As is usually the case in road races, "Field" is a euphemism for OTB, but finished. I did this course last year as part of Big Dave's Masters Series. Right off the start line you hit a long grinder that is not all that steep, but it's every bit of a mile. Joe Holmes, a nice young kid from KY hit it hard just two minutes from the start line and strung out the field. The roads were soaking wet with little rivers of run-off streaming across the road here and there. In four or five spots there were beds of gravel that had washed across the road from nearby driveways. Mr. Holmes stringing out the field on the first climb was followed by a sloppy wet descent with a hard left hairpin. As usual, some riders hit their brakes harder than others on the descent, which only served to create gaps that were practically impossible to close. Only one place to be in this race, at the front. I was not there. The highlight of my ride was nailing a poor turtle at 40mph on the descent. I don't know how my new Bontrager tire stayed inflated but it did. Guy behind me said blood went spraying everywhere. The next two time down the descent I saw the shattered turtle laying in the middle of the road and wondered who was sorrier, me or him. Sorry Mr. Turtle.
