamin and mineral by the truck load. All the ancient herbal remedies like garlic and oregano, I took them too. By Friday I was better, but still not close to 100%. At this point I would race and hope maybe I could sweat the germs out.

The race was contested over 3 days. Stage 1 began on Friday night with a significant hill climb up to Mount Sutton. It is a tough way to start a race if you are not feeling well, but a great way for the climbers to put time into the competition. The stage starts about 6 miles outside of town before making the turn up the mountain road. The advice I received from riders who had done the ride before was, “Be near the front when you make the turn or else…”

Our field (40-49) was large at about 100 riders. Staying near the front in a group that big is difficult if the organizers enforce the yellow line rule. They made mention to the rule but as the stage got underway it was clear that the yellow line rule doesn’t really exist in Canada. The group spread all the way across the road as riders tried to move up. Honestly, I think this makes for much safer racing, but it did not help me because I am a rule follower. I stayed inside the line which is probably the result of a lot of U.S. racing.

Our group made the turn up the road and accelerated up the climb. I felt okay to start but about halfway up the climb my chest was pounding and my heart rate was much higher than normal at the same power output. I had no choice but to ease up and watch a group full of riders I normally ride even with, roll away from me. As a competitive cyclist, there is no worse feeling than getting dropped by riders you have historically “hung” with in the past. It happens. It is part of racing. You have bad days. For me, this was one of them.

That night I examined my power file and further confirmed the fact that I was not myself. My numbers were nowhere near where they have been on similar climbs over the last few weeks. I have to believe that my sickness contributed as did the fact that I had way to much caffeine prior to the start and decongestant. Oh well, live and learn. I finished 2 minutes behind the stage winner and about 1 minute behind a few guys I ride fairly even with. I currently sat in 49th place. Not the way I hoped to start.

After the first stage I headed back to the hotel to meet my bunk mates, Alberto Citarello and Bobby Bailey. They were racing in the 30-39 field. They had a much better race with Bobby finishing 5th and Alberto 18th. We refueled with a smorgasbord of protein powders Bobby brought with him and I pumped some more vitamins and minerals as well as some NyQuil and Nasonex.

Stage 2 began at 9:30 Saturday morning. It was a fast 10-mile time trial course with riders leaving the starting gate every 30 seconds. The time trial is my greatest strength in terms of the different cycling specialties like climbing and sprinting. I really needed a good time trial to get back on track and gain some time back. I still wasn’t feeling great, but I did feel slightly better than I did Friday night.

I managed to hold 26.3 mph and my average power was about where it has been over the last few weeks. I suffered, but I was satisfied with the effort. I was able to move up 10 places in the GC. Bobby crushed the TT, by a minute and took the lead in the GC. Alberto flatted 5 minutes into the stage and had to take the time of the slowest rider. Afterward we joked about how cycling is nothing but peaks and valleys, both literally and metaphorically.

Stage 3 took place Saturday afternoon. The stage was an 11-mile circuit with basically an uphill section followed by probably one of the scariest descents I have ever done and then a flat, finishing straight. Our field more or less stayed together for the 3 laps with a pair of riders managing to escape just before the finish. Remarkably, about half way through stage 3 I felt normal again. It was like my legs just woke up, I had energy, and I could ride! In the 30-39 field Bobby won the field sprint, taking his second stage win and securing the leader’s jersey for the final stage.

We had dinner in downtown Sutton with the Onion River boys before retiring back to the Hotel Horizon for the night. Before we went to bed we spent some time dissecting the road course for stage 4. It is hard to know just how hard a road course is without actually riding it. Everyone agreed that it would be a hard day, especially for Alberto and Bobby as they would have to defend the yellow jersey with two Americans against 2 or 3 deep Canadian teams.

The road course for stage 4 consisted of a punchy, rolling 2 mile climb at about mile 6 followed by a flat to rolling section of about 40 miles.  The course then turned upwards with a beefy climb at about mile 50 before flattening out again with the run into the finish. Since I was the sole Burris Logistics – Fit Werx rider in the 40-49 field with no GC ambition, I could more-or-less sit in and conserve my energy until the final climb at mile 50. Jared Katz, Mark White, John McGill, and Phil Beard of Onion River were also in the 40-49 field. Though we are not on the same team, we are good friends so I spent most of the race riding with them.

