Battenkill Roubaix

April 19th, 2007

Roubaix is a 80 mile road race that has multiple sectors of  steep dirt climbs. This unique challenge drew 125 riders from the U.S. and Canada, and included riders from five professional squads.  Alec Donahue was the Nerac representative, and had a tough job of  staying out of trouble on the dirt, and monitoring any threatening moves. The field whittled down significantly over the first few road and dirt climbs, however the pace between the inclines was moderate. It looked like most riders were waiting for the last climb at the 75 mile mark to make their moves, or to hold the group as long as possible. Riders from the Kelly and Symmetrics teams tried to escape on the flats preceding the final challenge, but were not successful. Fior di Frutta set their team on the front for the last climb and split the group. Over the top there were two from Fior, two from
Colavita and one Nerac rider. The group worked on the steep descent, but was
caught after a few miles of less than stellar cooperation. The last few
miles were all downhill to the finish, and a group of twenty formed. A Jelly
Belly rider jumped early for the sprint, but faded early. The Nerac rider
was out kicked in the final 40 feet  but held on for seventh.
This race is a challenge for equipment. There are technical descents, huge
potholes in the dirt sections, and it finishes with a demanding field
sprint. All the gear worked great.

Entry Filed under: race update