All spring Tris, Brian, Dan, Shawn, Ray, Tom, Jared and Matt have been getting wins, podiums and top 10′s in Tym Tyler’s road races and the Spring Covered Bridge, RATL training race series and Westlake Worlds Tuesday Crits. Also we had very strong performances at the road races we have gone to like the 70 mile brutally fast and hard Deer Creek Road race, Cone Azalia and this weekends Tour De Frankenmuth.
Brian got March and April started with top 5′s almost every weekend with his uncanny ability to always know the right move to get in and work to break away. Brian bridged a huge gap to make the winning move a Deer Creek and got 6th. Dan was the first to strike with a win at the first Covered Bridge Race in a 3 man break and was outnumbered 2 to 1. Brian followed that up with a win at RATL.
When Dan and Shawn travelled to Cone Azalia Shawn made it into the winning move and worked hard to keep it away. No doubt using his power and cyclocross skills in the gravel road section. Dan fought back from a flat tire to regain the main field and tried several times to bridge ot the break. Shawn sprinted to 4th place and Dan still had enough in the tank to take the field sprint.
Tom back from one year off already has two wins at RATL in Masters and again at Westlake last week out of a 2-man break. Theres been a lot more than just wins and podiums with every member getting daring solo efforts to take finishing positions and racing hard to the end. And even some near misses with breaks getting swallowed up right before the line. Carbon Racing has been racing aggressively thats for sure. The team for many is larger than what they are used to, but were already coming together and using solid team tactics.
At Tour De Frankemuth Brian, Tris and Ray tackled early rain and cold temps and wind in this popular 77 mile Pro 1,2 race. They all attacked early and made every move setting up Brian in a 45 minute 2 man break that looked like it a might go the distance. Ray flatted his Sram 10 speed rear wheel and got a 9 speed Campy wheel and chased back to the field to find Brian in another 6 man break and a lazy field.
Ray then made a 2nd split on the last lap with 4 others and took 2nd in the fast downhill sprint. Brian survived all of the Priority Health teams attacks in the break then took off about a km out and held it almost to the line barely being nipped (0.2seconds) by a Priority Health rider. Carbon Racing took 2nd and 8th in the 53 strong Pro 1,2 field and made or initiated about every single move that day. Jared raced in the Category 3 race which had some of the most bizaaare race tactics according the many Clevelanders who raced in it. He finished with the field avoiding the hectic field sprint.
