High hopes were in the air for the Jet Fuel riders at the Good Friday Road Race. The roster consisted of Peter Disera, Joe Giuliano, Andrew Randell and I due to the rest of the team racing Winston-Salem Cycling Classic in North Carolina.

The plan was to keep relaxed, cover the moves, and make sure one of us was in a break if it looked like it was going to stick. Like always the first race of the season consists of me being a bundle of nerves. The race begun and immediately a break formed. Joe motioned that he was going after the few riders up the road which he did in a successful and efficient manner. With Joe up the road our tactic switched gears in order to preserve the possible win for Joe. We started covering moves to make sure if anything tried to bridge we were in it. The break managed to get 3:30-4 minutes on the field due to the accelerations and let offs. On the second last lap the pace of the field increased and Peter went out for a half lap break with one other rider. When Peter was caught the field obliterated into many groupettos all trying to catch the main break who was in sight.
Not far from the finish Joe was attacked with two riders up the road. As the 120 km break got to them Joe managed to spin his way past them taking it to the finish where he took the well-deserved win!
Things I’ve learned:
1) Vitargo is an absolute must for fueling on and off the bike.
2) Never underestimate the diesel engines of the cycling community.

(Actions may be slightly off due to my blurred vision on the last three laps. Bonked hard. Forgot my Vitargo.)

Written by Brandon Etzl.