By Adam Kilgore
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 4, 2006; E12
A pack of five cyclists roared around the final turn, all half a bike length behind Mark McCormack, poised to overtake the veteran. Surely, it would be a mad dash down the final straightaway.
Suddenly, Russian Vassili Davidenko misshifted, and the chain on his gearshift jangled off. He had to brake, which forced the other racers wide in the corner.
McCormack surged ahead, not knowing the chaos behind him. He focused his attention on the finish line, and when he crossed it in front, he paused before hoisting his left fist into the air; he wasn't sure he had won.
"I was as surprised as anyone," McCormack said.
McCormack, 35, became the first American since 2003 to win the CSC Invitational, the region's most prestigious cycling race, yesterday before a crowd of roughly 20,000 in Clarendon. He did so despite taking his first lead during the last half of the race's 100th and final lap.
Even McCormack said he didn't think he had a chance at winning until he was "about three inches from the line." His strategy had been laid out: hang back in the peloton, don't chase the breakaway riders. Just survive and make a late move. Only 26 of the 128 entrants finished the race, and ambulances carried away a handful of those who crashed. Clarendon's kilometer-long course included five treacherous turns, leading many racers to call it the most dangerous course they race on.
So McCormack drafted off the back tire of competitors all day, conserving energy and biking a most unremarkable race. As crashes and exhaustion thinned the field, he laid in wait.
During his 21 years racing, McCormack, a native of Plymouth, Mass., has built a reputation for such caginess. He's often called the smartest racer on the circuit and is known as a great sprinter. So while he conserves his energy using his brain, he takes advantage with brawn.
"He has a lot of racing savvy," said Tony Cruz, who finished fourth. "So he knows how these races are going to play out 90 percent of the time."
"I've been racing since 1985," McCormack said. "A lot of guys out here weren't even born yet. (Today) wasn't a show of dominance or force. It was just being in the right place at the right time. And a little bit of luck."