Race Report: Gran Prix Beverly

Gonna get back into this thing, time for a week-old race report!

Last Wednesday, I traveled south to the Bay State for my second (seventh?) event of the summer, the Gran Prix of Beverly. This was my first city crit since I won Concord last summer, and only my second non-collegiate event of the season, after opening the summer at a race in New Jersey with my new team Sunapee Racing.

A little backstory on the evening: the night before I raced the A race in my local practice crit, and was shelled by two Cat 1 racers while trying to hold their wheel in the break for about 15 minutes. 

So when I showed up for a huge Cat 4 field on a flat and fast course, I was anticipating a race with the pack. 

But my legs thought otherwise.

After a quick neutral lap, I found myself sitting towards the front of the field for a couple of laps, and thought I'd try something. 

Halfway through the fourth lap, I put a quick surge in off the front to open up a gap and was let go for a lap and a half until a lone rider branched up and joined me. We stayed away for a few laps (and a prime) until the pack closed the gap to under three seconds, at which point my breakaway partner faded back to the front of the bunch, leaving me dangling like a carrot. 

And Torin La Liberte (@TheSkimeister) easily takes the prime, still off the front with one breakaway companion #GPBev

— Gran Prix of Beverly (@granprixbeverly) July 26, 2017

A really fast carrot.

@TheSkimeister still off the front, now solo! Looked to be brought back but kept giving it "the business", as we say in cycling (?)#GPBev

— Gran Prix of Beverly (@granprixbeverly) July 26, 2017

Field is looking progressively sadder as the laps tick down and @TheSkimeister evades their capture. 10 to go.

— Gran Prix of Beverly (@granprixbeverly) July 26, 2017

Another surge put me back out front by 10 seconds, and that was the smallest gap there was until after the finish. For 17 laps I time-trialled it off the front, opening up 25 seconds on the 60 person field behind me through to the finish. 

Men's cat 4 finish in beautiful downtown Beverly! #gpbev pic.twitter.com/QPSu3bbi9J

— New England Devo (@NewEnglandDevo) July 26, 2017

It was my first win on that large a stage, with more than just racers as spectators, and a very amused race announcer and live-tweeter.

3 to go, gap only going up! @TheSkimeister making this the easiest race to live-tweet ever #GPBev

— Gran Prix of Beverly (@granprixbeverly) July 26, 2017

My season continues this weekend back at Concord, racing the Cat 4 race at 2:00 pm at White Park, followed by the Witches Cup in Salem on Wednesday.