Festival de Velo

Another weekend and another race dominated by Jetfuel. Sunday we raced in Kitchener at the Festival de Velo, a fantastic event held downtown on a course that lapped City Hall; the street closures and public support were impressive.

Johnny Jetfuel, our sponsor, came out to the race, as did the girlfriend, her grandmother and the sister, an entourage requiring a good showing on the part of myself and the team. I had really come to the race to work for Josh, the home town boy, but he told us before the start that he wasn’t at 100%. A crash, a new bike and a cold were all putting him off his game. So, what did that mean the team strategy would be?

Well, Thorben took care of that problem nicely by getting into a move almost off the gun. Initially there were three riders that had escaped together, but soon it was just Thorben all on his lonesome, this with an hour and a quarter of racing plus ten laps left. In the field the chase was slow to get rolling with the Midweek and Gears teams alternatively on the front. Every now and again there would be a three place prime, although with Thorben up the road they were always for second and third, still guys were sprinting.

As the race wore on Josh and I rode the wheels, hoping that Thorben would lap the field, the only way we thought he would have a chance of surviving to win. Eventually the chase started to get organized and the pace picked up. After a while they had Thorben in their sights; he had stayed away for over an hour of racing, very impressive.

Figuring that Thorben would be super tired Josh and I figured it was up to us. Surprising everyone though Thorben launched a couple of great attacks leading into the last ten laps, once again taking the pressure off Josh and I. As we approached the last ten laps moves were slowly getting more ground before being brought back; the field was getting too tired to drag themselves back to the front.

Just as the hour and a half of racing ran out and the last ten laps began there was a flurry of attacks in which the field was stretched into a long line, it was the perfect opportunity to launch an attack to try and win the race. Again, as I did in Ottawa, I attacked as the field brought back an attack. It is at moments like this that the field seems to release a sigh of relief and relax for a moment, the perfect time to break away.

Coming off a slight rise in the course I accelerated up the side of the group and flew through the corner, swinging to the other side of the road to press home any advantage I had. Behind there was little reaction and right away I had decent gap. Most importantly there was no one on my wheel; if I could hold off the field I would finish solo for the win.

The only time gap I heard was twelve seconds with seven laps to go, not much if the field were to accelerate for the finish. I never looked back and just kept up a rhythm that I felt I would be able to hold to the finish. The next thing I knew, with three laps to go, there was the field in front of me. I had almost lapped them in seven laps and so won the race.