All photos courtesy of www.berkshiresports.org – check out all Brad’s great pics!

PITTSFIELD, MA.  With the regional calendar well into the New England criterium season, this week provided a “work-night” affair similar to the previous events in Beverly and Salem.  Smack in the middle of Pittsfield’s “Third Thursdays” street festival, the Greylock Federal Criterium was sure to provide throngs of spectators along the straightforward 3-corner course, along with a strong regional field eager to impress on home turf.

Though Peter Bell, Ryan Fleming, and Chris Coutu have been representing the team well over the past few weeks in the series, Austin and I decided it was high time to motor north and join up with the  New England crew and stack our chances at nabbing a much-deserved win for either Bell, myself, or one of our breakaway artists.  Despite the onerous 3.5 hour drive from central Jersey up to the Berkshires, Big Tex and I manned up, loaded up the car, and cruised up I-87 for what promised to be a fast evening of  bicycle racing.

Coutu Makes it look easy. Photo courtesy of www.berkshiresports.org

With five strong protagonists on-hand, we decided from the beginning to take ownership of the race, instigating moves off the front when appropriate and covering others’ attempts when necessary.  An early attack by Austin, followed by my own bridge up , looked promising.  With three other seemingly strong riders, we poured on the gas and hoped an additional 2-3 would come across from the field and give us the cumulative horsepower to stay away.  Despite some gargantuan efforts from Big Tex and a few only slightly-less impressive pulls of my own, the field proved to anxious to allow such a split.

Austin and I off the front. Photo courtesy of www.berkshiresports.org

With the Jersey boys thoroughly gassed from our full-fledged attempt, Chris and Peter took over much of the responsibility at the front, with both launching some fine attacks of their own and spending large amounts of time and energy in several potentially lethal breaks.  Race announcer Richard Fries took note our aggression and attentiveness at the sharp end of the race, and we were routinely greeted with shout-outs across the start finish.

Peter Bell: always lookin' good. Photo courtesy of www.berkshiresports.org

A  late-race and truly dangerous attack by local favorite Josh Lipka was aptly covered by Peter, and the two motored ahead of the field for several laps.  As this, too, was brought back into the fold, it became apparent that things were reasonably destined to end in a mass dash for the line.  After a brief stint following pre-race picks (and pros) Jeremy Powers (Jelly Belly) and Adam Myerson, Austin – unofficial captain of the lead-out – began assembling the MetLife train, which was aptly led by Ryan as we entered two laps to go.  Despite their massive efforts earlier, Peter and Chris attempted to reach the front and lend horsepower, though the quickening pace ensured we’d  have a trio to set up the field sprint.

Ryan follows BikeReg ahead of his lead-out effort. Photo courtesy of www.berkshiresports.org

Head-down and throttle open, Ryan motored at the front for the entirety of the penultimate lap, keeping the pace high and Austin and I out of trouble.   As we entered the start/finish with 1-to-go, Big Tex took the reigns and upped the speed, and although a bit of reshuffling put Will Dugan (Team Type 1) in between us, I wasn’t concerned.  We arrived at the courses’ steady climb to the final corner in perfect formation, though the day’s toll and length of the effort slowed Austin as we neared the right-hander.   Myerson took perfect advantage of the lull and jumped early from the left.  With no one eager to pull the field up to his wheel, and with I briefly boxed-in on the right, we went into the turn with a solid gap to the seasoned Moutain Khakis veteran and myself on Dugan’s wheel.   I poured on all that I had left and surged passed the Team Type 1 rider, though could not close the distance to Myerson in time, who took a well deserved win.

Austin pours it on for the final lap with me in tow. Photo courtesy of www.berkshiresports.org

It was’t until a cool-down lap that we had a chance to see just how thoroughly the town had come out for the evening’s festivities, lining the finishing straight three-deep in places.  Though we narrowly missed out on the victory, we were more-than-consoled by the praise we received for taking the race by the reigns and riding as a team.

