guiltypleasure

the basic strategy was to start near the front (getting a call-up helps) and stay there. inevitably the healthnet guys would start attacking in pairs and getting a guy in one of those moves was our best bet. i didn't get a call-up and consequently spent the first 10-15 minutes working to get near the front.

two health net guys got off pretty quick. in fact, i'm not sure i even saw them go. ah well. within ten minutes we started lapping riders. i'm not sure how long it took to lap the "main" group. i'm not even sure how many guys were in my front group. really, i wasn't at all sure what was going on.

i sensed that two of the healthnet guys left behind were getting ansy and followed a clandestine move by them. i didn't quite have the go juice to stay with them (and i wasn't on top of my cornering and really hurt myself by not being glued to them in the corners) and fell off the pace after a lap. i drifted back but held on. they were eventually pulled back, so it didn't matter.

with about 20 mintutes to go it started getting dark and by the last 10 laps, i couldn't see a thing. they turned the lights on for the last lap or so. maybe. i got good but not great position for the last 6 laps as the healthnet guys led out. that was nice. fast and steady. i couldn't quite get the other amateurs off the wheels of the healthnet guys and had to settle for 5th position, which wasn't good. the guy in front of me clipped his pedal in the final corner and i lost whatever hope i had of passing any of the other riders as i veered around him. i didn't set up properly anyway. had i set up for an inside line (which i knew i needed) it probably wouldn't have mattered a bit. i came in for 8th, which i counted as 2nd as i was the 2nd amateur (not counting the current amateur that was formerly a pro in europe). 2nd isn't bad.

the rest of the guys nicely rounded out our showing with (unadjusted) Fischer in 11th, Kneuven at 14th and Schmitt at 15th.

this picture by my brother illustrates just how dark it was.