A few thoughts.

- if you tried a few times to get away you were eating up reserves. Make one move but make it real.
- if you got 10 seconds on the field then stalled then you weren't gaining on the field after that. It means that the field (were they chasing?) was going the same speed as you. I made a pretty dumb start line move last year, going at the gun. My first lap was 30 mph. My second I think 24. My third was like 18. It took a few minutes for the group to catch me but I was all but stopped for a good portion of it. I had 10-15 seconds after the first lap, so a similar type of gap.

btw 10 seconds is a non-gap. Anyone with commitment can cross it solo. 20 seconds is starting to get real. 30 seconds is a gap to me.

Can you go 26-27 mph for a while on your own, like an hour? If not then you absolutely need help to stay away.

The biggest successful move I know of personally was when a local guy took off out of the field at Elite Nationals in 2002 or so. He bridged a minute gap on his own in 5 miles, then towed the break the remaining 3 miles to the finish. He got 3rd out of 5. The Texas national champ (Dave Wenger) I think was in that break. The local guy said his strategy was to do absolutely nothing until the end. He knew he could sustain 30-32 mph solo for a good 20 minutes. He was unsure about the hot/humid conditions. Therefore he went when it was less than 10 miles to go.

Without that level of sustainable speed (meaning 26-27 mph) you're at the mercy of your break companions. Assuming that's the case you should make some allies before the race, do nothing as a group, then make the move at a preplanned point.