A few miraculously post-race downpours and burritos (Hot Harry’s – do not miss if you’re in Pittsfield) later, Big Tex and I loaded ourselves back into the car and onto the New York Throughway for the long haul home.  ”Seven hours of driving for 1 hour of racing?” you might ask?  When you ride like a team and nearly take the W, the answer is most definitely “Yes”.

The pampered graduate students we are, Big Tex (Austin) and I hopped on a flight out of Newark, the Paris of the Mid-Atlantic, arriving with ample time to line up for Friday night’s Crossroads Series Race just north of town. With Gabe having motored down earlier in the week with a few other brave souls from PA, we traveled light (and cheap!) and were psyched to open up and get the legs moving ahead of Saturday night’s main event.

Following a reasonable showing in Mocksville, and a unnecessarily late evening thanks in large part to the errant directions of a Motorola Droid, we awoke Saturday to find surprising tolerable temps, low (enough) humidity, and a town preparing for a serious and imminent showdown. After an afternoon of the intoxicating combination of “Jersey Shore: Miami” and NASCAR, we were adequately adrenaline fueled and up-to-speed on our latest “rubbin’s racing” techniques, and pedaled the scant 6 miles over to the Uptown parcours.

Despite having slipped just onto the wrong side of the top 10 overall in the USACrits series, my current ranking was apparently sufficient to earn a call-up. That said, about 30 other guys were beckoned to the front of the field, so despite not feeling extra-special, I was certainly grateful to start things off at the front of the madness. With numerous $1000 and $500 primes up for grabs, this was certain to be a very tough day at the office.

Lining up just behind series leader Clayton Barrows (AXA). (C) Emory Ball

Though the event is Pro-Invitation *only* – leading one to believe only skilled bike riders would be in attendance – a ludicrously dumb pile-up on the third lap seemed to suggest otherwise. Though Big Tex was far enough back to avoid the carnage, Gaberator and myself both went full-steam into the dog pile. Fortunately, we both escaped without the need of any serious medical attention, though Gabe ended up with some impressive chainring puncture wounds and I with Jackie Simes’ sheared-off fork inextricable tangled in my rear wheel.

Out of the pit following our obligatory free lap, all three of us were relegated to the back. Unbeknownst to Gabe, his brakes were rubbing following the crash, quickly putting an end to his evening. Austin and I motored around at the back for awhile, though he attempted to move up into the swollen middle of the field, whereas I – seeing that there would be little point in moving up until things trimmed down a fair bit – tail-gunned like a seasoned veteran at the back. On the plus side, it made my race *easy*, with the heart rate dipping into the 120s on occasion. On the other hand, I missed the large break of 17 that rolled of the front, and figured our race was over.

All was not lost, however, as the field whipped up the pace and whittled down the 45second-plus advantage the leaders had down to a scant 10 seconds. I figured the break would be caught, the field would lull in indecision, and a new front group would form. I readied myself to slingshot through the peloton, moving up just enough to access the front when things hit the fan. Unfortunately, it was not the “field” that wanted the break brought back, but rather a few teams that simply wanted better representation in the move. These squads sent 1-2 guys each *across* the gap, and following their successful bridging, the advantage then ballooned back up towards the one minute mark. I had blown the call, missed the chance, and was now racing for 23rd place.

Nevertheless, Austin worked valiantly to close down the gaps opened by rapidly imploding riders unable to hold the pace as it continually ramped up towards the finish. Despite not racing for the win (OR even top-twenty….), their were a fair number of very fast individuals in what remained of the field (now only 30 or so guys). I left Austin as his diesel began to sputter, and ninja-timed my way as close to the front as possible. Several wrecks in the closing laps nearly derailed my hopes again, but I miraculously navigated through the carnage to stay ~10th wheel into the final corner. I gassed it as soon as we hit the surprisingly-long finishing straight (was it really that far all night?) and went full-gas for longer than I can ever recall previously, earning 6th in the field sprint and 29th overall. Disappointing, given our expectations, but still in the money and with some key lessons learned for next time.