Our race started fast, with the field pushing it hard through the first climb. Many break attempts failed over the first 10 miles. The wind was a factor. It would take a big break to have any chance of sticking it out until the end. At about mile 20, a group of about 8 riders got away. Jared Katz managed to make it into the break which was great to see. He is one of the toughest and nicest guys you will meet. That group stayed off the front for over an hour.

About 5 miles before the final climb the team of GC leader, David Gaszi, came to the front and started to pound it. The break was swallowed up as we hit the climb. At this point the field of 100 riders blew apart. I was at the back end of the field and had to scramble to get through the fragments of riders in order to maintain contact with the lead group. I was hurting, but I felt much, much stronger than I did on Friday. I, along with a few other riders including John McGill and Phil Beard, managed to bridge up to the lead group toward the end of the climb. I felt a tremendous amount of satisfaction to be with the lead group as we made the turn to head into the finish.

However…the race was not over. My legs felt good. I was no threat to the GC. So…I went off the front with 5 km to go. I had a nice gap before I was joined by Stephane Lebeau of Suarez. I did not know who he was at the time (Canadian World Champion), but he was hammering. I grabbed his wheel and tried to hold it. He gave me the chicken wing to pull through. I was already deep in the red, but I tried to pull through. He said to me, “Come on… pull…I’ll let you win” in his textbook Canadian infused English. “Yeah right,” I gasped. I hung on his wheel as long as I could, but he continued to crank it up and I just could not hang on. He managed to hold off the charging field by 2 seconds, but I was swallowed up as we approached the finish. With 20-20 hindsight, I should have just stayed on his wheel and not pulled through. I didn’t owe him anything and he wanted to win, but I hate it when I see guys do that. Live and learn once again.

This was the closest I have ever come to winning a race packed with very, very good riders. It was a legitimate shot. For that I am truly grateful. I learned a tremendous amount about what it takes to win. You have to push beyond. Way beyond.

I connected with Bobby and Alberto after the race. They fell victim to the well executed team tactics of the Canadians. Two guys, with one in yellow against multiple teams with 5+ riders, is a tough fight. Bobby finished in 4th. To his credit, he was by far the strongest rider in the field.

We packed up our stuff and headed off to the banquet at Mount Sutton. After 4 stages I finished in 35th on GC, which considering the field and the head cold,  wasn’t too bad. I was very satisfied and I will return next year for sure. I learned a tremendous amount about stage racing. I also learned a great deal about perseverance and taking the bad with good. Friday I wanted to quit. After Sunday I can’t wait for my next race.

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Teammate Philip Beliveau raced the 50-59 category and finished 12th in GC out of 50 riders. I do not have the details on his race at this time but will publish his report separately.

Here is Stephen Taylor’s report from the time trials:

“In the ITT I felt quite good and managed to avoid a terrible anaerobic/aerobic transition by warming up vigorously on a trainer before taking the line.  My laps were quite consistent, and I finished strong, just 3 seconds behind Taylor H, my perennial nemesis.  I was fourth overall, behind Taylor, Adam Carr, and of course Bobby.  Bruce and I rode the TTT and finished third.  Transitions were a little tricky on the TT bikes, but we rode reasonably tight and strong considering our lack of experience with that.  Claude and John put in an amazing ride on their road bikes only a second or so slower per lap!”

Stephen went on to win the B Division’s points race on Sunday.

“The B-race was huge fun for me.  It was closely contested;  there were no earnest  efforts to establish a break, only solo flyers to get points.  I had thought about trying to break mid-way, but found myself getting points steadily from the first sprint.  Andre took that one by a mile, but then seemed to fade out of contention.  And Cooper got a nice gap going for a couple laps, but I bridged to him just in time and then stole his candy.  (I confess I felt a little bad about that, but not for long). The points seemed to be spread around, and I did not realize one other guy was also accumulating a lot.  By the end I had won two and scored in five others, and the two of us wound up tied with 21 points.  There was talk of a duel lap, but thankfully, Jean left it a tie!”

I knew the A-race would be difficult, but we had a good group of guys to contest it. I was fairly successful in the first Thunder Road show down so I had some confidence. However, there were about 5 local fast guys present for this one that did not attend the first one.

