Starting now 30jun19. Race starts ~1:15 eastern.
You can catch it on YouTube if you are so inclined.
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Oh. That race was phenomenal.
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Drats, had to leave with 20 miles to go
I watched the last 12 miles of the women’s race. That was really exciting!! So nail-biting to see if she would be able to hold on.
I’d love to hear a recap from @jdoldham11, Bassett had a fantastic ride today. Really exciting race all around. I was screaming at my tv at the end.
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Yeah that was a super captivating finish. I mean…
I wanna talk about it. But I don’t want to spoil it for anybody. It was really entertaining.
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Thanks for posting, I would have missed it! Watched the end and it was great just like you said 
US PRO race is a brutal race - basically 15 maximum effort 2’ repeats up a climb where I was doing 460-550w just to stay in the group.
We knew Steve had the legs to do well on the day, and with First Internet Bank being a small amateur team really the burden didn’t fall on us to do any work to keep breaks in check. I tried a couple times to get into some breakaways early on, but nothing that ever established. Basically everything that got a decent gap went on the climb, and with the 90 degree temps that we were facing I didn’t want to go that fast up the climb early on - in that heat, if you go over the limit between climbs up Sherrod, you aren’t going to have anything the next time up. There’s only 15’ between ascents, and you’re still having to ride pretty hard the rest of the laps. After the “early” break that Howes (I think?) was in established after 1:15 of racing flat out, we were focused on conserving energy, eating/drinking as much as possible (I was doing almost a bottle a lap…insane) and cramming jerseys with ice socks.
Going into 6 laps to go, a teammate helped get Steve and I into position at the front of the group before the climb, and that time was full gas - 548w for 1:54, my fastest ascent of the day. Going over the top, we had three (including recent Elite RR champ Ben Schmutte, also a TR user) in a select group of maybe 15-25. I followed a couple attacks trying to go up to the break ahead (which was down to 45s or so I think), but nothing stuck. Steve and I decided it didn’t make sense for me to drive the move to keep the field split, so we sat up and the group swelled a bit to maybe 40-50.
Next time up the climb is where things really broke up - what was left of the field went into pieces, I was in the 3rd group. I just didn’t have enough to keep up with the hitters on the climb (“only” did 462w that time) but I could Ben in a little group ahead of us and Steve in the front. My job done, I sat in the back of that group not wanting to bring people like Kiel Reijnen up to my teammates. The rest, I’m sure the live stream does a better job of covering since I was pretty blown and 4’ down. I did see Steve in the break of 3, and honestly thought he would win - because that’s what he’s been doing all year, and he has some pop for a “climber” (I mean, he beat Eric Young in a sprint at Winston-Salem). In any case, an incredible result for him and the team, and I’m incredibly happy for him and to play a small part in that. He’s a super nice guy, really hard working, and has had a tough past couple years in the sport.
I rolled in with the “Grupetto” that was about 15th on the road, until some people decided to attack on the final lap for no reason (our group was long done with racing, and just rolling into the finish). I’m proud of that ride, and just finishing, after a tough spring after breaking a collarbone only 8 weeks ago. I think my official result was 29th or something.
Final Stats:
4:45, 118 miles, 4049 KJ
NP: 323, Avg 238 (I’m 75kg)
7 ice socks, 9 bottles, 1 incredible coca-cola after
https://www.strava.com/activities/2493912762/
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Awesome. Thanks for that commentary. Super cool.
I thought at the end, just before the last corner, Bassett was feeling more mental anguish than physical discomfort (although certainly he was dying!)…his competitive spirit was trapped inside a failing physical body! Absolutely enthralling.
What a ride.
The worst part of the race was crossing the line and not being able to find anyone who would tell me what happened. I thought that finishing kicker would suit Steve more than anyone. It did, but he said that his legs just locked up halfway up, and you can see that when he starts bucking the bike a bit and Howes comes around.
Watching it again, knowing the outcome, I still think he might have it with the gap he had into the uphill corner. Chapeau to Howes, he was the stronger rider at the end (as he very well should be).
Incredible finish for sure, especially with a little pressure from the group behind.
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Really nice call-out from CyclingNews about Bassett:
1. Stephen Bassett deserves a pro contract
Hometown rider Stephen Bassett was an unexpected presence on the final men’s road race podium in second behind winner Alex Howes and showed that he has what it takes to go pedal stroke for pedal stroke against WorldTour riders like winner Alex Howes (EF Education First) and third-placed Neilson Powless (Jumbo-Visma). He had a pro contract with Silber in 2018 until the team folded, and was not selected to continue when Floyd’s took over the organisation. Landis and Gord Fraser should be kicking themselves right now for letting this one slip.
Bassett won two stages and the overall at the Joe Martin Stage Race, a stage at the Redlands Classic and the Winston Salem Criterium this year, clearly demonstrating that he had done his homework over the winter. Racing with the local elite First Internet Bank squad, Bassett had the advantage of a full feed zone support crew: “I think we had six in the feed zone for five riders. I took an ice sock every lap. 15 ice socks over four and a half hours makes a pretty massive difference,” he told Cyclingnews.
The 24-year-old showed impressive determination hitting out early in the sprint - it really looked as if he’d won it but just ran out of gas ahead of the last turn and was overtaken by Howes. That level of grit certainly deserves a pro contract, but Bassett doesn’t have anything solid in the works. Will his performance at nationals help?
8 conclusions from US Pro Road Championships | Cyclingnews
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