But even the Wheelsucker occasionally takes a token pull, partly because he knows everyone is supposed to take a pull, and partly to avoid derisive comments from other riders.
The group had several strong riders including Pat Hogan, Nick Vita, Aaron Canale, Denzil Hathway on his TT bike, Jeff Chun, Cee Kick and more merely good riders.
The Wheelsucker was worried, but then the Wheelsucker is almost always worried when he sees a strong group.
The pace was easy -- too easy, thought the Wheelsucker -- most of the way to Harwood Hill. It is not clear which is better for the Wheelsucker, a hard pace all the way to the climb, which makes the strong riders a little less frisky, but tires the Wheelsucker, or an easy pace so the strong riders are fresh and ready to attack. A little past the Sands road turn, Jeff got to the front and accelerated the group; so it begins, thought the Wheelsucker.
A navy rider pulled most of the way up Harwood Hill before pulling off for Aaron Canale. The Wheelsucker was straining to follow Aaron, but grateful for no attacks. Aaron pulled through the top and false flat, and then pulled off.
Thankful for having made it passed Harwood Hill, the Wheelsucker took his turn at the front. He was going steady-hard for an aging Wheelsucker, trying to recover from the climb, while still keeping the pace up.
But it wasn't fast enough!
Jeff Chun jumped out to the left on a short bump, with Nick, Aaron and the others in tow. As he pulled past the Wheelsucker he looked over as it to say, "you foolish old man ..." Everyone else was able to hold wheels. The Wheelsucker gave it everything he had to accelerate and hold a wheel, but he was still not going fast enough as Denzil went by with Pat Hogan on his wheel.
The Wheelsucker immediately pulled in at the back, but it wasn't enough, and the gap to Pat's rear wheel started to open.
And as that wheel slowly pulled away from a straining Wheelsucker, he realized he had been dropped, once again.
But the Wheelsucker kept pedaling very hard -- for an aging Wheelsucker -- as the group went up the road. He was pobably hoping for some sort of miracle. He he was blown and the gap was large and getting larger as the leaders turned right onto the route 2 shoulder. But then the miracle happened; they eased up on the route 2 shoulder and the Wheelsucker rolled up to them, latched on in the draft at the back, and felt a wave of relief wash over him. It didn't last long, the right turn onto Polling House was a reminder that the South Polling House stairstep climb was coming up. The Wheelsucker stayed at the back, hyper-ventilating.
On South Polling House, riders pulled off the front one by one, leaving the Wheelsucker third wheel, behind Aaron and Jeff, as the climb started. This was a good place to start the climb, but when Nick Vita powered by at incredible speed, the situation changed completely. Aaron and Jeff accelerated to try to match Nick's speed and close the gap. The Wheelsucker was going as hard as he could, but the gap to Jeff's wheel was opening, and then Pat Hogan sprinted by on his right, while Denzil pulled level on his left. The gaps were still opening slowly when Cee sprinted by on the left, looking over at the Wheelsucker with another "you foolish old man" look.
And the gap to a wheel in front continued to open. Then Denzil went by. The Wheelsucker was so spent he could not grab that wheel, but could only stagger to the top of the climb and watch as Denzil caught on to the back of the recombined group, and they sped up Bayard.
Dropped again, thought a tired and frustrated Wheelsucker. He tried to chase, but now he was quite tired, and the gap was opening quickly. Then he was caught by a rider in an optic yellow jersey, Tom Aga, and Alex Pline. The Wheelsucker caught on at the back, recovered briefly, and then followed as the other desperate chasers worked to close the gap. After all three had taken turns, Tom -- the third -- swung off, leaving the Wheelsucker in the wind. He took a short hard pull, and pulled off encouraging the next rider to make it short and hard as well. Tom opened a gap for him and let him in at third wheel. Alex and the rider in the yellow jersey were standing at sprint power at times, for their pulls. The Wheelsucker was on the front again going into the dip and the last climb/bump on Bayard. He was doing 37 mph as he started the climb, but the group ahead were almost within range. He stood and sprinted to the top and then pulled off spent. Yellow jersey and Alex pulled through on the descent, but the Wheelsucker could not get on a wheel, and chased on the descent, took the right turn onto Polling House at speed (and passing the rider in yellow), made one last effort and made it to Alex's wheel, just as Alex caught on at the back of the group.
The Wheelsucker was almost -- but not quite -- passed caring.
Sitting in at the back and sucking air into his lungs, the Wheelsucker held on past the golf course false flat, somehow made it up the short bump at the end, and was still hanging on grimly all the way to the right turn back onto South Polling House. At the start of the stairstep climb, Alex was on the front, either hoping to control the pace on the climb, or asking to be attacked. The Wheelsucker was second wheel, and pulled past on the left at the first steep section. Denzil came by on his left, with Jeff on his wheel, but Denzil seemed to want a steady climb, and the Wheelsucker was able to hold his position at third wheel. Then Jeff rolled by to the left of Denzil. The Wheelsucker did not have anything left, and stayed on Denzil's wheel and watched Jeff go up the road. But the rest of the group were content to let Jeff go on the climb, knowing they had the numbers to catch him soon. And Denzil kept the pace at steady-hard and was already closing the gap to Jeff by the time they reached the top and the right turn onto Bayard. Jeff eased up, and then Denzil pulled off. That was going to put the Wheelsucker on the front as the group slowed, except Cee attacked to the left. The Wheelsucker was done with surges and let the group accelerate to go with Cee, and tucked in at the back. Cee was neutralized, but then Denzil went later on Bayard. The Wheelsucker tried to chase but had nothing left, and eased up gasping. The group went by and he had to chase on the Bayard descent, only barely catching on shortly after passing the Polling House turn.
Pat jumped a couple of times early on Sands. The Wheelsucker was done with chasing, and just strained to catch on at the back as the group went by, though the was slightly gapped a couple more times.
The Wheelsucker was hanging on at the back waiting for the Sands Road closure, hoping to catch his breath. The blocked section was almost impassable, and had turned into something out of a cyclecross promoters's worst idea. Not wanting to be caught behind and having to chase, the Wheelsucker was first past the barrier, first to carry his bike through the ditch, and first back onto his bike on the other side. There was so much mud on his shoes and in his cleats, that he could not clip in. He sprayed the cleats with the remaining water in his water bottle and managed to clip in with a good kick.
And then he soft pedaled up the road.
But no one was with him. They were apparently taking longer to get through, or were waiting for the group to reform on the other siide. So the Wheelsucker decided to go steady-hard just to get up the road a bit, and hope to catch on at the back when the group caught him. But he was still alone at the top of Sands. So the Wheelsucker put his head down and went as hard as he coulud sustain -- not very hard at this point -- and went solo for the finish line, though sneaking frequent glances back looking for a chase.
Somehow he made it to the finish line without being caught, and was standing by the side of the road, ready to video the sprint, when the rest of the group arrived.
Droppage/highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmUvzWaQEE8
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