After weeks off the team has reconveined for the Meridian Omnium weekend.  We received the unfortunate news that Mikey O would not be present due to illness.  As expected the crit course was flat but the corners and pavement were bad but on the upside the roads were pretty wide.  There was a head wind on the backside of the course and tailwind into the finish line. 
Paul and I headed out mid-morning since the women's race went off at 2:15.  Nothing like riding in the heat of the day.  There were 6 women signed up for the race including Debbie Milne and Jennifer Schuble showed up a little later.  We lined up and began - nothing interesting the first lap.  Debbie made her move the second lap at the point that I was drifting toward the back (ie missed that move not that I would have made it more than a few laps with her).  I stayed on the front most of the race and grabbed her wheel when she lapped us - I have no shame!  We rode 3 laps with DM and she was finished.  I pulled through the last lap and felt strong still.  We rounded the last corner to the finish line and I waited until I heard the first gear shift and started my sprint.  I don't claim to be a great sprinter (still running but the quads are growing bigger with every sprint) but I held it until the last 10 feet and Jennifer got me at the line.  Oh well, there is always the men's Cat4 race.  I signed up for it thinking that I could at least hang out in the pack.  We lined up and there were a few raised eyes with a women in the field.  I was fine until the chain popped off when I changed gears to sprint up the short hill on the backside.  Oh well next time.   
Well, the men's Pro Cat 1,2,3 lined up at 6:00PM.  The field was loaded with Herring Gas, Tria, Myogenesis and other teams from LAMBRA.  There were 43 men on the starting line.  Half way through the crit a break started with 5 guys off.  Paul bridged up to it and 4 followed with him.  Ultimately there were 5 Herring Gas guys and a representative from most of the other major players in the race.  When the break had about 30 - 45 seconds on the field Travis Sherman tried to bridge up working for three laps  on his own.  The break gained more time on the field ultimately having over a minute and the field was pulled when the break was close to lapping them.  A move went off with 4 riders and there was no response from the rest of the break.  Paul waited through the technical section until the uphill and tailwind to bridge.  He caught them at the base of the short hill the next lap but couldn't respond on the next attack.  Myogenesis started drilling on the front and Paul finished for 5th place. 
Rather than line up with 6 women and the juniors for 1 lap (26miles), I decided to jump back into the fray with the Men's Cat4.  I felt like I needed some more mileage before the end of the season and River Gorge.  I barely made it to the start line with Adam before we rolled off.  The field was sketchy and rather than hang out  in the back and get gapped on the hills, I made my way up to the fron quarter of the pack in the first lap.  We drilled it hard thorugh the climbs  ultimatley splitting the field.  Without realizing it, I was in the front field.  We finished lap one and a rider broke up the road.  I was second wheel and the rider in front of me kept looking back to see if anyone other than the female was behind him.  Finally he motioned for me to come around and I drilled it to finish closing the gap.  I sat on the front through the short steep climb and dropped back realizing that I was going to start cramping and needed to back off.  I stayed in the main field until the longer uphill and fell off but chased back on.  Finally succombing to inner thigh spasms on the climb up to the water tower.  I kept the field in my view but had to back off.  The second field never caught me and I passed a few of the other men that were popped off the back before I finished. 
Men's road race left Cuba at 8:25AM in humidity but luckily not too much heat.  Wes Douglas from Tria and a rider from Herring Gas rolled away 3 miles into the race.  The rest of the race was a "Sunday Morning" group ride with any attempts at a break being shut down.  Nothing was going to get away at that point.  Paul drilled it on some of the uphills to soften the field while Travis and Scott rode hard tempo on the front through the rollers.  At one point the break had 2.5 minutes but at 1.5miles from the finish line the break was in sight.  Paul followed a Herring Gas rider that attacked and pulled through hard with a Myogenesis rider marking him.  There were numerous attacks that were initiated but no one stayed away.  Paul jumped hard with 1.5km to the finish, opened a gap, caught the break at 1km and rode in solo.  He had to look back once at 500m and realized he would have to "dance a little harder on those pedals" to put it away. 
(Sorry had a Phil Liggett moment).