Dan Ramsey took a big win for his Successful Living team in at the Sea Otter Classic NRC men’s circuit race. After spending the majority of the race off the front in a two-man move, Ramsey was caught by a small group, but soon attacked again, hoping to set up one of his three teammates who had been brought across. Instead, Ramsey held his solo gap for the final six laps.

“I knew I had to be the first one to attack because I had been off the front all day,” Ramsey said. “I was guessing one of my teammates would take the race, not me. I’m really happy for the team. We needed this. I’d like to dedicate this to my wife and my daughter.”

Held a few hours after a deluge that forced the mid-race cancellation of the women’s event, the men’s race was delayed while tanker trucks sprayed off parts of Laguna Seca Raceway. The heavy rainstorms caused rivers of mud to flood sections of the course.

Finally the race got under way under a light drizzle and heavy winds, and within a lap a dozen riders had been shelled after the first of 31 trips up the 320-foot climb on the 2.2-mile course. The wet and windy descent had many riders spooked, including Andy Jacques-Maynes (California Giant Strawberries-Specialized), who went off the front just a few laps in.

“My tactic was to get away from the group early because with the road being wet it was going to be heinous,” Jacques-Maynes said. “The last time I raced on this track in the wet half the field out in one corner. I wanted to avoid the mess and get away. Hopefully somebody would come up to me.”

After two laps Ramsey bridged across and the pair quickly built a lead that hovered around a minute for the majority of the race.

“We were teammates on Sierra Nevada,” Jacques-Maynes said, “and we know each other pretty well. So we got out there and were like, ‘let’s do it.’”

Dan Ramsey and Andy Jaques-Maynes in the early break

Photo: Rob Jones

Behind, the peloton took it easy. With the nation’s big teams readying for the Tour de Georgia, Sea Otter drew mostly regional teams, along with Sierra Nevada and pared-down squads from Health Net-Maxxis and Jelly Belly.

With about 15 laps to go, a few small groups began earnest chases, with a steady hard wind demanding a concerted effort to make progress on the smoothly rotating Jacques-Maynes and Ramsey. With 10 to go Health Net’s Roman Kilun came across to the pair, dragging Ramsey’s teammate Christian Valenzuela with him.

After more than an hour in the wind, the effort caught up with Jacques-Maynes, who works full time for Specialized as a road product manager. He was dispatched from the group as Jelly Belly’s Alex Candelario, Brian Jensen (HRRC/Trek Stores) and two more Successful Living riders joined the front move.

As riders in the front move looked at each other, a tired Ramsey gave it another dig.

“I attacked the group, and they all looked at each other, because I was the most hammered guy in the whole group,” said Ramsey, adding that with four guys in the small group, Successful Living had to attack. “Roman looked really strong; he was going to tear me apart. Candelario, he’s got a phenomenal sprint, you don’t want to bring him to the line.”

With six laps to go Ramsey had a minute on a now-16-man chase group driven by Redlands Bicycle Classic winner Andy Bajadali (Jelly Belly). Three of Ramsey’s teammates were sitting on. In the feedzone, 1984 Olympic pursuit gold medalist and team coach Steve Hegg was smiling and yelling encouragement.

With four laps to go Bajadali attacked at the base of the hill, bringing with him Ramsey’s teammate Valenzuela and Health Net’s Frank Pipp.

With a lap to go, Ramsey lapped his early breakaway partner Jacques-Maynes, who had been going steadily backward. About the same time Jensen bridged up to the three chasers, and, with about 700m to go, started a long sprint. Pipp, a strong sprinter, left it a little too long and came in third.

“I waited for someone to close it,” Pipp said. “No one was doing it so I jumped, but couldn’t quite catch him.”

After the race, Ramsey was happy to chat as U.S. Anti-Doping Agency officials whisked him away for the mandatory winner’s testing.

“This is a race that’s always suited me,” he said. “I’ve gotten a fifth and a sixth place here before. But first is better than that.”

Sea Otter Classic NRC Circuit Race
Monterey, CA. April 14
1. Daniel Ramsey (Successful Living), 70 miles in 2:57:14
2. Brian Jensen (HRRC/Trek), at 2:06
3. Frank Pipp (Health Net-Maxxis), s.t.
4. Christian Valenzuela (Successful Living), at 2:07
5. Aaron Tuckerman (Rubicon), s.t.
6. Michael Grabinger (Successful Living), s.t.
7. Alex Candelario (Jelly Belly), 2:15
8. Curtis Gunn (Successful Living), 2:16
9. Andy Bajadali (Jelly Belly), 2:42
10. Daniel Harm (Rubicon), 2:43King of the Mountain
1. Ramsey
2. Andy Jacques-Maynes (California Giant Strawberries-Specialized)
3. Valenzuela.Sprint
1. Ramsey
2. Jacques-Maynes
3. Jensen.