Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic
July
1, 2007
Andrew Boone: 2nd place on GC
Sean O'Rourke = Great Success!
The Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic is the New England cycling scene's mid-summer classic with four days of racing across the varied terrain of central Massachusetts. Stage 1 of the 2007 edition consisted of a 10km time trial on a new course in Fitchburg that featured a steady stair-step climb for 8km before a 2km descent to the finish. The neon green skinsuits came out for the occasion as the times from day one often define the general classification for the weekend.
In the Category 2 race, the team had Colin Murphy, Jonathan Husk, Sean O'Rourke, Jason Beerman, and Andrew Boone lined up. In the Pro/Category 1 race, Jason Baer and Mukunda Feldman were the team's representatives. Boone hammered the course and finished with the second best time, a scant 5 seconds behind the leader and Beerman finished in 11th, putting the team in good GC position.
The circuit race almost resembles a long criterium, with a technical section, a fast back stretch, and a power climb through the finish. The Cat 2 squad was hoping to keep things together for a possible throwdown by Sean O'Rourke on the final lap. The team drilled it up the right side coming into the final turn before the finish, but were a few wheels too far back for optimal position for Sean who still managed a 5th place on the uphill sprint. The GC remained wholly unchanged after the stage as everyone finished with the same time. In the Cat 1 race, the pace was high throughout as a dangerous break dangled off the front. Baer and Feldman rolled across the line safely and were ready for the long day ahead.
The road race is always an epic event, as the 11-mile loop never relents. The Cat 2s do the loop 8 times and the Cat 1s do it 9 times before finishing with a brutal ascent up the steep down road of 2,000 foot Mount Wachusett. In the 2 race, a break went early, but none of the GC hopefuls were in it so the field displayed little concern, letting the gap get as large as 7 minutes. With about 3 laps to go, the squad calmly began to reel in the break. In an impressive display of control, O'Rourke, Husk, and Murphy each took monster pulls at the front of the pack, stringing it out and shedding riders in an attempt to bring down the gap. Boone smartly bided his time in the pack, watching and waiting for the right moment. Unfortunately, Beerman flatted at this moment and had to wait 20 minutes for a wheel, as neutral support was up the road, effectively ending his race.
With a little less than a lap to go and his lieutenants having done their job, Boone attacked out of the field to bridge up to a GC rival. He found himself in a small group of the strongest guys in the race and they quickly began working together, picking up the remnants of the early break before hitting the bottom slopes of Wachusett. Boone and his 3 companions had about 1 1/2 minutes on the peloton as they began the climb and they played a little cat and mouse up the ascent. As they crested the tree line approaching the finish, Boone sprinted, but was pipped and came in 4th on the stage. It was a solid ride, but Boone was disappointed because he remained in second place, a mere 10 seconds behind on GC. The rest of the team rolled in valiantly soon after. In the Cat 1 race, Baer withstood the barrage and came in 36th against a strong field.
The final stage - a downtown criterium in Fitchburg - is a 3-corner sufferfest. The Cat 2 squad wanted to ideally lead Boone out for the sprint finish, which would conceivably give him 10 bonus seconds and vault him into the GC lead. Therefore, they raced with this in mind, keeping things together as much as they could and conserving Boone. Things were going well with 5 laps to go: O'Rourke had smartly gotten himself into a 4-man move off the front and Boone was prepared in case the race came back together. Murphy and Beerman were getting ready to shepard Boone to the front, but then disaster struck as Boone got entangled in a late crash and went down. In the chaos of the late race atmosphere, neither Murphy nor Beerman immediately noticed that Boone had gone down and he was gapped off the back, putting his GC position in jeopardy. Meanwhile, O'Rourke sensed that the break would succeed and began to ascertain his options. With the field bearing down, he had no time for cat and mouse games, and he jumped out of the last corner, gapping his break companions and leaving nothing to chance as he rolled across the line with the decisive victory.
Meanwhile, the field rolled in sans Boone, and panic quickly appeared on the faces of the team, as precious seconds were ticking. A tattered Boone came into sight about a minute later and rolled across the line, clearly distraught at the sudden turn of events. The team gathered and hoped that the officials would make a fair decision. Fortunately, in 2006, USA Cycling enacted several rule changes, one of which states that:
"4E3(b) A rider who suffers a mishap in the last three kilometers of a road race stage or after free laps have ended in a criterium stage shall be given the same finish time as the riders he was with at the time of the mishap, provided that the mishap was observed by a race official. The rider shall be given his actual place across the finish line, or last in the stage if he is unable to cross the line."
Boone had gone down in this 3km "safety zone" at the hands of another rider and the officials adhered to the rule change and awarded him the same time, thereby cementing his 2nd place on GC. The team is thankful for the professionalism displayed by the race officials and by other teams vying for GC placings in their respect for the rule of law.
So, at the end of the day, the team had managed the stage win, courtesy of Sean O'Rourke, and a podium spot on general classification, courtesy of Andrew Boone. The mid-summer classic had indeed lived up to expectations. All results can be viewed off the "Schedule & Results" link above and photos from the weekend can be viewed at the "Photos" link.
