While a group of the MetLife boys went to NYC for the weekend to contest the Mengoni G.P., Aaron, Corey and Ryan hit the beaches of Maine for a New England favorite, the Saco Bay Criterium.  While temps were warm in the high 80’s, they were better than last year, when temps soared over the 100 degree mark.

A strong field of 40 started the race this year, with representation from IF, Fuji, Kenda/Raleigh and Mechanical Services and local pro Dan Vaillancourt, who races for the professional team Toshiba/Santo.  The race began with a flurry of attacks, with several strong riders eager to get the the race underway.  After the first 5 laps, the race began to settle in.  Seeing an opportunity to get a gap, Kevin Wolfson (IF), jumped away from the field while several teams took a breather.  Dan Vaillancourt then quickly bridged to start working with Kevin.  With no one eager to give chase, Ryan jumped the field going into the second turn and rolled away up to the leading duo and the three quickly pulled away, not to be seen by the field again until 12 laps later when the three latched back on the tail end of the field.  Once back in the field, Aaron and Corey, along with the help of IF, controlled the pace and made sure that a chase group off the front was not allowed to lap the field as well and were kept in sight.  Leading into the final laps, Aaron and Corey kept the tempo high to minimize the swarming effect and keep Ryan in a good position for the sprint to the line.  Unfortunetly, a few riders managed to bump Ryan off Dan and Kevin’s wheel coming into the final chicane and he was forced to settle for 3rd place.  Although the Mayor’s Cup would have been nice, repeating a podium place for a second year is a good accomplishment.