The Lake Auburn Road Race is a scenic, 11.5 mile circuit that rolls through the rural farm land of Auburn, Maine. The course is highlighted by a stair-stepping climb that opens up to a two kilometer false flat through the start/finish line and a sharp, punchy 200-meter leg buster shortly thereafter. The remainder of the course rolls gradually downhill and is flat with a few risers.

Six members of the MetLife team made the voyage to Auburn. Coming off a hard weekend in New Jersey, the team was eager to see how the legs would respond. Several other teams brought full squads as well, including IF and Fiordifrutta, who had also just recently been competing at the Mt. Hood Stage Race in Oregon. Under cloudy, damp weather skies, the 50-rider field set out for seven laps around the circuit for a total of 81 miles.

The race started quickly with many attacks but nothing was able to get away. Near the end of the first lap a small break of three finally got away, gaining a one minute advantage. As the field quickly picked up its pace on the downhill section leading into the second lap, the break was reeled in. Constant attacks kept the pace high but did little more than string out the field. Peter and Charlie did an excellent job covering dangerous attacks and waiting for that decisive move. As the laps rolled on, it appeared as though the field was not very willing to let any break get an advantage. On the fourth lap, an aggressive set of attacks led to a small group of three getting away. Leading the group was Jamey Driscoll (Fiordifrutta) with two others in tow. Unsure, if a small break could really hold off the field, the group sat up for a breather and allowed the break to gain a minute. With no representation in the move, the MetLife boys went to work, trying to initiate a small chase group to get off the front and bridge up. The field was having none of it though, as everything was being chased down.

Coming through the climb with a lap to go, Charlie put in a blistering attack that sent the field into suffer mode. Sensing this may be the perfect set-up, Ryan immediately went to the front. With everyone on the limit, it seemed like the perfect time to counter, so Ryan gave it a go as they crested the top of the climb. He was joined by Todd Yezefski (IF) but the move was chased down by Fiordifrutta and neutralized before they could get out of sight. The break, however, had begun to disintegrate, as Jamey had dropped his two companions, which were absorbed back into the field. With one lap to go, there was just one rider off the front. With a one and half minute advantage, it seemed reasonable that he may get caught, so the team went to the front to keep the pace steady and high, in hopes that a fading Driscoll would be caught coming into the finish. Unfortunately for everyone in the race but his teammates, Jamey is not your average racer, and has been known to have the strength of a wildebeest at times. The gap remained the same even with strong pulls from Chris, Alain, and Peter. The field sprint for second appeared imminent as the peloton crested the climb. With Ryan and Charlie sitting in the last lap, there was still hope for a podium. The sprint was somewhat chaotic as a surge with 500 meters forced Ryan into the wind early to reposition. Ryan finished sixth in the field sprint for a seventh place overall. Charlie rounded out the top of the field at 20th. Not quite the result the team had hoped for, but that’s bike racing. With three more months of racing on the horizon, the team still has plenty of opportunities to show its strength and potential.

Look for the team next weekend at the Balloon Festival Road Race in Cambridge, NY. This course will separate the men from the boys with tough, undulating terrain, a one kilometer leg-busting climb-that touches gradients around 20%-and a technical finish.