The race began and after three laps, knowing I had no chance at out sprinting anyone, I jumped and took off hoping to get a gap and hold it for two laps.  Apparently it wasn’t a great jump because some well positioned riders sprinted around me as we hit the line on the 5th lap. Points were accrued every fifth lap.

After that, the inevitable happened: Local strong man, Bobby Bailey of 1K2GO Sports launched what would be his first of two times lapping the field. I knew this was coming, but I did not stay on his wheel like I had planned. He stayed away for awhile and racked up plenty of points before lapping the field for the first time. I had a suspicion that he would do it again, so I positioned myself right behind him.

Sure enough, about half way through the race he went again. I stayed on his wheel. My heart rate was pinned at the max. Three other riders managed to follow me and we established a nice break. We stayed away for maybe 10 laps before lapping the field. At that point it was just a matter of sprinting for the last remaining points of the day.

Bobby took the win by a landslide. Many of the Burris Boys got some points and a great workout. Jean was happy with the turnout and will hopefully continue to create and promote great local racing. Special thanks goes to our sponsor, Fit Werx for also sponsoring this race.

Mike Burris

The P 1,2,3 race was fast, although there was some sitting up at times on lap 1, and for a brief section of lap 2. I was surprised there were no painful sudden attacks right away. Instead, the group rode together for all of the 1st lap. I think we shed a few guys (maybe 10) on a couple of the bigger hills on the backside. The surges were hard though. Definitely harder than a standard 3 race.

Going into the 2nd lap there was a brutal attack by the round a bout, and it strung the whole field out single file. Hurt like hell, but was great to see. You know everyone is suffering when it’s all going single file. About 8ish miles into lap 2, it suddenly and drastically settled down, and I was very thankful for it. But it was a brief respite, as the surges returned again once the hills came back. This time the efforts stayed more consistent, with harder pulls even on the flats and tops of the climbs. By the end of the 2nd lap, we had lost a large portion of the field.

Another hard, but shorter, and not quite so fierce, surge began the 3rd lap, and I knew I would be screwed at some point, as my legs were hurting from all of the hard efforts on the 1st 2 laps. I very seriously considered just pulling out, as I was feeling terrible. I don’t often think of DNF’ing, but today I almost did. Instead, I figured I’d hang in as long as I could. Up until this point, all of the attacking at the front was for naught, and much to my surprise, and my eventual demise, nothing stuck, so the attacks continued, and I suffered.

Finally, early into the 3rd lap, a large break got away, but not far. We could see them the entire time. Maybe they had 500-800m on us, hard to tell when your eyes are crossed. But the group would not let them go, and so the effort remained consistently fast and hard. No recovery allowed. When we got to the two big climbs on the back half of the 3rd lap, I was toast, and could not hang on anymore. I soloed it in for the last 15ish miles. Crushed physically, and hardly turning over 200 watts.

50+ by Philip Beliveau

There were a few attempts at breaks in the first lap. None stuck with Bruce, Stephen and I taking turns covering. Good pace but not killer hard! Then Dimitry Buben (x russian nat team) rode off the front solo dangling for a while until the peloton lost interest and he powered away.

Later into the second lap 60 yr old Tom Officer launched off the field. Once again the field started to reel him in but he persisted, bridged to Buben and stayed off to the finish. They finished just off the front of the charging field. Chapeau!

I went with a couple ill fated breaks and  later in the second lap pushed solo over the last steep climb with Rick Sorenson bridging up. We got a decent gap held it for a couple miles then were swallowed up as I was sucking big wind.  I was happy to slip back in to the peloton and was able to get back up near the front on the corner below the finish. I stayed with the lead group charging up the finish hill.  As the sprint started I was moving well but positioned poorly behind 2 guys on either side fading more than me.  I had to hold up a bit and ended up maybe top 10 or 15.

40+ by Tim Noel

The pace was relatively steady and fast but the group seemed to be nervous throughout the race. There was some bumping going on but no crashes. We hit the hills hard and no breaks worked until about half way through the second lap. I went off on two separate attempts with some other guys to try and bridge up but we couldn’t get ourselves organized.

