Mighty Mississinewa Reservoir Road Race

It may have been snowing in Flanders this weekend, but warm spring weather greeted Team Nebo Ridge and everyone else at the Mississinewa Reservoir Road Race near Peru, Indiana. This was the season opener for Dan Daly’s Indiana Race Series, and turnout was good in most categories. Smooth roads, low traffic, moderate wind, and an almost flat 15-mile loop made for some very pleasant racing, though a dog or two on the course managed to add some excitement. Team Nebo Ridge was represented by John, Scott, and Michael in the Citizens race, Sally, Mary, and Mae in the Women’s race, and me (Jason) in the Masters 3/4 race. Good results were in abundance for the team: Michael led the Citizens field home in a sprint for first place, and Mary and Sally took first and second, respectively, for the women. My racing education continued with my first-ever entry in the Masters 3/4 event, which turned out to be a fast and smooth 45 miles. The move of the day occurred almost right at the start, when a lone MOB Squad rider casually slipped away in a solo break, never to be seen again by the pack. Nice! I wish I could do that. As the lone representative for our team, I contributed as much as possible to an extended chase led by the well-represented Indy Hand Center team, but the MOB gentleman out front was strong, and he was well-protected by his large and organized team in the pack. Despite some very strong solo riders, the race was dominated by the two large teams, which made the strategy pretty easy to figure out, even for a novice like me. The leisurely pace of the final lap indicated it was going to be a field sprint for second place, so as the pace wound up over the last couple of miles, I simply tried to find a good place in line. I almost got dropped in the last mile as some gaps opened up, but I managed to get back on the train just as we turned into the long finishing stretch across the dam. The two teams drove up the speed, which was good, but my positioning in the pack could have been better. As the front of the race opened up in the final 100 meters, I was able to see that the lead guy was long gone, but there was space for me to accelerate up through the remaining field and take fourth place. I still need to improve my positioning and timing, but this was a good result for me, especially since I’ve never been any kind of sprinter. Big thanks to coaches Bob Brooks and Steve Laflin and their off-season training program at Nebo Ridge Bicycles for all the extra power. Compliments to all of Team Nebo Ridge for a great effort. Hopefully, we’ll see many more teammates out at the Indiana Race Series Ceraland Classic in Columbus, Indiana in just two weeks.