The MetLife team lined up this past weekend with ample representation in two of New England’s late April classics. The Sturbridge road race on Saturday promised new hope this year as the course was completely changed from a short, seven mile non-technical, fast downhill sprinters’ delight to a longer 15-mile rolling course that finished at the top of a gradual three and a half mile ascent. The race started very fast as many were anxious to see if a break could get away.

Aaron Molloy and Corey Masson covered many early moves but nothing was sticking. Bad luck struck when Charlie McCarthy dropped his chain two miles into the race and was unable to get back into the field due to the high speeds. Halfway through the second of four laps, a small break managed to roll off the front containing the Targetraining and Kenda/Raleigh teams. The pace dropped for a few miles but began to pick back up the third time up the finishing climb. With a fast tempo and only a one minute advantage, it seemed as though the break was going to get caught on the last lap. Four riders including Robbie King (Rite Aid), Ward Solar (NERAC) and Adam Sullivan (Kenda/Raleigh) managed to slip off the front right before the long downhill. They quickly bridged to the fading break and breathed new life into it, helping them to stay away from the hard chasing field, led by Fiordifrutta. Once on the finishing climb, Josh Dillon (Fiordifrutta) launched an attack and set off to catch the break. Meanwhile Ryan Fleming and Masson held strong in the surging field as it split due to a hard tempo. A crash in an earlier race slowed the peloton about one mile from the finish, perhaps letting a few dwindling riders make it to the line without being caught. The 20+ rider field sprint opened up with 200 meters to go. Unfortunately, a few riders tangled in front of Fleming, causing him to slow and lose speed. Fleming and Masson finshed 29th and 36th in the field, about a minute behind the winner. Even though the results weren’t great, the training was good. Following the race, the squad (sans Aaron Molloy who headed to Connecticut for a mountain bike race) spent the night at the lovely Coutu Farms in Upton, Massachusetts, with Chris Coutu and his family. Thanks again Chris!

Sunday greeted the racers with overcast skies and a chilly temp of 50°. The team was well represented with Peter Bell, Brad Sheehan, Coutu, Fleming, Masson, and McCarthy lining up. The course remained unchanged: A long 20-mile loop mixing rolling back roads and wide open highway stretches. The Pro/1/2 field completed four laps for an even 80 miles. The 75 rider field shot out of the starting area at noon and set a blistering pace in the opening miles. The fast pace and relentless chasing prevented anything to move up the road, as average speeds were around 28 mph. On the third lap, the attacks began to take shape and Fleming and Sheehan began working on getting a break to stick. The hard efforts paid off and eventually the two found themselves in a large 12 rider break with 30 miles to go. The large representation of Targetraining riders – which somehow happen to get four guys in the move – didn’t help the group as people began to sit on. The escape group never quite found the gap needed to be successful. The move was pulled back 10 miles later on the finishing straight, leading into the final lap. Again, on the twisting back roads section of the course a break of 10 slipped off. Unfortunately, MetLife wasn’t represented. Masson and McCarthy immediately went to the front with NEBC and began chasing, but the horsepower and representation in the break saw them disappear about 10 miles from the finish. Fleming and Sheehan stayed near the front as the charging field headed into the gradual uphill finishing straight, hoping maybe to catch the break at the line. The escape, however, stayed away and the field sprinted in for ninth place. Fleming tried his hand in the field sprint and finished seventh in the field and 16th overall. The others finished safely in the field.

The team will be splitting up this coming weekend, with a group flying down to Georgia on Friday to contest three of the USA CRITS SPEEDWEEK criteriums (with some of the nation’s top professional and elite teams) and a group heading out to western Mass., for another New England classic, the Jiminy Peak Road Race.