Hancock, MA
In a cyclist’s arsenal of cycling clothing, the plastic rain cape is akin to the last square of toilet paper in a port-a-potty: you’re happy it’s there to use, but its very usage indicates that unspeakable things are afoot, you’re out of options, and things are only going to get worse.
116 plastic rain cape-clad riders shivered at the start of the Shaun Thornton Memorial, better known as the Jiminy Peak Road Race, now in its 25th incarnation. Snow was still visible on the slopes of Jiminy Peak, a vestige of the long winter that seemed to resurface today, with temperatures in the mid-40s and a cold rain pelting the huddled mass of cyclists. Kenda/Raleigh had a squad of seven in the race - Mukunda, Adam, Colin, Sean, Eric, and Jason-squared - each bundled in warm Champion System clothing with warm legs courtesy of Greyhound Juice Super Strength salve. The plan was to let the race unfold in the raw conditions, watch for the splits in the strong windy sections, and start racing when the distance (the race totaled 150km) and the weather forced a selection.
Road-grit accentuated tanlines
The first 30km lap was group ride pace, as no one wanted to stick their noses in the wind on the long headwind slog leading away from Jiminy Peak. Two riders dangled up the road, but they were mere carrots on sticks and no one really gave them much thought. The course is essentially a 1.5km descent followed by 13.5km of false flat rolling descent followed by 13.5km of false flat ascent, punctuated by a 1.5km 7-percent climb to the finish. The entire peloton crested the finish hill on lap-one together and descended quickly into a steady drizzle. One lap down, four to go.
On the second lap, a large blob of a move got a little gap into the headwind on a slightly rolling section after the descent. Jason Beerman saw two Fiordifrutta riders, two Empire riders, two Targetraining riders, two Nerac riders, and a smattering of others in the move so he surfed a couple wheels with eventual race winner Toby Marzot of Fiordifrutta and tacked himself on the back. A move of this size (15 riders) was exactly the ticket to get away today since the conditions and the wind were so brutal. Anything smaller would certainly not last the 100km to the finish.
Beerman rolled through, but was greatly outnumbered so he was a bit wary. The move was all business, and everyone seemed to be working, especially the teams with multiple guys. The laps went by, and by the penultimate time up the climb, the SRAM car gave a time gap of over four minutes. By this time, the move was down to 13 riders and it was obvious that the winner was coming out of the group.
On the descent and into the rolling section, riders from teams with multiple guys in the move kept countering each other and dangling up the road. When it appeared that sufficient guys had beat themselves up, Beerman attacked up a small rise and drew out a perfect combination of riders: Fiordifrutta’s Marzot, Empire’s Mike Margarite, and Nerac’s Al Donahue. With depleted and unorganized chasers left behind, this was the move. The four traded pulls to get the gap up until Donahue ran out of gas and it was a rotation of three into the brutal headwind ascent that never seemed to end. It was steady all the way into the final turn and most of the way up the climb. It was clear that the three were gassed since no one took the initiative until the final 200m when Marzot started the sprint and neither Margarite nor Beerman could come around.
The spoils of near-victory
Beerman took third on the day for another podium placing for the team. The team will race next week at the Sterling Classic Road Race and at the Bear Mountain Spring Classic.
Full Jiminy Peak results are here.
Kenda/Raleigh Tip of the Week
If you race and your better half is able to precisely identify the strains of bacteria residing in your water bottles or, even worse, in your chamois, it’s time for a bundled race weekend/vacation. This phenomenon, known as a race-cation, marries the best of both worlds: you’re able to race for a day or two, but you’re also able to share the bounties of the region in which you’re racing with your love interest during your non-race time.
For example, the Jiminy Peak Road Race was a prime opportunity for a race-cation: it’s nestled in the heart of the Berkshires! Nothing says “Thanks for trekking out to Nowhere, MA and standing in the feed zone in the rain for 4 hours” like a night at a local B&B, followed by some prime time on the porch swing with the Sunday Times in one hand and a coffee in the other, and capped off with a trip to the Norman Rockwell Museum.
Did you miss your chance? Not to fear. There are plenty of opportunities down the road. The king of all race-cation opportunities is, of course, the Green Mountain Stage Race, but if you get creative and your partner is somewhat oblivious, even an industrial park crit can work. Or not.