Of key note: the town of Charlotte came out in a BIG way for this event. With the race course in the heart of a very active downtown, replete with bars, restaurants, and other businesses, thousands of spectators coated the barriers along the entirety of the barricades. This was truly among the most impressive displays of fan participation I have witnessed, and will be eager to return and fly the MetLife & groSolar flags in the future.

by Nick Bennette

Bennette grabs the final podium spot for MetLife p/b groSolar.

After a few moves, the group sat up in anticipation of the sprint. Ratcliff launched an impeccably timed
move, shortly followed by a wide swinging move from Freyre that secured first
and second for the two respectively. Bell was the next to open up his sprint, and despite
closing in on the two ahead, there was too much ground to make up in too little time.
With the peloton on their heels, the whole group was credited with the same time.
Look for a strong contingent of MetLife riders to toe the line at the 12th Tour of the
Hilltowns next Saturday, where Bell will look to defend his 2009 Massachusetts state
road title, and Chris Coutu will look to re-up his 2009 Masters road title.

A quintet of criterium specialists from the MetLife p/b groSolar team rolled down to the Mid-Atlantic for a packed weekend of top-notch racing.  With two of the nine USACrits races taking place on the same weekend in West Chester, PA and Washington D.C., they were certainly not alone.

Saturday night found the series in the hip urban hamlet of West Chester, just outside Philadelphia.  Sponsored by the Iron Hill Brewery, the event routinely draws crowds in the 10,000 range, and Saturday night was no exception.  A tight, 1-Km, four corner course awaited Gabe, Ryan, Nick, Austin, and Alex, along with around 120 Pros, Cat 1s, and ambitious Cat 2s.

A HUGE crown was on-hand for the Iron Hill Twilight Criterium. © Todd Leister/leister.smugmug.com

Racing was furious from the gun, and the tight finishing straight and blazing speed caused the MetLife crew to miss the early move of 8 riders that went clear and eventually lapped the field.  The heat and speed took their toll on the peloton, which whittled down to roughly half it’s initial size over the course of the 90 minute affair.  Though Gabe and Nick follow promising moves off the front, their efforts proved fruitless and the team re-tooled to set up for a field-sprint.

The "challenging" bottom corner. Yes, it was that dark. © Marco Quezada/nyvelocity.com

With under 10 laps to go, and with any semblance of daylight gone, Austin, Ryan, and Nick found one another and worked their train to the front, driven by Austin’s diesel locomotive.  With team AXA lining it out for overall series leader Clayton Barrows, the trio elected to slot in just behind.  This proved a mistake, as the field swarmed the front in the last lap, with only those willing to wipe out making it through the tight course with a shot at the sprint.  Nick rolled in just outside the top 20 – good for some series points, but below expectations based on our past results and current fitness.

MetLife assembles their train behind AXA's for the sprint finish. © Todd Leister/leister.smugmug.com

Sunday found the boys in blue in our nation’s capital.  With Iron Hill ending around 10pm the night before and a three-hour drive separating the two locales, a short night left racers with little time to sightsee.  Positioned smack in the heart of downtown, the seven-corner course featured a tough climb, sweeping downhill corners, a start/finish on Pennsylvania avenue, and a frightening 180-degree turnaround, all under the backdrop of the Capital building.  Inspired by the surroundings and motivated by a lackluster finish the night prior, the MetLife crew was dead-set on racing aggressively, animating the race, and earning a solid result.

The Starting Line. Nick was pretty darn excited to be on the front row. © Mike G. @ BicycleSpokesman.com

Thanks to the team’s hard work at Grafton, Hyde Park, and Iron Hill, Nick had moved up to 9th overall in the USACrits series, and as such, got a call-up to the front row for the 1:15pm start.  Despite facing 80Km in searing heat, the advantage of starting at the sharp end of the race is not to be underestimated – the team witnessed the night prior how a break can roll away early, and the blistering from-the gun pace often makes moving up a laborious process.  Nick was thus charged with covering the early moves, though Gabe made his way into the fray within a half-dozen laps as well, and the duo made sure to latch onto any attacks that threatened to stick.  Towards the mid-race mark, Ryan, Alex, and Austin all made their way up to the front as well, taking over the responsibility, and Gabe and Nick slid back to take some well-earned rest in the field.  Fortunately, given the 90+ degree heat, feeding was permitted on the course’s hill, and Nick’s fiancee and professional feeder (feed-ess?) was surgical in her delivery of iced-laden bottles to the entire crew.

