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 Jay Scheib

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Charlie Davis

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Jason Miller

Jason Miller's Tour de Louisiane Race Report
Sunday's criterium race on the shores of Lake Pontchatrain - Photo by Wayne Schnell

The Tour de Louisiane Stage Race promoted by New Orleans Bike Club is a stage race right in our backyard on the very roads I train on.  Our NOLA Lending Racing Team has always done well here finishing in second place the last four years in a row.  Although we have been within a second or two of the top step on the podium, we have never won the GC - a point I normally mention a few times early in the season.

This year the we would be down a few riders with Jed injured and others with family activities leaving Charlie, Ed, Jay, Jerry and Me to try to bring home the victory.  Our plan going into the Saturday morning road race was to try to get a hot spot time bonus for Ed or Jerry at the end of the first lap and look to get into a break the next couple of laps.  They both have been time trialing well which becomes critical since this stage race is normally decided by a few seconds.  Things start out pretty normal with a few attacks but nothing big as us and the Subaru team have plenty of riders to bring back early efforts before the hot spot.

I lead out the pack going into the hot spot and Jerry and Ed just miss out on the two bonuses available.  Ed gets into a little break with a couple of other riders a few miles later that I think might start something but eventually they get pulled back in after a few miles. 

I was doing a pull on the front when for some reason I just kind of ended up with a little gap on the field.  I kept my pace steady and when I saw I was starting to pull away I drilled it to see what was going to happen.  Eventually I could see a few riders starting to come across to me but they weren't closing real fast so I kept the pace up. 

A couple of guys catch on and we start working together pulling pretty hard.  I am not looking back much but it seems like every couple of rotations there is another rider.  I figure pretty soon that Donald Davis of Subaru or John McLauchlin along with one of our guys will show up.  Eventually there are nine of us but none of my teammates so I shut it down just before the end of the second lap as does Destry LeBrun, Donald's teammate on Subaru.  There is no reason for us to put this many people ahead of our main GC guys.

Through the third lap I keep looking back for the pack but our lead continues to grow.  It turns out that while things were getting going with the break away, Donald flatted.  He has been so strong lately many of the other GC guys were marking him and didn't chase.  It is hot and I am cramping just sitting in which isn't good.  Mike Lew and Jorge Perera, local guys I ride with, are both in the break and really the driving force along with Edward Schaub.  Our lead continues to grow above 2 minutes as the pace causes riders to begin to slip out of the break way.

Ed, Jerry, Charlie and Jay head into the feed zone on the road race - photo by Malcolm Schuler
A few miles into the last lap we are down to just 5 riders in the break and have 4 minutes on the pack.  My cramps are bad now with different muscles seizing up on every little climb or effort.  Mike Lew attacks with a little over 10 miles left in the race.  I do a few pulls on the front as we chase but still most of the effort is done by Jorge and Edward.  We eventually catch Mike a couple miles from the finish.  My cramps keep me from standing for the sprint by I am able to squeak across for the third place time bonus of 4 seconds behind Mike Lew in second and Destry in first.

Jason and his breakaway group finishing ahead of the Cat 4 race - photo by Malcolm Schuler

I am feeling pretty bad and things don't look a lot better for the rest of us.  Donald was able to get away from the pack with another rider but they are still over 3 minutes behind us.  Ed and Jerry finish in the main pack over 5 minutes behind us with Charlie a bit behind them.  Jay had a mechanical during the race and fell way off the back.  He dropped out before the 4th lap ending his racing as the heat and cramping and no sign of the pack was too much.  Ed was feeling like crap and was toying with the idea of calling an early end to the event as well.

A little rest in some AC before the time trial helped things out.  Ed is back on his game and both him and Jerry are ready to move into the GC money.  Jorge has been riding very strong and I am pretty sure he will end up first in the GC after the time trial.  My hope is to do a solid ride and try to move up on the other guys in the break away.

Thankfully for me, the time trial is only 3 miles and we even had a bit of wind at our back.  Ed put in another solid time trail beating Donald's time and just missing John's.  Jerry moved up as well in the GC with a solid time.  I didn't do anything spectacular but do move into 2nd place in the GC 10 seconds behind Jorge.  I am less than a second ahead of Edward Schaub with Mike and Destry a few more seconds back.


Ed pushes the pace up the levee during Sunday's crit leading Jerry and Jason - photo by Wayne Schnell

I am ready for Sunday's criterium.  Our plan is to get me one of the hot spot bonuses half way through the race.  If we can do that, Mike and Destry won't be able to pass me in GC.  We will then focus on staying ahead of Edward and getting 10 seconds back from Jorge.  Jorge is not a big fan of criterium and during my first warm-up lap I knew that one of the fast turns following a downhill could be a problem for him.  The plan is solid but we will miss Jay who is always solid in the crits.

Charlie taking a pull during Sunday's criterium race - photo by Wayne Schnell

Things start pretty fast with a preme' at the end of the first lap.  Jorge got caught behind a slower rider and got gapped off from the pack.  The pace stays fast with Jerry, Ed and Charlie pulling along with the Subaru guys.  I sit in until they ring the bell for the hot spot midway through the race.  Ed had already been pulling a lap before the bell but stays on the front with Jerry on his wheel.  I am glued to Jerry.  About half way through the lap, Donald and another Subaru guy come flying by the inside of Ed.  Ed closes the gap a bit before Jerry takes up the chase dropping the hammer.   I come around him and pick off the first Subaru guy but run out of ground before I can catch Donald.  Ed and Jerry's effort split up the pack and the long sprint left me pretty susceptible to a counter attack.  Fortunately I don't think anybody had the legs to attack at that point.  Since I was able to get the second place time bonus and with Jorge over a minute off the back, I now just needed to finish with the pack and ahead Edward.  Jerry catches back on but the hard efforts left Ed and Charlie off the back.

     

Jason tucked in behind Jerry through a corner - photo by Wayne Schnell
I stay on Jerry's wheel as I count down the time on the 50 minute race.  They start counting down the laps with four left.  The next lap I see that somehow Ed has managed to bridge back up to the pack and is now setting the pace in the front.  At this point the only guy that can beat me is Edward so I drop back to just follow his wheel.  As expected the pace gets fast the last lap or two.  Ed looses a few places in the GC at the end as he lost the main pack from all his work just before the finish.

I cross the line in the pack with the long elusive Tour de Louisiane GC win in the bag for the team.  We enjoy a post race beer without having to wonder what we could have done differently.  


Jason during the criterium - photo by Wayne Schnell