Webster-Roubaix Part Duex:

Race Photos by Gerald Bouchard. Email Gerald by clicking here

A couple of weeks ago was Webster-Roubaix, a race that is quickly becoming a Florida classic. With 2.5 miles of dirt roads per lap of the 9 mile circuit and the longest race of the year, just finishing the Webster-Roubaix race is a feat in and of itself.

Our own Tal Mincey took part in the Masters 35+ race which is arguably the most hotly-contested field year in and year out. Packed with the who's who of Florida racing, including many former and current Cat 1 and Cat 2 racers, Tal more than held his own on the demanding Webster course.

Finishing in the top 10 without any teammates is more than worthy of praise. Cycle Logic truly appreciates the contribution that Tal is making to the team and look forward to the inevitable day when Tal cracks this field wide open.

Also testing his mettle in Webster was our very own "Patron of the Pack", the "Elder Statesman of the Race-men", El Jefe...Scott Pfaff. Scott has submitted his very own race report, so here you go:

Last year's Roubaix started out well enough but ended abruptly when my handle bars broke with one lap to go. Fast forward one year and one new set of carbon bars later and we are at the start of this year's Webster-Roubaix, or as I heard the announcer call it, "The Hell of the West”.

Tal and I pre-road the course the week before so we knew what we were in for, dirt and loose gravel. My plan was to stay at the front or as close the front as possible on the dirt sections to avoid the melee in the field that was to sure to happen.

The first few laps of the race I road at the front in order to pick my own line through the course. With 50 guys in the race I didn’t want to have to worry about someone else forcing me into a bad line.

On the very first lap two guys decided to have a go and see if they could last the 105 km’s on their own. The break never really got very far and was left dangling for a while. On the 3rd lap there was more interest in making something happen and the front of the race really came alive. This is were it pays to be at the front, if you were caught in the last half of the pack you were really going to have work hard to keep a good line in the dirt and to bridge across to the group that made it to the pavement first. This was the first selection and it easily cut the field in half.

On lap 4, a group of 12 was able to force a break on the dirt and make it stick. By lap 5 the break had been reeled in and unfortunately the guys were spent and couldn’t stay with the main break. We lost 4 from the original break of 12 over the last 3 laps to finish with 8 in the lead group.

This course doesn’t lend itself to a standing sprint, it’s more of keeping your head down and driving the pedals as hard as you can. I was lucky and managed to get 3rd overall in the 45+ field. Thanks to my wife and Justin for handing me bottles so I could wash down the extra dirt I managed to ingest on every lap. This is one race that when you finish you say to yourself, “I’m never going to do this again”, but after a few days you start thinking about next year!

Scott

Congratulations to both Tal and Scott!

All Post-Race Photos provided by Scott Pfaff