Race Report from Clayton Feldman
As this was my first non-collegiate race of the year, it can only be expected that I had my first real mental error in racing of the season. With 11 or more Texas Road House riders taking to the start line, it was apparent who would be dictating the 50-60 rider pack. For those who haven’t done the course, the circuit could be fast and fun on a windless day,instead it was painful and strung out as it was a windy day. It really seemed that about 75 percent of the course had a headwind or a considerable crosswind. With two gradual climbs adding to the fun, it didn’t seem like a course suited to my early season fitness. One of the climbs was also the finishing stretch, a placement that the smaller boned riders of the world seem to enjoy more than I do.
As soon as the whistle blew, the attacks were flying, and on lap two the breakaway was formed. Which brings us to my first mental error of the year. I have always been of the opinion that it is best to train with your head and race with your heart, well I threw that out the window early this season. As I was following Jason Fowler he went on the attack, I saw that he was joining two riders with different kits up the road. Though I wanted to follow I let off the gas, assuming that there was only one Roadhouse rider in the move. However I realized later that Burdzilauskas was wearing an older Roadhouse kit, and the move was long gone. So the next laps consisted of one of several of the other teams in the race attacking, getting stuck in the wind, and Roadhouse bringing it back shortly thereafter. There was a definite lack of excitement after that, however, and I supplied large amount of pain and drool to the course! On to the exciting stuff! In the last lap, John Eisinger from Roadhouse took off in an excellent move leaving the rest of the pack looking to bridge up. Roadhouse successfully blocked and Eisinger was gone. Brad from NUVO ended up towing the pack to line with me sitting second wheel, wondering how badly I’d get smoked in this uphill sprint. The answer was not so badly, I played the sprint too conservative and paid for it, but it was lucky enough to stay in the top ten. I managed to take home 8th on a day that I wasn’t sure I’d be competitive enough to finish the race. I guess my three all nighters for midterms with only four rides since Lindsey Wilson turned out a proper taper for spring break!
It was good to know that my efforts were overshadowed by the excellent result of the women! Super congrats to the girls for getting Hannah Calvert to the line first for the first W of the season for the new Scholars Inn Bakehouse Team!
Next on the schedule is the Lexington Spring Circuit Race, which seems to have a similar course. With only 13 preregistered 1/2/3 riders and even less money up for grabs, I’d like to think that unless Roadhouse brings another twenty guys we should have a pretty good shot at a podium placing or better with the elite squad. Looking forward to more races this season, and hopefully a few wins for the Scholars Inn Bakehouse p/b Team Tortuga cycling team this season.
Exciting stuff! I can’t wait to race after reading this!
Nice recap, Clayton. And, thanks for the shout-out to the ladies squad. There will certainly be more success to come this season for the Scholar’s Inn Bakehouse Team!