Longbranch

Another hard race… at least the winner would be worth the title…
It was a big field for a narrow course like this. The hills are step but short, with splits basically only happening right at the top as it flattens out. Once again I didn’t feel very good, but usually I get better, relatively, at the closing laps anyway. Not sure if that happened or not, maybe it was the rear ending I experienced on 405 Friday that left me with a sore neck and back, but most likely just the fact that I’m still fighting the remnants of the cold I got after Walla Walla.
The first beak went up the road early, as usual on this course, HB put their team on the front to chase it down. A few laps later a eight man break went up the road, with Kevin in it this time. Brian Hall, and Doug Davis got dropped, Brad flatted out and Gardner and Kevin got gapped, and before you know it they are down to 3 with two laps to go. Previous time up the hill I was too far back and new it, the split happened at the top and group got of the front and the only place splits ever happened. As the group I was in was chasing back on, riders touched and two went down hard, a WOW rider went down right in-front of me, and I ended up riding down into the ditch. I jump of, climb back up and takeoff, I glance back and notice a black jersey on the road…is that Neil?... it was, and he ended up being taken to Tacoma general hospital for the night, with a compound wrist break, but after x-rays his collar bone is ok but with lots of lacerations that required stitches. At this point I’m of the back, I’m trying to chase back on, but the downhill sections is just so much faster in a group. As I cross the bridge I shift down and my legs are done..I can’t see how I can climb this, after that effort. As I come around the corner I see the pack right there, they must have slowed for the climb…maybe, I have to get back on now! I shift down and put in another effort… and finally a few hundred feet after the left turn I make contact with the back, as we crest as start descending again, just in time. Two laps to go, the hill creates a split again, I dig deep and make the 8 or so man split, I pull though a few times but too many people are sitting on, and right before the feed hill the pack catches up. Another split happens here, at this point there are so many tired legs that splits happen all over the place. It all comes together a mile or so before the start/finish line. At this point we should have been neutralized; because we pass the women as they are sprinting for the line…not too good… it wouldn’t have changed our race at all. One lap to go., still with a three man break up the road. Campbell sensing that the hill would probably do him in this time, attacks a few times, finally gets of and hits the hill with a slight gap, but it’s not enough as we catch him half way up,, he looks done. Once again a split is happening up front, I dig even deeper this time, but I’m to far back and can’t get across. Six guys get off, 3 off us in the middle and then the pack behind. Lange does a lot of work, but we can’t close it, and right as we start the feed hill the pack catches up, as the front group splits, with Ian Tubbs, Kenny, Richter and Jake taking off I think. Jake takes fourth and Tubbs takes the sprint for fifth. There is a slight lull in the pace of the pack, and with a mile to go I attack, Mick comes with me…and for some reason he don’t want to pull me to the line…damm.. After a few hard pulls, the pack is upon us and we get swallowed within the last 200m. Chris Teufel takes the sprint for 8th I guess….well, at least we got one rider in the top 10.

After the race we find out the seriousness of Neil’s crash, not good. Luckily it wasn’t quite as bad as we first heard, but he still has a pretty bad arm break, and is getting a steel plate put in today.
Hopefully everything will turn out ok, but it’s amazing really, that it doesn’t happen more often..