Ever on the lookout for riders who can hurt him, the Wheelsucker noted Ace, MTB Patrick and Patrick Hogan, along with a number of strong, though perhaps not-quite-as-strong-as-those-three riders. There was a noticeable wind, and it seemed to be ahead or cross regardless of the direction one was riding in.
A small group rolled clear early on Rossback Road, as the group descended from Davidsonville Road. The strong riders were all in the large chase group, but the Wheelsucker was immediately paranoid that Ace and Pat H. would jump clear, cross the gap and take off, so he waited for an opportunity to swerve past Ace, and crossed the gap to the leading group. The pace was not particularly high to 214.
Uncharacteristically, the Wheelsucker was on the front as the group approached the red light at 214 (probably taking his one token pull early, so he could sit in an wheelsuck for the rest of the ride). The light turned green as he coasted up to it, and he accelerated across 214. Seconds later he looked around and realized he and one other rider had a gap.
While being on the front is a rare experience for the Wheelsucker, being OFF the front is even rarer; the Wheelsucker was not sure what to do. It would be nice to stay off the front and have a head start on the Harwood Hill climb; perhaps if there was an attack on Harwood, the Wheelsucker could be caught at or shortly after the top, and latch on at the back. But staying off the front from 214 to the top of Harwood Hill was easier said than done. So the Wheelsucker flicked his elbow and gave the problem to the other rider, who dutifully pulled through and pulled hard.
Then the Wheelsucker noticed a third shadow; another rider had bridged up, and just behind him were two more. While this allowed the Wheelsucker to take a second token pull and pull off in favor of someone else, it also meant the remote chances of staying away were slightly less remote. Except that someone behind had decided to shut it down, and this lead group was caught just after the dip, as they started the shallow climb up to the Sands Road intersection. The Wheelsucker sat in to recover and wait.
He found himself on the front again part way to Harwood Hill, put in a short token pull and got off to recover and position himself where he could see the strongest riders. But the problem is that if the Wheelsucker started the Harwood Hill climb at the back, able to watch all the strong riders, some of them would be some distance ahead of him as the climb started and he would have to close gaps if there was a strong attack, so he eased his way up in the field a bit, and pulled left slightly so he wouldn't be pinned to the shoulder. As typically happens it was fast up Harwood initially, with the strong riders waiting for the last section near the top and where it flattens out off the top to attack.
And there they went … several strong riders jumped away. The Wheelsucker could see MTB Patrick, and later learned the other two were Mike Faber and Cee Kick. There were several more riders chasing and then the remnants of the pack. The lead rider In the remnants of the pack put his head down and worked hard to close the gap. The Wheelsucker was second wheel and burning matchsticks just following. The scattered chasers behind the lead group soon blew up and were back in the main chase. The lead rider finally pulled off and the Wheelsucker was in the wind.
The Wheelsucker was desperate. Three strong riders were together off the front, early. Desperate times are nothing new for the Wheelsucker (this happens all the time to him), but he knew the gap had to be closed. So the Wheelsucker put his head down and pedaled HARD for all he was worth. As the leaders and the main field approached route 2, the last of the scattered chasers were tucked back in the main field. Rick Paukstitus came around the Wheelsucker briefly to pull, but then swung off and the Wheelsucker continued to pull, finally closing the gap to the leaders (who in all likelihood had eased up) on the route 2 shoulder before the turn onto South Polling House. The Wheelsucker taking a hard pull was so out of the ordinary, that one or two riders congratulated him on the spot, and more did later in the Park & Ride.
While some stragglers had probably not made it back on, it was gruppo compacto on Polling House and through the left turn onto South Polling House.
The Wheelsucker was dreading attacks on the South Polling House stairstep climb. He was third wheel at the start of the climb and pulled slightly left to avoid being boxed in. The climb started with a short steep section that demands a big effort from the Wheelsucker. He held position and noticed MTB Patrick sliding by on the left, near the top of that first section. The climb was into the wind, so the Wheelsucker had decided not to go on his own, but was ready to go if someone else did, and there was MTB Patrick making a nice big hole in the wind. So the Wheelsucker called down to the engine room for a surge and somehow accelerated to grab Patrick’s wheel.
MTB Patrick continued to pedal hard and somehow the Wheelsucker held on, and no one else came with them, and the gap opened …
Just about the time the Wheelsucker started to feel good about the situation (about the time the complaints from the engine room became too loud to ignore) MTB Patrick noticed he had company, and stood up and went harder. Somehow the Wheelsucker clung on, and the gap continued to open.
And then, more than halfway up, with a nice gap on the field, the Wheelsucker head a loud "ping" and then series of softer clicking sounds. He looked down and noticed his front rim was wobbling.
DARN!!!
The Wheelsucker very briefly thought about ignoring it, but then decided he should check it out. He pulled over to the right and sure enough, a front spoke was broken at the hub. As he was working on this, the group went by with Ace at the front, standing, and going hard. Those who could follow were trying to follow, while those who could not were being scattered all over the climb.
But by the time the Wheelsucker had twisted the broken spoke around another spoke and opened his brake caliper, nearly everyone was gone.
He finished the climb and started down steady-hard Bayard, but the group was out of site. Then he noticed Bob Walters close behind, so the Wheelsucker eased up to wait.
Bob and the Wheelsucker were soon doing the 2TT. Bob "never quit" Walters was pulling hard, and the Wheelsucker was even throwing some watts down, but there was no way to catch a much larger group with stronger riders, that were out of site up the road. But stragglers WERE in sight, and Bob and the Wheelsucker caught four of them on Bayard. Two of those took pulls, but it was soon back to a 2TT with those who could follow, following, and those who could not, OTB.
Another group was in site up the road, but they did better at the 214 light which held up Bob’s group.
At the finish line it was down to the Wheelsucker, Bob and a female triathlete. Bob got the sprint.
So a distant close-to-the-back for the Wheelsucker, but he chooses to remember that he was off the front with MTB Patrick and SURELY would have made the lead group, but for a broken spoke.
That’s his story, and he is sticking to it!
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