Team SCE races the Smith’s Dairy Milk Race
Smith’s Dairy Milk Race
Date: August 9, 2009
Weather: Sunny, hot & humid, 79-85 degrees, 84% rel. humidity, SW wind @ 5-15 mph
Racers: Jim Mock (Master’s 35), EJ Hubstenberger (Cat 4), Rachel Weaver and Kate Bennett (Women’s Race)
Race Report: The 2009 Milk Race Masters 35+ Race Report
By Jim Mock
Registered riders: 24
Let’s just start out by saying that it finally felt like summer today with the sun & humidity, but it was pretty windy too. The wind did have an effect on the race today as we started out in a head wind everyone was trying to find a wheel in front of them resulting in the field being strong out instead of filling up the road. Since I did not have any teammates I just stayed near the back and let all the other teams do the work. We went very hard on the harder portions of the course and very slow on the easy sections resulting in breaking up the field numerous times and by the third time up the little climb there was just eight of us on the front. Finally, at about 1.5 miles to start the 3rd lap, an attack went with 4 guys all from different teams. At this point I was working in the group like everybody else, but I was caught at the front when they went and it was on a slight up hill grade into a head wind. I waited for the the rest to bridge and it was only two: one from Sette Nova guy and one from Orrville (and the guy from Orrville had a teammate in the break so no help there). As we bridged the leaders lost one rider and I was really hurting and as we picked up the rider coming back I also fell off the pace. The two of us worked but were to wasted to make is back up to the chase so we just kept a even pace thru the last lap. The guy I was with was not hurting as much as I was from the wind, so on the last turn towards the finish he put in a four-bike-length gap on me, and with about 300 meters he got out of the saddle to sprint. I was thinking that I would have let him cross the line before me anyway since he originally had the break, but when he tried to drop me and then spring away, well I got pissed. I put it all out to catch him and then pass him with about 50 meters to go! Well that last effort got me 6th place and in the money!
Race Report: The 2009 Milk Race Men’s Cat 4
By EJ Hubstenberger
Registered riders: 27
It was a very hot and humid day on Sunday when 27 Cat 4 riders took to the start line for the 2009 Smith Dairy Milk Race. The race was 3 laps or 30 miles and nothing eventful happened until about mile 7 when there was a crash on the uphill section of the course right after turn 3. Two riders behind me touched wheels and caused a chain reaction crash that took out a few unlucky souls. The peloton split into two groups, but soon the race came back together as lap one came to a close. On lap two, I moved to the front and started doing a fast tempo ride and rode right off the front of the main field. I looked back and noticed that I had about a 100 yard advantage, so I put my head down and started my own personal time trial. John Cotter, as he told me after the race, sat at the front and blocked for me, and the main field sat up and did not chase. Then, two riders jumped away from the main field and bridged the gap to me and we promptly started a rotating pace line to try and stay away for the remainder of the race. Unfortunately, one of the riders blew up and ref used to work, and we were caught right by the finish of the second lap. Halfway through the third lap, a group of five riders escaped and I missed the break, so I started to chase them. We were within 50 yards of catching the break when the group of 4 riders that I was in missed a turn, way to go road marshals (note the sarcasm). By the time we backtracked and began our chase back, we closed to within 30 seconds, but could not catch the breakaway group. Going into the last turn and the finishing straight, I found myself at the front for the field sprint, not good. I slowed the pace and sure enough, someone went around me to lead out one of their teammates. The teammate blew up, so I grabbed the lead out man’s wheel and went around him at the finish to place 6th.
