After an 11th hour entry to Fitchburg I needed a quick fitness in the form of the Heartbreak Hill GP last Sunday.
The course was altered from 4 laps up the hill to 8 trips, and a technical section was added through downtown Newton which worked in my favor. To be honest I was expecting an aggressive ride and was looking to get into a break, which didn't happen. For the most part the pack soft pedalled on the climb and the circuit's short length didn't lend itself to separating the pack (except for shelling riders out the back of the field). I was keeping in the top 10 riders over the climb and getting through the S curves near the front until I got a snake-bite flat on the downhill section, which sealed my fate. I chased with a rider who had got dropped but was pulled with one to go.
The funny thing was that even flatting I still finished in the top half of the field! Over half of the 100 man field either DNF'd or was pulled behind me! Too funny. The fact that I could stick with the top 10 riders over the top of the climb was a positive sign for Fitchburg...