All Alone at Bethel

Team Sixcycle-RK&O recently capped off a very successful start to the season at the Bethel Spring Series with Josh Rovner taking home the series GC win, Ryan McGarrity finishing third overall and the squad winning the team competition. In a series that included a variety of impressive wins - from Josh Rovner winning with a dropped chain to Ryan McGarrity winning after lapping the field with teammate Richard Scudney, Colin Tanner added to the list in the series finale when he soloed to the win, crossing the line with no one in sight.

Bethel Spring Series Race Report from Team Sixcycle-RK&O's Colin Tanner

Ollie Davis, Charlie Bird and I were eating hash browns, watching the replay of Paris-Roubaix at the New Holiday Diner. We had just raced and were coming off the post-race high. I had just taken a solo win after a move with 4 laps to go of the Bethel Circuit....

The plan going into it was simple. Ollie and I would look for breaks and Bird would sit in for the sprint. As the race set out, the field was hitting the hill hard. Each time, the three of us stayed up towards the front of the race making sure everything hung together, or if it didn't that one of us was with the move. The furious pace started to settle about 10 laps in as legs started to fatigue and nerves settled down. It was at this point, that Ollie sprung in a small break which I quickly followed. The move never really materialized and the field caught up with us. We then settled back into it, staying aware and looking for opportunities. The field settled into a pace with a few unorganized attempts at a break jumping off the front.

Coming over the top of the hill with 5 to go, the bell was rung to indicate a prime on the following lap. I knew this was my chance. If I could catch on to the sprint up the hill and ride straight over top of it I knew I would have a solid gap.

Coming into the back straight, a tailwind kept the pace high. I picked out my target --- Rudy Bleakley Jr. (Sherpa Cycling Center). He was moving up to the front of the pack at the bottom of this hill. As he accelerated, I clung on to his wheel – powering up the hill. At the crest of the hill, I used this as a slingshot and jumped even harder. I put my head down, and got to work. As I looked back, the pack was getting farther away.

The initial move had worked. I just needed to maintain this gap for the 6k that remained.

Continuing to push, and intermittently looking back, I knew I had a good gap.

Charlie Bird, and Ollie Davis were keeping everything in check back in the pack to ensure that I stayed away - it wasn't easy but in the end all I had to do was cruise into the finish line.

It's nice when things work out.

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