Breakaways

Road and Velodrome Nationals had really tough competition in the Juniors 13-14 this year, which made for some great racing! I chose to race in breakaways, which greatly raise the chances of winning, or even getting on the podium. 

Coming into Road Nationals, I knew that there were some phenomenally fast sprinters in my field, so it would be risky to wait and sprint at the end of the road race or criterium if I wanted a place on the podium; I decided to try to get into a break. In the road race, my teammate Sean Mcelroy first went for a break sometime in the middle of the race; The pack must have been really nervous, because they were hauling after him. At the small hill in the course, I laid the hammer down and broke away from the pack, trying to bridge the gap to Sean. There he was, lingering a few hundred meters away, but for some reason, I just didn't have the energy to bridge the gap. I eventually returned to the field and had a middle pack finish of 8th (many riders were dropped). The next day in the criterium, I broke away first, but unfortunately I was caught again. Sean then pounced on the other riders that chased me and he broke away to a solo victory. I learned something about the art of counterattacks that day and was ready to use them in the upcoming Velodrome Nationals.

Velodrome Nationals arrived two weeks later, and I was rearing to win. I was still a little wary of breakaways after my two failed attempts at Road Nationals, so my plan for the 4k scratch race (the first mass start race) was to wait and sprint at the end. When I talked to Larry about it though, he told me that my plan could get me a spot on the podium, but might not be enough to win; he thought I should breakaway. I thought about this, but the memories of my breakaways at Road Nationals still sat fresh in my mind and made me nervous. Then, an amazing thing happened in the 15-16's scratch race; Gage, one of my Specialized teammates as well, broke away to a solo victory! It really pumped me up and I started to fantasize doing the exact same thing in my race. My race began, and I sat back and waited until it was my time to shine. With 8 laps to go, the announcer excitedly spoke, "It looks like Jules Gilliam from Team Specialized has broken away from the field!" A rush of adrenaline shot through my body and time seemed to stand still, but when I came back into reality, I had 2 laps to go. I pedaled and pushed all the way to the line, but was barely beaten by Sandor, who had been one of the top sprinters at Road Nationals. Man, was I disappointed  But, I was also very glad to have made that move; Larry and Gage both inspired me to breakaway in that race. Through all the excitement, I was determined to win the next day in the 10k points race. 

When the race started, my plan was to try to lap the field, so I went right after a sprint when everyone around me was tired; In a way, it was a counterattack. Another rider, Samuel, was up the road a little ways, and when I caught up to him, we both worked our fair shares of effort. Yet, right before the next sprint, I whipped up the pace and dropped him to make sure he didn't lap the field with me (he was ahead of me on points). My tongue felt like cotton from the effort I had given so far. I kept going and pushed away all doubts and worries. Down to 1 lap to go, and I was 1/8 of a lap from the field. I finished without lapping the field, but winning the sprint and getting third in the points race. If I had lapped the field, I would have won on points. Another slight disappointment  but I was so glad I didn't take any chances in trying to win a national title.

I definitely learned the cold, hard truth of breakaways this year; They are risky and don't always work out. But, that being said, field sprints have an even greater risk of crashing, getting boxed in, or just not having the pop in the legs to podium. Breakaways broaden the chances of winning, and are overall much safer. Hopefully someday I will win in one, and that will be my greatest victory yet.

To racing and learning,

Jules