ChrisCainLaw: Clean Air Criterium

I just read teammate Chris White's race report describing his victory in the E4 field. Chris credits teammates Matt and Mike for his win, as they kept the pace high at key moments in the race and gave him a lead out for the final sprint.

After racing and winning in the 2/3 field I can say that I know exactly how he feels.

MBRT lines up at the start of the 50-lap Category 2/3
Clean Air Criterium.

A Simple Plan
Our plan going in was to keep sending riders down the road. This tried and true strategy is particularly effective when a well-disciplined team has a numerical advantage. When our guy attacks off the front riders from other teams are forced to respond. If our guy is in a breakaway then other riders are forced to expend energy on the front chasing. If they do not chase, our guy rides away and wins. If they catch, we repeat the tactic and send another guy down the road.

With six MBRT racers at the start in the field of <20 our ambition was to lap the field with at least one rider and sweep the podium. With that in mind, if a rider was off the front and opponents bridged up, our guy would not work. This strategy is a win-win for the team doing it. The best case scenario is that our guy stays away and wins. Or if he gets caught in the break he doesn't work much and wins the sprint. The worst case scenario is that our opponents use their energy chasing us and we protect a sprinter to win at the end of the race.

Going into this race I felt pretty confident. We had a good presence, we were organized and motivated, and I won on this course earlier in the season.

The Race

I attacked hard from the whistle and stayed away for two laps. After the catch I sat in for a bit while other teammates took turns off the front. A few laps later I went again and put a sizeable gap into the field. I was confident in my attack knowing that teammates would cover moves and block for me. A few laps later I saw two riders bridging across and after a few more laps I sat up so they could catch me. Then I just sat on.

With about 15 laps to go we lapped the field; the pack was back together but three of us were a lap up on the rest. Brownie, Leo, Andrew and I had another few attacks off the front but nothing was going to stick so late in the race.

With around three or four laps to go Graham rolled up to talk strategy. A quick note on Graham: It was great to race with him again. He's strong rider and a good tactician who can provide an honest assessment of the race. With an even keel Graham said, "I can't help in the final sprint but I can go to the front and raise the pace for the next few laps." He did exactly that. And by raising the tempo he warded off attacks and allowed the rest of us to organize.

One of the pre-race plans was for Brownie and me to lead out Andrew in a field sprint. Since two guys had lapped the field with me I knew that I would have to place ahead of them to win the race. I was close to Andrew and Don in the pack and asked them to help me in the finish. Here I am hiding behind Andrew who is riding behind Don at the start of the last lap:

MBRT's leadout train with one lap to go. The three of us lined up like this
in order to help guide me to the finish. First Don and then Andrew blocked
the wind as I stayed protected in their draft until I could sprint.

A few turns later I had to push a usurper off Andrew's wheel to stay in the slipstream. Don accelerated at the key moment to navigate through the traffic with Andrew and me in tow. Coming out of the final turn Andrew began his sprint with me glued to his hip, sheltered from the wind.

The Sprint

Andrew was perfect. 200m from the line I started my sprint and held off the competition.

Sprinting for the win.

Thanks Team
That was my fifth win of the season, my first as a Cat 2 (and my first race as a Cat 2!). With that I say thanks to my teammates. Thanks for covering the attacks and blocking when I was off the front. Thank you all for your selfless riding and putting faith in my ability to finish.