Tri-State Velo

The following is an update of Chris Wilson, a member of the TSV Espoir Team. Chris is currently living at the Cycling Center in Belgium racing for the ABC-Aitos Team:

I am at the level now where I am not nervous before races and I understand how they should play out. I no longer have a goal of just finishing but instead Bernard has placed number values like a top ten or top 20 depending ont he field and the cource and the day etc. Yesterday we had a Kermis about an hour from the house and there was a UCI race in France on the same day so Bernard didn't go. We got lost getting ot the race and showed up with 20 min to spare. We did not know the course and we spent all our time standing at the start line to have a good spot even though the starts are always a hogwash with guys starting on any connecting road within sight and then pouring into the cource upon the start gun firing (we still wanted a good spot.)

Well, the race started out and I was in a good position in the top 20, Austin was ahead of me about half way. I was not being agressive becasue this has proved to be detrimental to my races earlier and I was just revolving in top 20. (1 min into the race) we had a 90 degree turn onto a open farm road with great pavment the field all of a sudden went all out over 60 K and hour (40mph) into a full sprint and dove into the gutter on the left side (in my head I was like the wind is coming from the left why are they on the left) then I saw it a cobble section with lots of puddles and wholes and about a 3 out of five stars for difficulty, their was a 1 foot wide pave section onthe left. I had no idea it was 1.5 K long so the race broke up their. For the next two laps (12.4 K) it was jump out of 90 degree turns to 60 K an hour and then bunches and then stretches in single file until the guy in front blew up and you had to sprint to the next bunch.

The whole team except for austin and I were dropped (2 min back) within the first cobble section (about 1/2 a lap) I was in third group and austin was in the second. After the cobbles I bridged to austins group using 2 other riders, they even gave me an arm sling (very nice) and then austin and I did two laps of the cobbles again. on the fourth lap I had Austin at the front and we broke with a group of 7 riders to get to the front group, we made it just before the cobbles and I got austin in the group safe, I lasted about 1 or 2 more splits (this group was still attacking itself to get up the road) I got austin in the front split of 14 riders and then I was done having done more than my share of wind breaking and all out sprints with no warm up in 6 degree misty weather... it was hard.

So austins group ended up spliting again and that meant their were 2 guys off the (front from the start) a group of 8 behind them and then a large group about 20 and then austin in his group of 6 the front two guys were brought back on lap 13 of 19 and then they immedietly countered an the same two broke away again to go onto win. These guys are so strong it is just awesome the guy that won was the guy that got second at Univest last year and the guy that was with him won last year.

I worked my hardest but Austins group was pulled with 4 to go, on rolling enclosers they pull you when your time to the leader is between 2 and 4 min depending on the cource Bernard says there have been races were three guys have attacked and gotten 4 min and the entire field was relegated and pulled.

It is very easy to get caught up on not finishing but I see improvment and that is what counts.
Chris