MetLife Boys finish strong despite untimely mechanicals
CAMBRIDGE, NY – On a perfectly crisp and clear April Sunday, the quaint upstate village of Cambridge was descended upon by the crème de la crème of the domestic peloton for the 5th annual Tour of the Battenkill, previously known as the Battenkill-Roubaix for its parcours’ extended sections of dirt, gravel, and otherwise unseemly tarmac. Facing the 160+ strong field – which included the likes of professional squads BMC racing, OUCH-Maxxis, Bissel, Team Type 1, Planet Energy, and Kelly-Benefits – were 200K of undulating, unkempt roads thoroughly poised to test the mettle of the entire Pro-Am field and befitting of the moniker “A Sunday in Hell”.
With this onerous task at hand, the MetLife Pro-Am Cycling Team brought it’s A-game in the form of a strong eight-man squad and equally-diesel support staff. Toeing the line were Brad Sheehan, Peter Bell, Ryan Flemming, Scott Dolmat-Connell, Charles McCarthy, Vinnie Scalia, Nick Bennette, and Nick Frey, on loan for the day from the Fort Collins-based Ciclismo team. All had taken part in the previous day of racing over much of the same course and were acutely aware of the challenges ahead.
Under a cloudless sky – a welcome change from Saturday’s downpour – the peloton departed Cambridge center under the roar of an impressive local crowd. With the first critical dirt section – the 18% graded Juniper Swamp – a scant 11 miles in, the field wasted no time in getting up to speed. Despite the velocity, Scott Nydam (BMC Racing) and Bobby Lea (Ouch-Maxxis) managed to sneak off the front of the peloton, forming the anticipated “all-day suicide break”. Though the pace was brisk up Juniper and through most of the first of two 62-mile loops, the field seemed to acknowledge the attrition ahead and the likely scenario that the race would disintegrate under the strain of the hills, dirt, and speed, leaving only the strongest to survive.
Heading towards the famed Meeting House Road sector – a serious of steep dirt climbs interspersed with equally steep and dicey drops – Frey decided to test his legs and the field and gunned it down a patchy gravel descent, opening up a sizable gap. With no others willing to bridge across, the field slowly closed on the lone MetLife kit, and although Bennette jumped on a counter-attack following Frey’s capture, the field re-assembled towards the end of lap one.
The field emerges from a covered bridge. (C) VeloNews.
Unrepresented in the break, Team Type 1 and Planet Energy mobilized at the front of the peloton going into the last decisive element of the first loop, the dry and loose 1 mile + stair-stepper climb up Stage Road. Their hard tempo strung out the field and was set to make the day’s first separation of the strong from the stronger. Inexplicably, both teams sat up once the pitch subsided, as if only testing the field, though it was clear that the discontent with a still-lingering two-man move was about to ignite the day’s first real action.
Tom Zirbel (Bissell) flats as Brad and Charlie pound up one of the many dusty climbs.
As the field approached Cambridge for the start lap two, a flurry of attacks, counter-attacks, counter-counter-attacks, (you get the picture) lit up the previously-dormant peloton. Concerned that the day’s formative break would escape, Bennette negotiated his way towards the front and kept an eye on the situation. Sure enough, a seemingly well-represented move detached once the race had escaped Cambridge proper and looked to be a serious threat as it gained critical seconds heading towards round two of Juniper Swamp. Bennette launched from the bunch and drilled it, finding both a decent gap as well as a Team Type 1 and Ouch rider on his wheel. Despite numerous motions for the pair to pull through, they claimed they had teammates in the move ahead and refused to pull. Freeloaders in tow, Bennette sat up and was back in the peloton. Nonetheless, this and other like-minded bridge attempts brought the two groups back together, and left the Lea-Nydam duo with a narrowing few minutes lead.
Scott and Ryan nail it up Juniper Swamp as the field accelerates.
