Today was the first of three days of toughness this weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My teammates Adam, Travis, Dana, nor I had raced here before, so it was definitely going to be an experience. The plan was short, but two-fold: (1) get primes out of breakaways, and (2) position me for the sprint finish.
The race was flying from the gun, and crashes occurred every 5 minutes throughout the 60 minute race; this made it very important to stay at the front. Another concern was the humidity, so drinking Osmo was critical.
Dana and Adam got into a breakaway that eventually held 5 riders, including former TMB rider, Daniel Holloway! Adam did well in the hunt for primes, but before they could get to the line, Paris-Roubaix racing team United Health Care got on the front and brought them back. Ten laps later we were all back together and UHC continued to eliminate any breakaways. It was coming down to a field sprint with the UHC train on the front, Daniel behind, and me on his wheel.
Coming into the 2nd to last corner, Daniel made his move to come around the train, and I tried to follow. In doing so, my rear wheel slightly slid and that ever-so-slight mishap cost me the race: I was gaped by Daniel and UHC by 5 meters. I finished 6th.
-James
