Joe Martin Stage Race Day 2

110-mile road race

With Tuttle starting the day in 7th place ACR’s plan was clear: help him advance up the ranks. The rolling course has historically favored a bunch sprint at the finish. Johnson and Tuttle woke early to scout the last mile and found that the very technical finish necessitated good positioning well in advance.

The race got underway with a long neutral roll-out under clearing skies. Ten miles in a break formed and Tuttle spied the talented Jamie Carney (in 6th overall) in the mix and decided to join in. The breakaway group of six put in a hard twenty minutes but never built more than a 45 second lead. Infighting eventually quashed the move and after about an hour the peloton reabsorbed the bunch. Johnson immediately countered and got in a second breakaway. The mix wasn’t quite right though and again, the group was swallowed up.

The race mellowed out and a solo rider went off the front. We regrouped, and with the gap opening to 2’05” ACR got on the front and superdomestiques Micah and Johnson took turns setting tempo, closing down the gap to 40” in no time. Textbook. The next sustained climb shut down the break entirely and the race was all together coming into the last twenty miles.

A long gradual descent followed by straight roads made the run-in to town fast but uneventful. Soon the old cat-and-mouse started up with about five miles to go. With the twisty finish in mind, Tuttle and Johnson stayed at the front. With 5k to go a lone rider jumped clear. All subsequent attacks were covered. The final mile went like this: 90 degree left, followed immediately by a right, then two steep 1-block-long kickers, then a 90-degree right through a brick intersection into the 300-meter uphill finish straight. Johnson sprang on the first uphill kicker and the right-angle turns shattered the pack’s organization. Tuttle was about five wheels back, and the steep inclines weeded out most contenders. Over the second roller Johnson was clear with four guys chasing. Into the last turn a few sprinters got themselves lined up and dropped the hammer. The rider who launched with 5k to go just barely held it for the win. The pack finish saw Johnson in 10th and Tuttle in 9th. Micah cruised in safely mid-field. After time-bonuses for the finish, Tuttle is now in 8th overall.

One more road race and then Sunday’s crit round out Joe Martin. We’ll keep you posted! Also, sorry for the lack of photos... We'll try to find some!