Except for the break off the front, we came into the roundabout on the final lap as a group. I was near the front but was overtaken on the surge coming out of the roundabout and up the finishing climb. Things got strung out up to the finish and I think I finished about 20 seconds back from the main group.

Saturday the squad split up with some heading to Wilmington-Whiteface and some heading to New Britain, CT. At Wilmington-Whiteface, Philip Beliveau got in a break from the start and took 3rd in the 55+, while Christian Verry took 11th in the 3/4 race with Tim Noel finishing in 27th.

Christian’s report:

The role out to the circuit start was WAAYY  easier than in years past, when I remember thinking “this hurts more than it should…”  The group went hard on the feedzone climb each lap, then sat up as we entered into the head wind at the top. Nobody wanted to do much hard work apparently. Tim tried to get away, but had nobody to help. Looking back, maybe I should have countered once the group brought him back in, as nobody was really chasing much, but I did not feel like I had the legs to do it. A group of about 25ish of us went into the final set of rollers after the climb on the last lap, and stayed together despite a few weak attempts otherwise. About 10 guys attacked at the base of the finishing climb, and I held on as long as I could, but did not have the legs to advance up on the group that day.

Tim’s Report:

The group took it easy riding out to the circuit, they took it easy on the flat section after the 1 mile climb and, it didn’t rain! Now, I’m not saying Christian mis-represented his past experience(s) but, I think it’s fair to say that both of us thought we would have had a harder workout had we stayed home and done a Bristol/Baby Gap team ride. That being said, effort was expended on the 1 mile climb which we did 3 times and the final climb up to the finish – which is about 1 mile up the Whiteface access road. During the middle of the second lap, the pace had slowed significantly and there was a lot of conversation going on in the peloton at which point I thought it might be a good time to see if I could simply ride away. So, I slowly made my way up to the front and tried to simply keep going. After a minute, I looked under my arm and saw bikes on my wheel – turned around to get a better look and discovered no one was letting me go. Shortly after that, a solo attack launched and I went with it. We quickly had a gap (thank you Christian for blocking) but after I put in my turn and was looking for my attack mate to pull through, he couldn’t and needed some extra time to recover. Looking back on it, I should have put in another big effort to lose him but decided to keep pushing  and drag him along. We stayed off the front for about and appeared to be increasing our gap when we were joined by 2 other riders that bridged up. At this point, I think the peloton woke up and after a few more minutes we were swallowed up and then our entire field was quickly over-taken by the 35/45 masters who had started 5 minutes behind.

The racing in New Britain was “criterium” style. The boys made the 4 hour drive to mix it up with some of the best riders in New England.

Shawn’s Report:

First off the course was designed and built especially for me.  Power climb, downhill kick into a flat finishing stretch.  Not too, short not too long, juuuust right!  The only problem is it’s 4 hrs away. Getting up at quarter till the crack o’ dawn is not civilized.

Once there I jumped into the 4/5 field for an opener and also due to the lack of any racing in my legs.  I wanted to get a good workout in without much of a risk of getting blown out. Good choice. For 20 laps we went around in circles, periodically sprinting for primes. About half way through the announcer called out a merch prime (tires).  I thought, huh, let’s give it a go.  Finding myself in a good position exiting the final corner I came up the inside and with 150 to go I lit it up and crossed the line with clean wheels.  A pair of Vittoria training tires were mine.  The rest of the race was about hanging in the group waiting for the finish.  On the final lap I wasn’t in as good of position and with 200 to go I found myself a bit too far back.  I gave it a go anyway and crossed the line 6th, just in the money.  Had I have been in a better position, who knows…  Coulda, shoulda, woulda.  The payout paid for my entry into the Purgatory race on Sunday so no complaint here.

For the 2nd race, the 40+, my main objective of the day was to just stay with the group. Quite a difference than the previous, that’s fo’ sho’. Fast and smooth.  Soft pedaling at 30mph is a cool sensation and stoked my competitiveness, although I didn’t have the snap I needed to chase/make breaks or go after primes.  I mainly stayed clean and watched as Matt and Steve did their work. At the end I finished with the group which was the ultimate goal, so success was achieved. The 35+ race saw a big split happen. The front group had plenty of engines driving the pace making it impossible to bridge the gap. The common sentiment was one of frustration and rightly so.

