Green Mountain Stage Race

The GMSR is one of my favorite races of the season. Since I have a condo in the Mad River Valley, this is very much a home town race. I know the roads, climbs, people, local water holes, etc. However, with Becky starting at Taft this year and Leah's new career as a nurse, I was not sure whether I would be able race. And, then Irene hit. By Sunday night, I began to receive emails and calls from friends and neighbors in Waitsfield. I could not believe what I heard and saw. Irene had destroyed roads, bridges, homes, and businesses. Then, on Monday morning, the Town went to work to dig out. The volunteer effort was incredible. And, then, after much debate among the organizers and others, the announcement came that the Stage Race was on. See: http://www.valleyreporter.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4193&Itemid=40.

But how? Many of the roads for the circuit race and the App Gap stages had been wiped out.

The road to my condo after the storm. Around the corner is the bridge over the Mad River. It too was under water.

Within days, Gary Kessler and his team moved the circuit race to the old course in Hinesburg and had completely re-routed and permitted the App Gap stage. On Wednesday, just before the deadline, I had worked out my logistical issues, learned that the bridge to my condo was passable, discovered that power was re-stored, figured out how to get to Waitsfield, and registered. Game on!

On Friday morning, I drove up to Waitsfield. I detoured through Northfield and took the back way over my favorite dirt roads for Fall riding to get over to Roxbury Gap. I cannot wait to get back up there on the CX bike.

TT: I have been working on my TT, but it is my weakest event by far. Since this one has a climb, it is better geared for me than other TTs. I also had a plan, and stuck to it. I finished 16th, but was 10 seconds faster than last year even though we had a head wind on the climb and less tail wind on the rollers. I had minimized my losses and was still in the hunt.

Circuit Race: The Hinesburg course is tough, and our race was hard. My sprint has been decent this year, and I was going for the points. An early break soaked up the top 3 points on the 1st sprint. I was sprinting for 4th and 5th place points. However, I misjudged the sprint and missed out. On the back side, the break came back and the field was back together. Yabroudy, Taylor and Staffo attacked after the KOM and were gone. I think everyone expected that the guys going for the KOM would sit up after the line, especially since there is still a lot of climbing after the KOM before descending down Baby Gap. It was a great move by the 3 strongest riders in the field, and they deserved to stay away. I won the field sprint to take 4th place.

App Gap Stage: Took 2nd in the intermediate sprint which put me in 2nd for green jersey. A break went up the road right after sprint. I had burned a bunch of matches by that point, and needed to chill for a little while to get ready for App Gap. Then, it looked like it was Game Over! About 8 miles before Baby Gap, my chain wrapped around my derailure - chain suck, bent hanger. I had to get off the bike, take the wheel off, and bend back the hanger. I knew the field would be in pre-climb mode, so I knew I had a chance if I chased hard. So, I did, and got back on with about 2 miles to go to Baby Gap. Thankfully, Baby Gap was not that bad, and I was able to slowly recover. Game On! I stayed at the front and then Staffo and Yabroudy started attacking. I knew I couldn't match the accelerations, but I also know that climb really well, and rode my race. I passed guys in break, guys who blew up, and was closing on the guy in 5th, but just missed him. I ended up 6th on the stage. I was smoked.

Crit:

I warmed up well, and was ready to battle for the green jersey. However, it was not meant to be. It was pouring. And, with the storm drains full, the course was flooded. Turn 6 had a river running through it. After 2 laps, the officials cancelled the race. There is no question that it was the right decision.

I ended up 5th on GC and 2nd on points with 4th in a really hard circuit race and 6th on App Gap. I'll take that! Bill Yabroudy won GC. He and Dan Staffo were the stars this year, and it is only fitting that they won GMSR and Catskills respectively - Congrats!

I am looking forward to getting back to the Valley, and hope all of you will make the trip. The Valley needs your business now. If you are so inclined, you can also make a donation at: www.mrvcommunityfund.org.

Thanks,
Monte