TBC Road Race Recap

I suppose I just first want to say how much fun I had watching everyone today. I am really proud of all the effort you guys put in and I hope we ride with that same pride tomorrow. We have a very good chance to finish quite well in a few categories and so I hope everyone gets good rest tonight and wakes up excited.

Milo, Tulio, Logan and Lizzy were the first to go today. Theirs was a 20 mile race. One lap of the said race course. The race starts on some rolling hills then turns right for about 5 miles and a very long down hill, at the bottom another right turn and a long flat. At the end of the flat another right turn to a long gradual climb of about 5 miles, at the top was another right turn and some really tough rolling hills to the end. The rolling hills at the end were tough on crummy roads.

Tulio won the race with a solo break on the last set of hills about 3 miles out as I heard. Logan sprinted into the finish and just got nipped and finished 3rd. Milo hung on until the very end but about 3 miles out couldnt hold on any more and finished with another 2 guys. Lizzy very unfortunately dropped her chain on the flat road and was never able to catch back on.

So we are still first and second in the boys 13- 14, and we all have one more day to enjoy.

Donovan was the only El Grupo 15 16 out there and he had to ride 40 miles or 2 laps against 9 other kids. He road hard and ended up in a group with one other rider, and finished strong with a smile. A smile so big he is ready for tomorrow.

Kramer, Pablo, and Nathan were our 17-18 representatives and I think this was the most beautiful El grupo team race I have ever had the pleasure to watch. I was in the chase car with Mark, nathans dad, Kathleen, Logans mom, and Lizzy. We were the wheel support. Nathan in his first american race road with a lot of heart and he too found another to ride with. He told me later that he had a blast and cant wait for tomorrow so mission accomplished. He was so close to finishing the first lap with the group and only fell off on the last hill, but tomorrow another chance.

The beauty came in Pablo and Kramer. They were up against some really still competition from all over the south west and mexico. I became the wheel car after the first lap when I got the wheels from Natalie and Miguel. On the second lap Pablo and Kramer were just hanging out in the back on the down hill and flat, while the young Mexican rider was on a solo break. They eventually all came back together on the flat road and made the turn up the gradual hill together. At the top of the hill Pablo and the Mexican made a move and created a gap of about 20 seconds. They had made some room, but nobody was chasing in any way so Kramer lept on a hill and tried to bridge, but of course the rest of the pack just jumped on and held on. I was screaming like crazy in the car having fun with it. I just did not want kramer to chase down a team mate in a break away, and don't you know all he did was help everyone else catch up. So at the start of the third lap everyone was together again and kramer looking like he was in trouble just dangling on the back but Pablo looking super strong at the front.

So they make the turn on the long gradual down hill and Pablo and Kramer move to the front about half way down. I was curious as they both hate the down hills. Like really both of them are usually the last two down Mt. Lemmon. But they had an idea. At the turn on to the frat road, they were in first and second position, they went for it, in blazing glory. There move pulled out the mexican and so it was now game on. 3 against 4. Break away group 3, chasers four. Over the flat road they were able to create a gap of just about 30 seconds. A good, beautiful, stupid gap, as the hardest part of the racing was to come. But they had done it. They allowed courage and a crazy idea to take control and now it was game full on. They were in front working together taking pulls together while the chase was kind of floundering and chewing through people. The boys made the turn with 30 second in hand for the gradual up hill. Slowly though you knew it was coming to an end. I knew they would get caught, but god dang I was proud. They had gone for it with glory with guts and few have that in born character. Half way up the hill Kramer couldn't help the break any more and sat up. Pablo and the Mexican were still off with about 15 seconds. By the time kramer was caught he had rested enought to ride with the group as they slowly realed in pablo. However the chase was falling apart and Kramer road away from 2 of them, while Pablo was able to hang with the 2 chasers and "the mexican". He eventually got dropped and they came in 4 and 5th, however they made the race. The drama was their creation. I really hope this is the moment that they always look back to as the moment they "realized." Those boys have something going so lets make sure they know it.

We had two more racers out there today though. Coach Alex Strickland and Max. They road with the cat 4's today and really I can say nothing as to the race as I saw none of it. It was a pack sprint at the end which ended badly as Alex was taken down hard. He finished but pretty banged up. Max stayed up and with the group so he will hold on to 6th place over all. If he can hold onto that he will score quite a few points and hopefully get him close to becoming a 3 and getting to nationals. We are all behind you max, good luck tomorrow and keep working hard.

That reminds me, Avery raced as well. 10 12 boys, they did about 12 miles. He had two competitors and he and his"nemisis" road away from the first boy in no time. Avery ended up in second place after almost getting a chance to sprint to the finsish, but again tomorrow another day.

Hew what fun, lets do it again tomorrow.

Ignacio