Sunday brought light to a windy morning with the threat of snow and rain showers in scenic Frenchtown, MT.  A crowd favorite and rite of passage for any Montana cyclist; the Rocky Mountain Roubaix was upon us.  Over the winter, the GAS/Intrinsik team was kind enough to allow me to join the ranks.  Today was time to prove I was worth my salt.  Typical first race of the season: nerves, cold, forgotten gear, food and drink on the bike, etc, etc.  I was pumped as we had a good crew for the Men’s 1,2,3 race, Men’s 4,5 race and Women’s race.  Our team meeting was brief and to the point, everyone knew what was on the agenda.

Photo by  JOHN SIEBER PHOTOGRAPHY

As the first lap finished, I was able to catch back on and AbombAlex met me at the back of the pack to make sure I got back on and give me the situation.  I could see that FrieghtrainFrykman and JC were near the front and a group of three were just off.  As we hit the dirt section, I tried to recover and hung near the back.  The group of three came back and then I saw JC by the side of the road, I looked back and realized that AbombAlex wasn’t behind me.  Down to 2 and only 1/3rd of the race complete!  Brian and I chatted agreeing to cover moves and otherwise not push the pace hoping to allow chasers to catch back on.  Over the next few laps there were a few attacks, but once they each came back the group slowed.  It also seemed that the flats were out of the way.  As we were finishing the fourth and final lap, I realized I was riding alongside JC and was so surprised to see him almost fell of my bike!

The pace was high over the last dirt section and we hit the final miles a group of 12 or so.  At this point, JC and FreightrainFrykman gave the nod and started attacking.  JC attacked, then FreightrainFrykman attacked, then JC attacked, then FreightrainFrykman attacked, then JC attacked, then FreightrainFrykman attacked, then JC attacked, then FreightrainFrykman attacked, then…well you get the idea.  As we turned the corner with 3km to go, FreightrainFrykman was on the front just DRILLING it.  We hit the final climb and there was a moment of everyone looking at each other.  PERFECT, I thought and jumped.  Just as I did, I realized that the finish was farther away than I thought.  Instead of a perfectly timed jump, I had gone too early!  Brian Williams of NRO took advantage and came around me for the win leaving me in 2nd.  Initially, I was a little disappointed, but given the circumstances of the day I was psyched that we had ridden so well as a team—especially for my first race with these guys!  I can’t wait for the next one!

Jarad Nelson