Reporting on the first half of Dunnigan ...

8/15/2009 | Jesster writed:

Jeff, Jess, Pat, Tony, Peter, Jonathan and Robert in a field of 30. Juarez didn't show, so the only real threat was Ted O'Neill.

Peter attacked from the gun with Ted and Tracy Muegghe and stayed out for quite a while. Unfortunately, they had violated the instructions that the first stretch was supposed to be neutral at 15 mph. Finally they were pulled back by the moto during the upwind frontage road section.

We didn't try to capitalize, of course. Instead, we sent numerous "legal" attacks after the neutral. Robert, Jonathan, Jeff, and finally Pat all took their opportunities in the heavy cross and then upwind section. Jess was full-time policing the front in the winded sections, opening and closing the gutter door to let SW breaks go, then cover them up. Pat, Tony and Peter all took turns pacing and blocking the field, so by the end of the frontage road section we had 3 of our guys safely away and out of sight of the peloton.

Unfortunately, after surfing the front through the first set of hills, Jess dropped back to rest and got guttered and gapped by guys passing over the center line. Cheaters. Thus began a long unprotected death march through cross and headwinds. Which also means I have no personal knowledge what transpired.

What I heard was that we had three Safeway in the winning five-man break, but that Jonathan had to stop to tighten an open quick release and neglected to tell anyone and got dropped. And then Robert got a flat and had to nurse his crippled bike across the line. So apparently God does indeed favor the underdog, which we most certainly were not. What I did not hear was how Jeff Poulsen, Super Stud, got beaten to the line by a San Jose guy no one knows.

In the end, I believe we got 2nd, 4th, 6th and a couple others in the top 10. But the guys who didn't prove fission can occur on a bike (by imploding massively) can tell you better than I.

p.s. - I also did not hear how Wilson did in the 3's race. But he looked simply mahhhvelous at the start line.