Andrew Boone: 2nd place on GC
Sean O'Rourke = Great Success!
The Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic is the New England cycling scene's mid-summer classic with four days of racing across the varied terrain of central Massachusetts. Stage 1 of the 2007 edition consisted of a 10km time trial on a new course in Fitchburg that featured a steady stair-step climb for 8km before a 2km descent to the finish. The neon green skinsuits came out for the occasion as the times from day one often define the general classification for the weekend.
In the Category 2 race, the team had Colin Murphy, Jonathan Husk, Sean O'Rourke, Jason Beerman, and Andrew Boone lined up. In the Pro/Category 1 race, Jason Baer and Mukunda Feldman were the team's representatives. Boone hammered the course and finished with the second best time, a scant 5 seconds behind the leader and Beerman finished in 11th, putting the team in good GC position.
The circuit race almost resembles a long criterium, with a technical section, a fast back stretch, and a power climb through the finish. The Cat 2 squad was hoping to keep things together for a possible throwdown by Sean O'Rourke on the final lap. The team drilled it up the right side coming into the final turn before the finish, but were a few wheels too far back for optimal position for Sean who still managed a 5th place on the uphill sprint. The GC remained wholly unchanged after the stage as everyone finished with the same time. In the Cat 1 race, the pace was high throughout as a dangerous break dangled off the front. Baer and Feldman rolled across the line safely and were ready for the long day ahead.
The road race is always an epic event, as the 11-mile loop never relents. The Cat 2s do the loop 8 times and the Cat 1s do it 9 times before finishing with a brutal ascent up the steep down road of 2,000 foot Mount Wachusett. In the 2 race, a break went early, but none of the GC hopefuls were in it so the field displayed little concern, letting the gap get as large as 7 minutes. With about 3 laps to go, the squad calmly began to reel in the break. In an impressive display of control, O'Rourke, Husk, and Murphy each took monster pulls at the front of the pack, stringing it out and shedding riders in an attempt to bring down the gap. Boone smartly bided his time in the pack, watching and waiting for the right moment. Unfortunately, Beerman flatted at this moment and had to wait 20 minutes for a wheel, as neutral support was up the road, effectively ending his race.
With a little less than a lap to go and his lieutenants having done their job, Boone attacked out of the field to bridge up to a GC rival. He found himself in a small group of the strongest guys in the race and they quickly began working together, picking up the remnants of the early break before hitting the bottom slopes of Wachusett. Boone and his 3 companions had about 1 1/2 minutes on the peloton as they began the climb and they played a little cat and mouse up the ascent. As they crested the tree line approaching the finish, Boone sprinted, but was pipped and came in 4th on the stage. It was a solid ride, but Boone was disappointed because he remained in second place, a mere 10 seconds behind on GC. The rest of the team rolled in valiantly soon after. In the Cat 1 race, Baer withstood the barrage and came in 36th against a strong field.
The final stage - a downtown criterium in Fitchburg - is a 3-corner sufferfest. The Cat 2 squad wanted to ideally lead Boone out for the sprint finish, which would conceivably give him 10 bonus seconds and vault him into the GC lead. Therefore, they raced with this in mind, keeping things together as much as they could and conserving Boone. Things were going well with 5 laps to go: O'Rourke had smartly gotten himself into a 4-man move off the front and Boone was prepared in case the race came back together. Murphy and Beerman were getting ready to shepard Boone to the front, but then disaster struck as Boone got entangled in a late crash and went down. In the chaos of the late race atmosphere, neither Murphy nor Beerman immediately noticed that Boone had gone down and he was gapped off the back, putting his GC position in jeopardy. Meanwhile, O'Rourke sensed that the break would succeed and began to ascertain his options. With the field bearing down, he had no time for cat and mouse games, and he jumped out of the last corner, gapping his break companions and leaving nothing to chance as he rolled across the line with the decisive victory.
Meanwhile, the field rolled in sans Boone, and panic quickly appeared on the faces of the team, as precious seconds were ticking. A tattered Boone came into sight about a minute later and rolled across the line, clearly distraught at the sudden turn of events. The team gathered and hoped that the officials would make a fair decision. Fortunately, in 2006, USA Cycling enacted several rule changes, one of which states that:
"4E3(b) A rider who suffers a mishap in the last three kilometers of a road race stage or after free laps have ended in a criterium stage shall be given the same finish time as the riders he was with at the time of the mishap, provided that the mishap was observed by a race official. The rider shall be given his actual place across the finish line, or last in the stage if he is unable to cross the line."
Boone had gone down in this 3km "safety zone" at the hands of another rider and the officials adhered to the rule change and awarded him the same time, thereby cementing his 2nd place on GC. The team is thankful for the professionalism displayed by the race officials and by other teams vying for GC placings in their respect for the rule of law.
So, at the end of the day, the team had managed the stage win, courtesy of Sean O'Rourke, and a podium spot on general classification, courtesy of Andrew Boone. The mid-summer classic had indeed lived up to expectations. All results can be viewed off the "Schedule & Results" link above and photos from the weekend can be viewed at the "Photos" link.
Labels: Racing