On Sunday Shawn and Stephen attended the Purgatory Road Race. To quote Stephen, “My advice to all is to avoid Purgatory.  I went there, and I suffered!  I managed to hang in and finish at the tail end of the main field.” Shawn agreed. Hats off however to Fit Werx owner, Dean Phillips, for taking second in the 35+ race winning the MA State Championship and beating some big dogs in the process. Congratulations Dean!

The Burris Logistics – Fit Werx crew headed to the Killington Stage Race over Memorial Day Weekend. Tim and I competed in the 40+ field while Stephen and Philip competed in the 50+ field. The race more than lived up to its reputation as the “Beast of the East.”

We arrived at our condo Friday night and quickly settled in for what would be a difficult night’s sleep. This due to a blend of pre-race jitters and foreign sleeping surfaces. The condo had one bedroom with 2 single beds, a pull-out couch and enough space for me to set up my blow-up mattress. Each guy brought 2 bikes (TT and Road) so things were tight to say the least. But hey, for $99/night we made it work.

All of us were up and cooking about 3 hours before the first race. We prepared the classic pre-race meal of oatmeal, eggs, muesli, and plenty of fluids. After multiple trips to the bathroom, we packed up and headed to the start of the race.

Stage 1

The first stage of KSR was a 19-mile loop that we would cover 3 times. The loop contained one gradual climb and one fast descent. The race included a sprint competition and a King of the Mountains (KOM) on every lap. In the 40+ field there were attacks and attempted breakaways every few minutes it seemed. Tim and I covered a few but tried not to do too much extra work. I was unsure whether a break would stick as the field had no problems reeling the flyers back in.

After the mid-point of the race, a break of 3 headed up the road. I heard another rider say to his teammate, “That’s too dangerous to let go.” That was all I needed to hear, so I jumped and bridged up to the break. We had a nice little gap, but all of a sudden everyone sat up and quit working. I’m still not sure why this happened. We were caught and about 5 minutes later what would become the winning break made the decisive move. Four guys got about a 40 second gap and held it to the finish. The rest of us sprinted for the leftovers.

Once back at the condo, Philip and Stephen recounted their day. They had a similar experience in the 50+ field. We were all relieved to have the first stage finished. We cooked a nice meal, prepped our TT bikes, and hit the sack early.

Stage 2

Stage 2 of KSR was a time trial of 11 miles. The course was slightly uphill. Philip and Stephen’s field started at 10:45am. The conditions at 10:45 were relatively calm, though the temps were starting to rise. Stephen had a solid ride finishing in 12th overall.

The 40+ field did not go off until 3pm that afternoon. By then it was really hot and the wind was whipping through the valley. We rode straight into a fierce headwind the entire way. Our times were significantly slower than the times from the morning. I managed to finish in 13th which was fine by me.

At this point some fatigue was taking its toll on all of us. We knew we needed to eat well and get a good night’s sleep before the final stage. Stephen and Philip took the reins and prepared a wonderful Italian feast for us. It seemed with every meal that we overestimated how much food to prepare. No food shortages around our condo.

Stage 3

Stephen was the first one up Monday morning. No doubt he was ready to race. We were all ready to get to it and see what was going to happen when the big climbs came. Stage 3 was a 62-mile road race with 2 major climbs and 2 smaller climbs. We all speculated about what we thought would happen. We shared our personal goals for the day and then we headed down to the start.

I do not consider myself a climber. I am more of an all-arounder. I knew I would have to go deep if I was going to stay in it. My goal was simply to make it to the base of the final climb with the leaders.

The race began with a neutral start before heading up a small climb. On this small climb a few riders hit the gas just to test the waters. I wasn’t in shear pain, but my heart rate was higher than I wanted it to be just 10 minutes in. After that, we descended for awhile along route 100 and 107. The roads were still pretty beaten from Hurricane Irene so riders had to stay alert so as not to hit any potholes directly.

There was one more opportunity for the sprinters just before the first big climb. This caused a few attacks to go followed by surges from the field to bring them back. Right after the intermediate sprint the road turned up. I entered the pain cave. The leaders laid it down hard on the first steep section. I went as deep as I could and managed to keep in contact up most of it. I did lose contact at one point, but I was able to catch back on when the leaders slowed.

