I can recall when Labor Day weekend only consisted of the Mad River Road Race and the Burlington Criterium. Each was epic, but separate. I vividly remember braking a pedal in the last turn of the crit as a CAT 3 in perfect position to win. I recall watching my good friend and teammate Matt Morrell win the same race a year later and always being jealous of what it might feel like.
So like many New England Racers, local teams have been prepping for GMSR for months. This past weekend, members from the 1K2GO-Onion River Sports Cycling Team, Burris Logistics, GMBC and Ekoi-Gaspessian Pro Adam Carr took to the courses for some recon. We did it in style proving that support cars are a great idea. Team Dad Charles Owens volunteered to drive the team Audi filled with spare wheels, water and Metaball Energy Snacks. With 30 people taking to the road, flats were bound to happen.
Happen they did! We had two flats along 116 and a broken wheel descending App Gap. The sun came out with a vengeance and people realized that they were consuming more fluid than planned. Having water in a team car meant less stops. It also meant keeping hydrated with your personal choice of solution and forcing more down the hatch! We adhered to the ‘eat often and early’ principle because we had it on hand. Local racers got a taste of how nice it is to have support for food, mechanicals and being able to get paced back on to the group. No one had to sacrifice their ride due to mechanicals since we were prepared to handle them.
All in all it was a great recon of the GMSR Road Race Course. The support that Charles provided was tremendous and it is safe to say that everyone benefitted from the long, hard ride.
Hey VT Riders, lets do it again soon!
