Giro di Jersey: Stage 3

4:30 AM came far too early for the 7 AM start. After dragging my ass out of bed and drinking more coffee than I've had in a long time, we trucked down to Princeton with plenty of time before the start. The race was a 2.5 mile circuit with two hills to grind riders out over 8 laps. I felt good at the start. Everyone was jockeying for position and the road was narrow, but I held a good spot toward the front and looked for any opportunities. A racer went off the front on the first lap and would stay away for most of the race. The big teams kept the pace high in order to keep Jacky Durand in sight, but nobody tried to bridge so it wasn't a big deal. The pace got higher and higher until the third to last lap when we sprinted around the entire course as racers were spat out the back. It was all I could do to hold on and even when they caught the break and the pace let up, I was spent. I stayed with the group the rest of the race, but when the sprint started I didn't have anything and went backwards for 37th place.

It was a really great weekend. I can't say enough about how well run the race was. Everything was timely and in order when often race directors are scrambling at the last minute to get things in order. The courses were excellent and I can't wait to race again next year. Apparently the race raised over $10,000 for charities, too. Hopefully the neighborhood enjoyed the race as much as we did and there will be a 2009 Giro di Jersey.