After passing the first KOM of the day we started to descend. Many riders that had been dropped on the climb were able to catch back on during this descent. With the field pretty much intact, we headed through the feedzone.

The race mellowed out at this point. There were no attacks to speak of and the pace was really relaxed. It stayed this way until we reached the “dirt road climb.” The leaders put the hammer down up the dirt road section. My legs felt pretty good so I had no problem keeping pace. We reached the top and then hit the gas down a steep and sketchy descent. Once back on the road, two riders attacked. The field chased hard. Many riders that were dropped on the dirt section could not catch back on as a result of this surge.

From here the pace settled again. There were a few more attacks, but the final climb was approaching and no one wanted to expend any extra energy. I was riding on the front at this point. Knowing I didn’t have much of a chance going head-to-head with the best riders in the field on the final climb, I decided to launch my own attack about 3K from the turn that would put us on the final climb up to Killington.

Rather than jump hard and go, I just slowly rolled away from the field. I built what seemed like a really nice gap. When I made the turn onto the final climb I could not see the group behind me. I tried to meter my effort up the climb, but I couldn’t help but push it. I was hoping to at least make it to the final KOM before I blew up.

The eventual race winner passed me about 1 K before the KOM. He flew past me. I was amazed at how fast he was going uphill. I was then passed by a group of solid climbers all gasping for air but maintaining a steady pace. I locked in with this group and made it to the KOM, however I was severely blown by then and could barely turn the cranks. I watched my chance at a top ten roll away at this point. Nothing I could do. I resigned myself to simply trying to finish the climb by riding a steady tempo up Bear Mountain. I finished 14th on the stage and 13th in the GC.

Overall, it was my best finish in a race like this. I learned a ton about what it takes to really compete with the best masters racers in New England. Many of these guys have been at it a long time and they know how to win. I look forward to returning to this race next year with a bit more of a race strategy and an “extra gear.”

On the warmest day since March, Mike Burris, Phil Beliveau, and Bruce Bell, with passports and UCI licences in hand, went north to race a couple of the masters category races.

Phil and Bruce were up first in the Masters 50+ field. The medium size field was stacked with a Canadian National champion, the  current leader of the provincial series, and the reigning world champion in several track disciplines along with their respective teams.

The race started fast and stayed that way for the 50 minute event. Phil and Bruce covered as many moves as possible and Phil put in a strong effort to stay away in the latter part of the race. Strong work by some of the local teams made it difficult for anything to stick without one of their guys in the break. As Phil was caught a counter attack launched the eventual winning break and again, good team riding foiled any chance of bringing them back. Immediately after finishing in the field, Phil and Bruce rolled up to the start line to race another 55 minute with Mike in the 40+ field.

The 40+ field started fast. Before any of us could get our bearings, a break went off the front. We all quickly realized that each guy in the break had a few team members in the bunch which left basically us to do the work to close the gap. Mike, still hanging in the back, hammered to the front to begin the charge. Philip and Mike exchanged pulls for a lap or two before realizing that the effort was futile. The break started with maybe 6-8 guys, but 4 or 5 got dropped from the surge and rejoined the group.

At this point the 40+ field slowed WAY down. We were disappointed to have missed the break, but were somewhat relieved at the easing of the pace as the temperatures crept into the 90s. With 5 laps to go, Mike launched a decent attack staying clear of the field for 4 laps before being gobbled up on the last lap. Knowing that the guys in the break already got the glory, there wasn’t much of a final sprint.

With the 50+ and 40+ done, Bruce and Philip called it a day. Mike lined up for the 30+ race, although he was clearly hurting from his failed attempt to go clear of the field in the previous race. The 30+ race started fast and got faster. The temps were hot and got hotter. Mike hung in there for about 20 minutes before succumbing to the heat. Dizzy and dehydrated, he abandoned the race, found a shady spot under a tree, and covered himself with ice. Done.

All in all, it was good clean and fast racing in 90 degree temps and a flat and bumpy course. Racing in Quebec is always fun. The races are well run and the Canadians are very welcoming to Americans who make the trip. Plus, there were no lines at the toilets. The use of French by the officials and announcers always adds to the novelty of racing up there.