Ryan takes a MUCH needed bottle from Nick's fiancee, Carrie. © Todd Leister/www.leisterimages.com

Several dangerous breaks formed and failed towards the finish, including one instigated by Alex (who soloed for the better part of a lap before being joined by four others) and another driven by Austin.  A seriously powerful move of seven rolled off with under 15 laps to go – sensing the threat and lack of a response from the field, Gabe motored to the front and dug deep to pull the septet within reach, at which point the field closed the gap.  Nick used the opportunity to move up, and settled in on series leader Barrows’ wheel for the closing laps.

The dangerous break of seven. Check out Gabe on the front of the field bringing it back. © Todd Leister/www.leisterimages.com

With 2-to-go, he was in prime position, 4th wheel, though Jamis’ Jackie Simes and Bahati Foundation’s Bobby Lea were still off the front.  The pace, however, lulled the penultimate time through the start/finish, and the field swarmed the first corner.  Dedicated not to have a repeat of the previous evening, Nick stuck out the elbows and fought to hold position, entering the decisive 180-degree turnaround in roughly 10th position.  With only 300 meters to the line, he closed down a few spots, mustering 7th in the field sprint, 9th overall as the two escapees held on by a handful of seconds.

Nick fought for and held great positioning in the closing laps. © Todd Leister/www.leisterimages.com

Another hard-earned top-ten in the USACrits series, replete with numerous MetLife p/b groSolar shout-outs from race announcer Richard Fries.  The aggressive racing continues to pay off, with Nick now moved up to 8th overall in the series and the team vying with AXA for best amateur squad.  Stay tuned – with four more installations of the USACrits series on-tap, it’s going to be an exciting end to the season!

With three laps to go Lipka rolled off the front of the group for a solo bid. Back in the break, reaction was delayed. Despite several strong bids to make it up to the lone leader, no one rider was able to break the grasp of the breakaway. With the sprint looming, Brumble made a strong early jump into the last corner, slightly delayed, Bell followed with Tautkus, but neither were able to catch the CCB rider before the line. With a strong team performance, and a solid fourth place result, look for the MetLife team to build some momentum during this crucial part of the season.

CINCINNATI, OH: 90 degrees at 8:30pm is probably one of the hottest nights in June  we’ll race in all season.  Tack that onto a humidity toping  90%, and you’ve got some seriously stickiness to contend with.  Such was the backdrop for round #3 of the USACrits series, run as the main event of the annual Hyde Park BLAST! festival.  With 90minutes of full-gas criterium racing on tap over a course laden with one U-turn, a short wall of an ascent, and less-than idyllic pavement, the MetLife p/b groSolar crew was sure we were in for a tough outing, particularly given the past full week of Racing.

Fortunately, we rolled out from our unbelievably amazing host housing, all of 2 blocks from the center of the action, to discover well over 10,000 spectators lining the course 3-5 deep in the middle of a full-on, beer-equipped festival.  Though we thoroughly enjoyed the small ‘burgs that played host during the Tour of America’s Dairyland, this throbbing metropolis was was a welcome site and powerful fuel to make a serious impression during the evening’s event.

As USA Crits event, we were additionally amped to impress, and though we had secured an invite to the Capital Criterium with solid results at Grafton the week prior, we dead-set to pad our ”elite amateur” status.  It was clear from Dairyland that we possessed the fitness as individuals to compete at this level – A top 10 here was required to demonstrate our capability as a team to deliver the goods at this caliber of racing.  Having really started to gel this season, we were confident we could accomplish this – but a top 10 at any  professional level event is never easy, regardless of how speedy your
sprinter is.  To really get there, a team needs to ride as a unit the entire race, and deliver their finisher to the final straightaway in good position and with a clear shot at the tape.

