After just racing two of the most popular US junior stage races, Valley of the Sun and La Primavera Lago Vista, you might think that going to the local Lucarelli & Castaldi Branchbrook Road Race would be a letdown, but that is far from the truth. For one, this was my first New York City-area race this season, and it was great to catch up with many people I hadn’t seen since last season. Also, Branchbrook is one of my favorite races.
I raced the Cat 1/2/3, and my field included my Star Track teammates Justin, Otis, and Viv. We planned on using team tactics, and my job was to chase down anyone who didn’t have Star Track on their jersey. I was close to my limit for the entire race, chasing down nearly every attack. There were moments when I thought I had burned all of my matches, but I found one extra in me.
Well, there was certainly one breakaway I didn’t catch, and it included my teammate Otis along with six other riders. Of course, I would love to tell you that I didn’t chase that one because it would have been a bad idea to bring back my own teammate’s breakaway, but honestly, even if I had wanted to, I was just too gassed and the break was super strong.
Otis finished 3rd, and I came in 12th in the field sprint for 19th place out of 82 riders. You can watch the GoPro footage of my race on our YouTube channel.
Coincidentally, it was less than a year ago that I raced my first Cat 1/2/3, right here at Branchbrook. At the time, I was nervous about racing in the Cat 1/2/3 field and could not have imagined that I would be chasing breaks in the same field a year later.
Can’t wait to be back at Branchbrook next Sunday. My plan is to conserve more energy so that I have enough left to hopefully make the winning break.
I feel so lucky to be a bike racer in New York. Not only are there more races than one could possibly do, but the event organizers are super generous and either let juniors race for free or at heavily discounted prices. Yes, it feels good to be back!
