When a cyclist wakes at 5:00 AM to drive nearly four hours to race in temperatures hovering just above freezing and in conditions comparing to that of a low-speed wind tunnel, it’s got to be early in the season. 70 other racers were thinking the exact same thing Charles McCarthy was on Saturday, March 22, as many of the Northeast’s elite headed toward the Albany region to compete in the Johnny Cake Spring Training Series.

Fields of corn husk stumps, a cloudless sky, the lonesome whistle of a passing freight train, and the honking of Canada Geese echeloning northward set the scene. In this unfamiliar territory, McCarthy was the lone MetLife rider up against a fairly competitive field of aggressive racers rearing to go, including a full squad of Kenda/Raleigh riders, transformed for 2008 in a yellow and black kit. Emerging as a team from a rented cargo van, they resembled a hive of honeybees lifting off from their apiary.

And boy did those guys sting! While it was Targetraining’s Justine Lindine taking the win in the end with teammate Craig Luekens finishing in third, the overwhelming number of Kenda/Raleigh riders basically controlled the race. McCarthy did what he could to stay attentive near the front and join threatening moves. Unfortunately, it was the one serious attack that turned out to be the break he should have made. Six riders eventually discharged themselves off the front of a wind-battered peloton and with the right ingredients, began to accumulate time.

With three laps to go, Lindine decided to throw caution to the wind, attempting a solo bridge under some very blustery conditions. Kenda/Raleigh’s Eric Tremble responded to cover the threat and, recognizing the opportunity, McCarthy launched from the slowing pack. By the time he made contact, however, Lindine had dropped Tremble, and McCarthy spent the next few miles trying to bridge the gap with a rider who had two teammates in the breakaway, and therefore had no interest in working.

With over a minute on the field going into the final lap, it was clear that the break would stay away. Somehow, Lindine not only made it across but tore through the six other escapees to win the sprint. A few moments later, McCarthy finished in the bunch with what was left of the wind-battered peloton.

Results aside, racing season is here and it feels great. If the rest of the MetLife Cycling Team was at this race instead of scattered throughout the country kicking butt at other races, things would have been a lot different in New York!