Hillsboro Roubaix

P1/2
Jesse Siemen

This year was my first Hillsboro race and come to find out my last.  It sounds like after 14 years of putting on the event, it will be no more.  It is really unfortunate to lose another opportunity to participate in a local road race, but it’s pretty easy to understand why.  The great folks who organize and put on these races have to really have a love and passion for the event to go through all they do with little tangible benefit.  With that said, it was a top notch event that was run incredibly well and I’m glad I had the opportunity to participate.  Thank-you Hillsboro crew!

BJ and I did a couple recon laps of the final loop with the cobbles around town before the race started.  While the bricks looked pretty tame and smooth, it was enough to rattle you.  I find riding on bricks like that similar to loose gravel or sand, where you have to keep the power down and coasting is not an option.  BJ gave me some tips on what to expect through the feed zone and heading out of town (i.e. it will be fast).

A pretty good field of 60 some riders lined up at the start with some quality riders.  The race started out pretty calm after the neutral roll out.  It wasn’t a leisurely pace, but it also wasn’t too crazy. Within the first few miles, several people flatted, including BJ.  Nick and I got together to discuss the option to drop back and try to pull him back up, but we knew he had some company back there to chase with from other people that flatted and opted not risking losing a couple more guys in case we weren’t able to make contact again.After many attacks and failed attempts to form breaks, a good looking move formed on the back half of the first lap.  A bunch of people split off the front.  Grant was the only one in the move.  By the time I found an opportunity to join them, they had a decent, but manageable gap to bridge across.  I made a hard attack and found myself solo coming across.  It ended up being one of those situations where they were right there, but I couldn’t quite make it.  I just dangled for a while.  It’s a terrible feeling to know you are that close to being able to get back in a draft, but your legs just don’t respond.  I latched back on to the pack with my tail between my legs thinking the race was over.

However, surprisingly the break wasn't gaining much ground on us.  I made a couple attempts on the
second lap to try to bridge, but was finally able to on the third lap.  Shortly after I made it, the group
really slowed and everybody that was left in the race was back on.  We cruised through the last lap with some small moves being made, but nothing was sticking.  Overall, the race was pretty fast paced, with a lot of surges, so everybody was starting to feel it as we approached town.  I followed a strong move from Korte Hammer Down up the hill into town.  We formed a little gap with one other guy, but nobody wanted to commit to leading it out through the first turn onto the bricks.  I ended up being the one to do the honors.  I was not going full out with the hopes of trying to slot in a few guys back.  Grant decided to drill the downhill and buzzed by me at mach speed.  I slotted in third into the 2nd to last corner.  I gave Grant and the other rider a cushion to make it difficult for someone to come around me and latch onto Grant.  One guy passed me (eventual winner) and I came 4th into the last finishing stretch hitting the wind.  It was a long drag to the finish line.  I lost a handful of spots and ended up 9th.

Grant again was on the podium in 2nd.  Overall, a good hard race that was good prep for the upcoming Joe Martin Stage Race.