Al’s race report: Those of us that didn’t flat (Tom and Phil) did better than those of us that did (John Preston, Bill Grey and me). That’s three for four for me.
Phil’s race report: Al, John and Bill all had bad luck, flatted. Al was in the lead group when it happened. The race started very fast and I lost the contact with the main group in the first few hills. Tom and I ended up being together, hooked up with some others, keeping some and dropping some. We ended up in a chase group all day, often seeing the leaders up the road as they slowly separated from each other, but were never close enough to think we could catch up. It was fun, looking forward to next year.
More from Al: Big masters group – 30 or so. This year Masters and 4/5′s were separate groups, with Masters starting before the 4/5′s. It was pretty quick from the start and things really hotted up when we hit the gravel. I managed to stay with the front group…until I flatted on the long gravel downhill just before the start of circuit. The wheel car was right there but even so the race was gone by the time I was running again.
Bill Grey sat up and waited for me. He and I worked together, picking up a 5 Valley guy, then John Preston and one other guy. Other guy did not last long but the rest of us were working well together. Bill fell back when we hit the first gravel climb on the third leg of the circuit (and later flatted). Preston flatted on the second climb and had a very slow change. So then it was 5 Valley guy and me. We worked together until the gravel climbs on the second circuit – having caught and dropped several stragglers along the way – where I rode away from him.
I was by myself until getting caught by the lead group of 4/5′s about 4 miles from the finish. 5 Valley guy was tacked on the back and the two of us sat on until the final climb. The 4/5′s went hard and 5 Valley fell back. I ended up 9th of 17 B finishers.
I was running 25c clinchers on box rims. I just checked and it was a pinch flat…just like the TWO other times I’ve flatted out of this race. Phil and Tom, who did not flat, were both running sew-ups on box rims…just like the pros do at Roubaix Bill Grey tells us. Next year…
