Jiminy Peak - 5/5/2007
The 93-mile spring classic known as the Jiminy Peak Shaun Thornton Memorial began on yet another sunny race day in New England. Team Legal Sea Foods stacked up against a huge Pro/1/2 field with Peter, Chris, Ryan F., Graham, Noah, Charlie, and Brad. It wasn’t too long after the field was sent off that Ryan and a CCB rider decided to give it a go, forming a two-man break which stayed away for more than half of the race. While Ryan powered up the road, a recalcitrant field refused to work and was quite content to relax and dawdle. During this complacent time several small crashes occurred notably two CRCA teammates heading up the road and hitting the deck after colliding into one another. The field moved along so slothfully that the follow car came up both to scold and embarrass us with the information that the Cat 3s were about to catch us. On the back side of lap three, it was Fiordifrutta’s twelve man squad that ultimately brought Ryan’s break back and annihilated a gasping field. With things all together again, CCB rider Dan Cassidy countered and got just far enough away from the field that he was always in sight. Noah left the race early with a case of developing bronchitis, Ryan was smoked from his breakaway attempt, and Chris and Peter were exhausted after dealing with the trials at the front of the race all day. It was up to Graham, Charlie, and Brad for the finish. But plans quickly fell toward the end of the final lap when a rider hit an orange construction barrel and took out both Brad and Charlie. Graham was left to fend for himself in a field that was peeling away like booster rockets off the space shuttle. He crossed the line in 30th place. |
