Tokeneke(ke) 2014 Road Race

Last minute decision to head to the Tokeneke road race up in CT on Sunday, not that this would compensate in any means for the missed out ToC, but best Py could do for a race to follow up on some missed fun.

Pre race day ride, it got a notch longer, such a nice day...



Early morning drive around the LI Sound and up and beyond Hardfort, CT to the Barkhamstead Reservoir. Getting ready. What a nice morning! Good Coffee at the parking field :)

 

Staging and easy rolling out heading and staying up front almost sitting on that pace moto... Good to be up front on that initial partially cracked up road and following fast decent to the dam. Together other rider setting a pace for a good time. Rolling up moderately near/at front on the first uphill following the dam crossing section. Then good but comfortable pace slightly climbing and a fast decent again taking up very front to the "finish line" climb hitting it the 1st time out of 2 laps. So far pretty good ride nothing happened really with the main field. However, the approximately. 2km/200m climb stretched out the field quite a bit and Py got a little further back than liked, then chasing back on toward the dam and there up front again with the same other rider who was around while getting back on from behind. This time the following climb got hit a little harder stretching the field out again and this time a max sustained chasing effort was needed to get just back on the field, a few others rider helped but Py did the big part and just enough to get it done. However not really great situation to hit the finish climb from behind with just a good work done. About a mile still to go on the last decent to recover. About with 3km to go a few guys on far right of Py next to the shoulder seamed not watch out and touch wheels and a few went down at good speed. Py barely noticed and surely heard the crunch... Taking a little more room and precautions just in case. No ideal as this got him a little more back, but as of the 1st lap's finding not expecting a top ten finish either way. At the bottom about the increase power to a max effort and starting to pass one by one, even a bigger group make good grounds but no chance to catch up with the already far up and stretched out head group. Maxing out just over the crest with 200m to go at some 187bpm. No one even near Py any more, just a few more up not in reach. Placing 21st out of 50 with a little over a minute behind the winner.


Post race: Saying hi to Jenn in the women's field. Takin a few shots and later at the Reservoir on the drive back home via the ferry. <