If the legs of the strongest riders were softened by the first four days of racing at the Tour of America’s Dairylands, they didn’t let on in a high paced road race over the twists and turns of the 4.4 mile Road America racing track.  A departure from the crit-fueled week, the rolling circuit race built selection into each lap with technical corners followed by deceptively steep climbs.  The MetLife goal was simple: stay attentive and at the front.  Austin Roach jumped out relentlessly with attack after attack until a nine-rider break finally split five laps into the seventeen-lap course.  The lanky Roach impressively hung in until the finish with a respectable seventh place.  With three laps to go, Alex Bremer bridged to a chase group sneaking into the top fifteen.  Hot, humid conditions took their toll on the riders over the tough course.  “It was one of the hardest races I’ve done all year.” Peter Bell explained having policed the front of the chase with teammate Nick Bennette who added, “It was pretty crucial that the rain held off until later.  Those corners would have been dicey if they were slick.”

Thunderstorms punished the Milwaukee area following the race, complete with Tornado warnings and power outages.  Racing resumes for the MetLife team at the Trek Waterloo Classic, a 1.6 mile circuit race with some nasty climbs.