The five of us – Austin, Ryan, Gabe, Alex and myself (Nick) were pretty relaxed, confident that
we had the legs for a tough course well-suited for our strengths.  Long stretches between tight turn arounds on either end of the circuit would make for a fitness-determining event, wherein moving up would require legs as opposed to a lack of fear. What we didn’t expect was a blazing pace right from the gun set by Mountain Kakis and Aerocat – both of whom seemed
highly intent on culling the chaff from the field, which commenced immediately.  As weaker riders detonated, the team knifed their way through the flak and all made the front *split* of 50 riders –  thats right; of the 109 starters, 59 of them were retired a third of the way into the 90 minute event.

Attacks flurried off the front, covered predominately by Gabe in an effort to keep MetLife represented in a breakaway, should one roll clear, which would take the pressure off Nick, the designated sprinter, for field control.  With 15 laps to go, Gabe – a.k.a “Crit Monkey”, made it into a move that  snapped off the front of the demolished field.  Mountain Kakis and Aerocat were represented, with only Kenda Pro Cycling missing the move.  The Kakis rider  had to sit on, as they were supporting their sprinter, Isaac Howe, current holder of the USA Crits overall jersey, as well as omnium leader for the weekend.  Nevertheless, the move quickly put nearly 30 seconds into the field.  Meanwhile, in back, Alex suffered an untimely flat on the questionable pavement and Ryan succumbed to the oppressive heat, leaving Austin and Nick to float around the field behind the Kenda-led chase.  Atop the climb on the back slide of the course, where the low light and ample booze had fueled the crowd enthusiasm, $1 and $5 primes were dangled over the barriers for the field.  Eager to please the spectators, I used employed a few ninja skills from a previous life to expertly nab two of the monetary awards.  From the auditory response, it was clear the crowd enjoyed these mid-race antics.

Up front, the brutal pace and unrelenting heat began to wear at Gabe, with cold chills and dehydration pushing him to the edge of heat exhaustion.  Out of water (2  full bottles in a crit!) and fading hard, Crit Monkey skipped pulls to stay in the move, though the lack of cooperation up front spelled an end for the break, with both him and Mountain Kakis rider Neil Bezdek sitting on.  The catch was made with 3 laps to go, as Austin led Nick promptly up to Gabe, tapped his shoulder, and indicated without words “it’s time to finish this”.

The original lead out did not have a sweeper in place to keep riders from hiding in my significant draft, and as only Austin and the myself were left in the elite final selection of the race, Gabe elected to put his thoroughly dead legs to use,  swapped places with Nick in the lead out train with 2 to go and taking over the sweeper position.  Meanwhile, Austin expertly guided the trio through the field, never putting his tandem in tow in trouble, yet unrelentingly pushing towards the front of the field. The top, narrow portion of the course, where the field was riding single file all night, exited onto a fast, somewhat harrowing, and now thoroughly unlit descent onto an off-camber and pockmarked corner.  Using this dicey element, Gabe slowly ”pulled the parachute” on his own race, allowing a 10 bike gap to open and condemning those behind Austin & myself to surging desperately should they have any hope at getting back on.  15 riders remained in the front group as Austin and I entered the final lap.  Big Tex, as Austin is now widely known, pulled our duo into the top 10 into the final climb.  Unfortunately, he was unaware of Gabe’s perfect sweeper maneuver, and, expecting Crit Monkey to tow me up the last ascent and onto the finishing straight, pulled off.  I responded immediately, though the rider in front had already allowed a small gap to the front 6 to open, one which, despite my best efforts in the final 500m,  I could not close.

Looking up in a haze of exhausting and strain, it finally became clear – 7th place!  Top 10!  While it might not have been the prettiest execution, nor was our last-lap communication ideal, we finished off one of the hardest, fastest crits this season as planned and got one step closer to a USACrits podium, a seminal goal for our team this season.

Onto USACrits #4, The Iron Hill Twilight, on Saturday July 10th!