Sneaking in the Top 10

Yesterday was the road stage of the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in Fitchburg Massachusetts. It was 104 miles with a couple of good climbs. My goal was to just finish the stage. On the first lap it was all I could do to hang on up the climb through the feedzone. It was pretty fast and the legs were not feeling great. I had covered an early move and that effort still had me in the hurt locker a little bit. About one kilometer from the top on the second lap a split started happening. My teammate Alejandro Acton from Argentina yelled into the radio " Go Matt, go, go ,go go,go,!" I usually can't understand a word that Alej is saying in the radio, but yesterday his usually broken English was loud and clear. If I didn't suffer across the small gap and get onto the group I would be sitting in the group all day. I made it into the break of 20 guys or so and that was it. We soon had 7 minutes on the rest of the field. I was told to try to get the sprint points so I tried a fed times but a CCB guy was killing me. I got one, second in another and 3rd. I decided to cut my losses and just try to hang on. I made the final selection going into the last climb that was super steep and about a mile or so long. I was so cracked it was so cracked it was all I could do just to hang on. Guys were coming off lefts and right and soon the group was down to twelve guys. Then Heath Blackgrove attacked and I watched everyone ride away and clawed my way to the finish. I got pimped at the line by Ian McGregor from Tiaa-Cref for 9th, Dang! That kid is impressive. I just didn't have anything left in the legs. I hung on for 10th place!
So I moved up to 32nd in the G.C. Which isn't that good,but I am stoked to have finished in the top 10 yesterday in an NRC. I wish would have conserved more energy. Whatever? Still learning the ropes of this road racing stuff.
Today is the criterium and it is an interesting course. There are some good pot-holes in the road and lots of man covers with three corners. It should be interesting. There is a gradual up hill and then you make a gradual 180 and come back down. There is allot of paint on the roads and that gets slick when it is wet and it is pouring rain right now while I write this. It should be interesting. I am sitting in 3rd in the sprints points but I am pretty far down and don't see myself having the legs to go for any of them today. We will see. I would have to pretty much win all of the sprints to take that competition. Wish me luck, I will be in New Jersey hangin out until I fly back to Durango on Wednesday. Hopefully there will be time to get a post up about the race tonight, but most likely tomorrow.