This past weekend Evan Wynn, Dylan Cipkowski and myself set
sail for Anderson, SC to race the Labor Day Omnium—formerly known as the Tour De
La France, which Dylan won in 2010 and Chris Larsen managed two 2nd place
finishes in 2011. Boiling humidity and 93°temperatures
greeted deep fields, rich with plenty of the region’s most talented riders.
A tough technical criterium was held on day one. The heat
took its toll on the field with many riders dropping out early and throughout.
Unfortunately Dylan and Evan fell victim to the oppressive solar torture, too. A
poor equipment selection weakened my own confidence, and the twitchy 23mm tires
to which I was unaccustomed were simply not sufficient for the most technical
part of the course—a tight little corkscrewy turn with a patch of loose sandy
asphalt on its outside. After following a few early breaks I managed to finish,
but never mustered up the guts to navigate the course properly and finished with
the field.
Day two’s circuit race was exactly the same as last year’s,
plus a bonus 25°F to make for another
slog through the Anderson Bayous. Evan opted out, as he and his father finally
decided that he was obviously not fully recovered from his mano-a-Mono duel some
months back. I made sure to avoid the previous day’s doom and ran my Industry
Nine wheels with the indestructible 25mm Specialized Roubaix tires. Dylan and I
lined up and rode aggressively from the gun, with Dylan attacking a few times
early on hoping to instigate a break. About halfway in a fire truck entered the
course—apparently riders were bursting into flames all along the route. The
water-wagon disrupted the field in the middle of a turn taken at about 40mph on
the bicycle! I was in a small group off the front at the moment, so I did not
suffer the same fate as Dylan, who was dislodged from the race with several
others. When I realized that I was the lone EarthFare rider with still 45
minutes to go, I decided to race a little more conservatively and make my
efforts count. At one point a break of six with a couple of riders from each of
the larger teams escaped and gained 10-15 seconds. With a stentorian “THIS IS
IT!”, I jumped clear of the field, cackling maniacally and tossing a handful of
smoke-bombs t’ward the boys on my way up the road. The fireworks and subsequent
celebration proved premature, as I looked back to see Team Type One on the front
reeling in their two teammates—and me. Fully expecting a counter move to go, I
readied myself at the front but that move never came. The heat did do its
damage. With about fifteen minutes remaining, John Hamblin selected a breakaway
companion from the group and I did not make the cut. I committed the cardinal
error of failing to position myself properly far enough out to avoid the
inevitable last-lap calamity. Sitting mid-pack with one lap to go I was anxious
to move up but succumbed to the terror of those gutsier than myself and finished
in the middle of the field. I was happy with my performance, however, and hope
to finish off the season with a respectable result at this Sunday’s Carolina
Cup.
Thanks again to our generous sponsors: EarthFare, Industry Nine, Specialized/Cycle Sport
Concepts, Highland Brewing, Mamacita’s, Blue Sky M.D., DNA Cycling, Carbo
Rocket, DeFeet, HD Coaching, Omnium Bodyworks, Peak 10, and ABRC (check them all
out on our Facebook page!).
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