One score and 12 days less ago 5 Rogues, a girlfriend, and a trusty canine ventured south to the cancer producing haven that is Winston-Salem, NC. Featuring an open, undulating circuit and temperatures reaching into the mid 90’s, the Hanes Park Classic guaranteed an epic battle.

Dan Rapella and I rolled off the start line with a pack of 60 tense Cat 4’s around 9 am. The race was a rather timid affair with a few short-lived break aways. I was unconcerned with these futile attempts because I knew Dan and the other teams would bring them back in short order to setup the inevitable field sprint. The open, flowing nature of the course made moving up (and back) in the peleton relatively easy. I was feeling just this side of terrific as the laps started ticking down. I held third wheel coming out of the last turn when the pace fell off and I found myself at the front. I was faced with a decision; go long from 350m out and risk dying within view of the line or wait to get on another wheel and risk being boxed in near the line. I decided to hit the jets early and held it to the line for my first win on a road bike. Dan and I celebrated with a magnum of champagne and numerous kisses from the podium girls. We even got some digits! Phil Ligget was so impressed with my sprint that he tracked me down after the race and proceeded to tell me I would be the next Robbie Mac!

Kevin Crosby and Matt Phillips took to the streets late in the afternoon for what was to be a combative 2/3 race. Numerous strong attacks forced the groupetto to work very hard to haul back breaks the majority of the race. With only a handful of laps remaining, Matt P looked to be in a good spot to unleash his massive sprint. However, it was not to be. A crash with 2 laps to go left our Rogues gapped from the winning group, but thankfully no worse for wear.

The soothing tunes of Wilco took us home…

Disclaimer: The accounts used in this description may have been exaggerated for dramatic effect.