Stage One - Friday
This would be my first stage race of the year, and a big one at that! The Coupe is held in and around Sutton, Quebec, and is considered the North American Masters Championships. Its four stages in three days, and they are all tough!
We would start off with a nice 'prologue' roughly a 17km race, starting in Abercorn (just 2km from the Vermont border) heading up to Sutton, where we'd take a right hander up Maple St. and for the next 7km we'd climb to the end of the road at the ski resort.
Very interesting race, it would roll out pretty easy. Charles (teammate) would launched the attack at the gun, and was joined by two other riders. they'd make it into town, before getting caught, and getting spat out the back. He was cool with that, not being a climber. We'd head upwards, not an easy climb, it was more like steps, going up a pitch, leveling, up again, and down, up and..... I'd easily gotten to the front, and noticed about midway Gino (also teammate) was on the front, I know his chances are better than me, so I played domestique, went to the front and would begin my work for the night. I put in one massive effort, covering 3 sections of climbing, and was on the front for a few minutes. I'd find out later, Gino was quite happy not being on the front, and the race really started to break up under my lead. Very Nice!
I'd finish the night content, inside the top half, and hapily being a domesique!
Stage Two - Saturday A.M.
Stage two is the time trial, and a good one too.. I would of course be on my road bike, and wishing I had a TT bike. The course was 12.8km with a wicked profile.
I think this played well for me, I would post a time of 19min29sec, and at 39.9km/h would be rockin' fast, for me that is. I would also have a couple of teammates less than 30 seconds ahead, and who were on TT bikes so a nice confidence boost, and maybe excuse enough to get a new bike!
Stage Three - Saturday P.M.
The short road race, a bit of a new concept for me? A 30.4km single loop, this one was also dubbed the 'one lap crit'. In past years the race would have a crit, this year something new. The TT had begun to sort out the GC, and so this race could go either way. Crazy rediculous, or Madenningly hard. With a winning speed of 44.94km/h and a bunch spring 85 men deep, I'm still unsure. I started with a climb and would be hard and fast from then on out. I still smell burning from all the carbon rims and cork brake pads.
Dave did a killer job halfway through to pull me up to the front into good position for the latter part of the race. I was about 5th wheel when Greg Hawkes took off the front in a brave solo attack with about 3km to go. Everyone kind of sat up, and I ended up on the front chasing for a few minutes, after no one else would pull through, I would sit up and try and hold position for the upcoming sprint. Some teams would start to put a chase in and as everything was setting up I would find myself in a very good position, but no teammates anywhere to be found!
At 1km to go, I was on the front, ready to sprint, but alas I would be left wanting, a lack of leadout would mean the peloton would sprint past as I ran out of gas. Greg had enough of a gap to hold off the peloton for a 2 second victory at the line!
Stage Four - Sunday
Two words Epic. Oh yeah and tough. Sunday we would end things off with a wonderful 88km circuit around the Sutton area. This race would prove to be one of the hardest I've done. We'd start in Sutton, and pass through Gilman corner, Knowlton, Mansonville, Glen Sutton, chemin Scenic, Abercorn, before finishing back in Sutton again with the finish ending into a 500m long climb.
This race would start on part of the previous night's stage. So climb out of Sutton, and around to Gilman Corners. By the end of the first hour we'd have covered 45km, (yes that means 45km/h avg.) friggin' fast! It was constant attacking, and no one going very far, myself included. I had a go to catch a three man break, but it was pretty much pointless with the peloton breathing down our necks.
The race would stay together pretty well untill we'd turn onto Scenic road, and hit a wall of a climb. From there the race was really on and the group had litterally shattered. Small groups were forming all over, I would tag onto the end of the third pack but would later end up chasing them back into Sutton for the finish totally exhausted.
All in all it was a really good race, I'll definately go back, and with a year gone by, and some better knowlege of the road, it should be even more fun the second time.
