American Boys in Europe
I received a text from Enzo Edmonds on Saturday: “First race this afternoon! Getting the true Euro racing experience – staying in small cabin with six guys, no hot water, no food, no WiFi and a broken bed.” Followed by a laughing emoji. I was so delighted to learn that the miserable, cold, wet, character forming conditions of the European circuit have remained unchanged from my time, some 50-years ago. I had a real belly laugh over that one.
Enzo, the Brooklyn boy whom I’ve written about before, had made the selection for the USA Cycling Junior Men’s National Team Spring Trip, along with his Madison partner Ashlin Barry, Otis Engle, Noah Streif and Ben Juracich. They were in Brittany, the beating heart of French cycling, for the Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée, a two-day, three-stage race for Junior men (17-18), the first of a three-race campaign that will culminate with Junior Paris-Roubaix. This most important race drew 35 teams of five racers each (shades of the Univest GP anyone?) including the Junior squads of the AG2R, Lotto Dstny, and Visma, as well as Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch and top regional French squads. None of which intimidated our brave boys in the slightest, as this story will tell.
Enzo, experiencing his first, true international road race, explained that the USA was placed in front for the neutral start, and all seemed calm… until the flag was waved. “When it turned into a One-Kilometer track race.” Riders sprinting full blast up both sides of the road, getting caught, others relaunching, bang, bang, bang all day long, all the while being pelted by 40-degree rain and 60kph side winds during the 120-kilometers of twisting, narrow roads. He figured that the cabin had in fact acted a good introduction for what they were about to experience.
The boys, undaunted by the competition, rode the front; Ashlin was their man on form and they kept him there the entire day, bringing him back, through the 175-man, 40-car caravan (It took an hour), after a crash, depositing him and Noah Streif, in perfect position at the entrance to the finishing circuits (more Univest nostalgia?) with 30-k to go. A rider ran into Enzo’s front wheel- it began slapping from fork to fork – and he had to back off on a high-speed descent and let them go.
With 10-k to go, the tall Frenchman Axel Bouquet was alone, looking the winner, but Ashlin Barry had other ideas. He jumped from what was left of the field, caught Bouquet then dropped him to win in the very best way possible, alone at the finish line. The Americans had the Yellow Jersey.
Sunday began with a 13.8-k time trial that included a 22% climb…(Eichle Road?), won by France’s Louis Chaleil of the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale U19 Team, a powerful performance that saw him take 0:25” out of second place, and a full 0:47” out of ninth-placed Barry. Chaleil was now race leader, Barry in second, 0:19” behind in the overall. Noah Streif finished an excellent 17th, 1:17” down. The other team members rode calmly to be fresh for the final assault.
AG2R controlled the final 106-kilometerstage that afternoon, defending the Yellow, while the Americans sheltered Barry and Streif in the 4th and 5th rows of the peloton. The race was flying along when a group of moto marshals, flying by on the left, tangled up with some riders and caused a giant, 50-man crash which took down Barry, Chaleil and Streif. The two Yanks jumped on spare bikes, another hour-long chase through the chaos ensued, but they regained the front. Chaleil didn’t make it however and was out of the race: the victory was within grasp. Barry didn’t miss his chance, finishing 4th on the day to claim the final Yellow Jersey. Enzo, with another flapping wheel incident, won the field sprint from the second group.
It was an undisputedly brilliant performance by the American National Team, so ably directed by Gavin Mannion. They finished, despite all the issues and drama, seventh in the Team Classification and took home the overall victory. Ashlin, like Enzo, is only 16, so there is much development still to come, and another year of the U19 to race. They now at the USA Cycling European base in Sittard, Netherlands, where, in theory, there is hot water, WiFi, food and some proper beds. They’ll get over their jetlag this week while getting ready for their next race, the Ster van Zuid Limburg, four stages, including a Time Trial. They’ll need the rest; the competition promises to be even tougher at the Ster.
TV links below (Yes, this Junior race had live TV)
Stage 1. https://www.youtube.com/live/cAa_mIRyAYg?si=nfn-uGPbtB0F8tG9
Stage 2. https://www.youtube.com/live/sW335oo_sbs?si=oL8MYonIaOWFi_Ir
Stage 3. https://www.youtube.com/live/VukYjv03T24?si=p-YB0zavOIl_-u19