FLCC> Tuesday night race report

[jim eagen]

Ernie, great race. I am stunned to think you have not won this before. Super job!

Jim

----- Original Message ----
From: Ernie Bayles <ebarch1 at verizon.net>
To: "FLCC at icycle.org" <FLCC at icycle.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 11:45:07 AM
Subject: FLCC> Tuesday night race report


Just a quick synopsis of the A race:

Lots of new faces out there, and a particularly jovial mood seemed to 
prevail in the group.  Because Ringwood is closed, we decided to 
rendezvous at the bottom of Ringwood.  The 20 or so A riders decided to 
do a course consisting of going up Hurd, around the course and back up 
Hurd, with the old traditional finish on Ellis Hollow Creek Road. 

The first time up Hurd was spirited, but not devastating.  Seems like 
most of the field was still together once we got back to Irish 
Settlement.  "Yellowman" with the black kneebands (Cameron?) was active 
from the beginning, along with Bill E., Charles H., Grant, and others.  
Ellis South maybe shelled a couple, but mostly we prepared for the 
serious business of Hurd for the second time.  Yellow was off the front 
along with Bill at the beginning, and the sparks began to fly about half 
way up.  Jim and Andy M. were really going at each other, Sproull was 
sort of hanging back, and Casey made a very strong move to bridge after 
the rest of us were mostly shelled at the 2/3 point (very impressive 
from my standpoint).  Thankfully the leaders sat up for a second at the 
top, so yellow and Casey take off while the tattered remains of the 
peloton regrouped. 

No concerted chase developed until we got back to Ellis South, where Jim 
lit the flames all the way to the top, catching yellowman and dropping 
Casey while the rest of us huffed and puffed to stay in the draft.  Here 
we were catching a few remains of earlier carnage--Ryan, Joe B., and a 
couple others--who jump into the group.  Yellow takes off again with 
Sproull on his wheel.  For some reason Jim decides to drag the rest of 
us along at a comfortable distance behind and won't relinquish the 
lead.  Andy M. flats explosively. 

In the end, Joe pulls the train up to Yellowman and yells something 
like:  "the finish is just over the top of the hill!" which got everyone 
all excited.  At this point, I think I was the only one left who had a 
clue as to where the finish line was (and since I was the defacto 
"leader" I could make it anywhere I wanted anyway) so I had a decided 
advantage at this point.  The top of the hill came and went.  I could 
have sucked wheel to within 50 meters, but, just to be fair, I started 
my sprint from the top of the hill so that if anyone could match my jump 
they would have a chance to come around me at the line.  That didn't happen.

So, for the record, I, Ernie Bayles, actually won the A race on the 
"Ringwood" course.  Believe it or not, this is a historical moment, as I 
have never won on this course ever in the last 25 some years of doing 
this race.  The victory may have an asterisk attached to it, but I'm 
putting this one at the top of my palmares for now.  And hope I can 
orchestrate a similar circumstance for the Pink Slipper.

twe


-- 
Ernie Bayles, Architect
209 Utica Street
Ithaca, New York  14850

607-275-3722 (tel and fax)


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