It was a windy day in Rohnert Park for the ColaVita-Norcal Grand Prix. The Pro/1/2/3 event had 42 racers from many different teams. One of the most notable competitors was Jesse Anthony of Rally Pro Cycling, who attacked numerous times with vigor through the crosswind section of the course.
Numerous small breakaway attempts were made through out the 75-minute race, my teammate Craig Fellers stayed vigilant and active near the front to get into those small moves. In the final laps, one rider had worked up a 25 second lead on the field with two solo riders chasing him roughly 5 and 10 seconds behind him. Through the second to last lap, Bryan Larsen of Echelon-Storck Development brought back nearly the entire 25 second gap with his teammate Matt Schaupp in tow.
We crossed the line to start the final lap. AMain had a five-man leadout organized on the right side of the group. Jesse Anthony put in another big effort going into the cross-wind section, which strung out the field. While the cross wind buffeted the peloton, my Venge ViAS with CL64 wheels kept my tracking in a straight line and my Evade helmet ensured no energy was wasted. Craig kept me up in great position leading into the final corner, and I slotted in about 4th wheel. While the rest of us were looking at each other to see who would sprint first, Zach Gottesman, a junior racing for Mellow Motors, flew past us in the right gutter and quickly gained a 3-bike length advantage to the line. The seasoned junior champion track rider got a good jump on us. I sprinted after him and used his draft to gain enough speed to overtake him on the left. AMain’s Anthony Ferretti sprinted in for 3rd.
It was a fun day of racing, and I’m excited to use the pasta and olive oil Craig and I brought home for racing winnings! Many thanks to him for his awesome work, and to all of TMB/Equator’s sponsor for the incredible support.
