Can’t even remember the last time Max and I raced together, but we finally did in the 15–18 field at the Nutmeg Crit in New Britain, Connecticut. First, though, we raced in separate fields per our age categories—Max the 9–12 and I the 13–14. We each held a hard pace, eventually went solo, and won.
Then came the highlight for us: the 15–18 field, where we competed against 13 others for 40 minutes. In the early laps, riders were constantly attacking, and I launched a few attacks too to keep the pace high. Around 15 minutes into the race, I slingshotted past the field and got a good gap. Bennett Rose joined me, and we worked together for several laps—though I must admit he did more than his fair share of pulling. With four laps to go, however, Bennett attacked. I just couldn’t catch on and finished second.
During all of that, Max was an absolutely incredible brother and teammate. He helped keep the pace fast in the early laps, and once I broke away with Bennett, he slowed things down to prevent people from bridging.
This event was seriously awesome! The organizers and officials were super friendly, and we even got free T-shirts. Max and I didn’t just have fun racing—we also got to hang out with old friends and make some new ones too. We’ll definitely do our best to be back next year!