With Bennette on the ropes, Frey responded to the next seriously attack, and entered the loop’s only covered bridge crossing third wheel. With the first dirt section ahead, Frey let it rip and took Frank Pipp (Bissell) with him. Though all came back together before the re-entry onto tarmac, a powerful surge from Roman Kilun (OUCH p/b Maxxis) pulled Frey out again, along with Karl Menzies (OUCH), Tom Soladay (Mountain Khakis), and Graham Howard (Bissell). Dispite rolling through at 100%, the quintet was reeled in before the steep pavement leading into Juniper Swamp, granting the MetLife crew a brief but welcome respite. Having been actively attacking, Frey rolled into the dirt near the front with Bennette a bit further back in the field. Fortunately, the two boys in blue made it over Juniper’s dusty slopes with a very much whittled-down peloton. Unfortunately, the remainder of Snoopy’s soldiers were among those whittled.
A brisk pace through the remaining off-road sectors before the first feed zone ensured that the separation would last. Following a bit of refueling, the field relaxed, having seemingly accepted that the narrowed-down peloton contained the race-makers and further selections would be made by the looming inclines of Joe Bean, Meeting House, and Stage Roads. The pace approached a near-leisurely stroll, and the eye of the Battenkill hurricane slowly passed. Meanwhile, at the front, Nydam had dropped his breakaway companion and nursed a narrow minute advantage.
Frey drops the hammer. Hard.
With a little more that 50Km to go, the peloton peeled off the main highway out of Salem and onto Joe Bean road, a steep but paved stair-stepper climbed that few feared would be the race-maker. With somewhat rested legs, however, the strongmen of the bunch rolled to the front and punched everyone’s ticket to the main event. Despite being poorly positioned, Frey worked his way out of the field and onto the front. Bennette wasn’t quite as fortunate (or as strong), and was left to frogger his way through a rapidly dwindling peloton. Despite cresting Joe Bean a few seconds back from the main field, now only 30 or so strong, he joined up with a Bissell and two Ouch riders and motored through a blisteringly fast sector of “pave”, replete with gnarly pot-holes and seriously loose gravel. Just as the foursome latched back onto the front group with the Bennette doing a lion’s share of the work, his rear Vittoria fell victim to one of the innumerable craters, and his day was as done as his tubular.
Bennette rolls in with the groupetto.
Frey, however, looked superb in the “field”, which held together through the second feed zone and as the field approached the first of the two lingering obstacles – Meeting House Road. On a sketchy descent leading into the series of rollers, Howard attacked, followed by Tim Johnson (OUCH) and MetLife’s remaining protagonist. They eased a fraction heading into Meeting House, and picked up Menzies, Shawn Milne (Team Type 1), Jamie Driscoll (Haymarket), Tony Cruz, Chad Beyer, Jonathan Garcia (BMC), Ryan Roth, and Martin Gilbert (Planet Energy). Feeling good, Frey hopped on the front and drilled it with Johnson close behind. After a few seconds and only 20K from the line, Frey noticed his tubular getting soft, to which Johnson yelled “just keep going, man!” Frey kept on the gas until the crest of the first climb, looked over at an attacking Johnson, and yelled “GO GO GO”!
Like Bennette, Frey’s day came undone as the minutes ticked by awaiting a SRAM neutral vehicle beleaguered with requests for assistance. The select group he had helped form claimed second through tenth, as a much-deserving Nydam held off for the win. The field onto which Bennette had so-briefly rejoined filled out the top twenty. Instead, the boys in blue remounted their re-wheeled steeds and set off for the respect of the finish line. Frey had plenty of companions, dismantled by either attrition or mechanicals, with whom to cruise in for 42nd. Bennette, on the other hand, was a further 20K out and pulled out a final, desperate time trial in the hopes the field ahead would again sit up. It did not, and instead, he caught the final groupetto and rolled in 55th, a further 10 minutes down from his MetLife compatriot.
Frey and Dan Cassidy (CCB Racing) pack it in.
Despite the disappointment, both finishers took solace in the good form they displayed and for having played a role in the race’s outcome. Look for very good things in the season ahead.