Another almost there experience or District Road Race
Road Race Championships (Districts)
Fort Ord,CA
Elite 4
11th/28
Teammates: Sam, Ryan, Jake
61.19miles, 2:58:23, 3400 climbing
6laps, ~10miles/per, ~900ft climb/per
I feel like my fitness is finally coming around to make me competitive in road racing, however I still lack a bit of tactical finesse to know how to win or even crack the top 10. But I'm encouraged by the fact that people are watching to see what the Mouse is going to do in the race.
The pace at the beginning was a bit ridiculous, ala sunday recovery ride. I knew that I wanted to be at or near the front when we came into the rollers leading into the first short power climb that leads in to the long descent which then leads to THE climb. Any who, I did this, had a clean lines thru the descent, all you really have to do is stay in the drops and tuck as much as possible and you fly downhill without having to tap the breaks. We hit the left hand turn to go up the big hill and I drilled it. As I'm about 1/3 of the way up, before the flat spot, I'm like ow this hurts. I brought the heart rate down a couple beats settled in and still made it to the top of the climb within the top 5. I couldn't help but think that each time up the climb would get significantly harder...which it did!
Anyway, we quickly realized that the race was going to come down to the last lap and it would be a race of attrition rather than break aways..lame! A couple guys, Tim and Pac State Bank guy tried attacks, but got reeled back in. At one point, Tim had a huge gap on the field at least 200-300 meters. I think he was chasing another guy that had gone of the front. I pulled of the front and went back about 5-6 riders, spun my legs to rest. Once reset, pulled out of the pack a bit and spun up like a madman and went to bridge up to Tim. I looked back and I got a gap. Didn't really look like people were chasing. But by the time I caught up to Tim and we did one rotating to rest, baaam...the pack was right back on us ;-( I guess the pack was motivated to keep it together as it was only the second lap.
I spent the rest of the race chatting with a few of the guys whole looked strong and strategizing a break away in the 5th lap. Fast forward, we hit lap 5, we're back to the climb. I drill it up the climb again, now I'm really f*ck'n hurting. I stand up to maintain pace, I'm starting to drift back a bit and there comes Ryan...flying past me like I was standing still and baamm. The break happened.
I grunted my way to the top of the climb and start drilling it at the front of the group and I hear somebody yelling at me. It's Sam telling me not to chase Ryan and I was like oh crap, you're right, I just got excited! So we successfully integrated into the chase group and messed up the paceline. On Berkeley got really pissed. But he directed at my like, you killing the field on the climbs, but then you don't do any work to break away. I felt like the Mice were doing a lot of work, I exchange a few explicative with the guy, gave him the bird and said I don't see you working up there. I realized that anger was not going to help, took a few deep breaths, talked myself down and got back to the paceline riding a bit easier.
Then we look up the road and we see Ryan falling back to us. We're like crap, now it's really time to work to catch the rest of the break, who got away pretty frick'n quickly! At some point, the 1/2/3 men's break came thru, near the 180. As we were trucking thru it, it was a bit a hard to tell if our leaders were mixed in with the pros. Sure enough they were, I recognized Alex(yellow kit with the bumble bees on it) hind in the pack with the pros. We hit the 180 and we're now working as efficient as I've seen a rotating paceline work all year, but the break is no frick'n where in sight? It's like they disappear. I think they might have paced with the pros?
We hit the climb the final time, my legs are roasted and feel like I'm gonna go backwards. I stood up and found that I could keep up a good pace as I stomped on the pedals. Then as we hit the midpoint, the Village Pedaler guy guns it. I tried to hop on his wheel, but the legs had another idea. I kept humping the bike up the hill. And then it was Davis guy, Sam, Specialized master guy, and Pac state bank guy. We caught up to a group of 3 pros and got around them. Sam drilled the descent and I just stayed on his wheel trying to recover. As we hit the final 3k the Davis guy began pulling a head. Off in the distance I could see the village pedaler guy, but i figured he was pretty much out of reach. It would come down a sprint between our little group.
Knowing that I'm not the sprinter type I decided I would go from near the 1k mark and possibly give same a better chance at sprinting to the finish. We hit the 1k and it was Sam and Davis guy, I hopped on there wheel for a bit, trying to rest and stay out of the wind. Then about 700m to go, I was like f*ck it, I'm going for it. I got about 200meters and was really hurting. Fortunately Sam was right there and came around me along with the Davis guy. Then it was like slow motion. My legs were dying, Sam and Davis guy were pulling away. I'm stomping on the pedals and not going anywhere. I'm neck and neck with Pac State Bank guys and he got me by about a wheel length at the line. Crossing the line I almost hurled, but my stomach was empty so nothing came out.
Overall, I felt happy that we had a strategy to get Ryan the win, we communicated throughout the race, I felt like my fitness was definitely good enough to keep me in the race and learned a bit more about tactics. Oh and I also learned that racing with such a small field is really tuff. So I think the fact that we finished near the front on a tough course is a good accomplishment and I also think we would have finished similarly even if the field was full.
I have to say I'm really impressed with Sam's improvement in fitness. Right on man! Good race analysis too. Man, I need to get one of those powertap thingys. Ryan...you were so close. Damn those cramps! Now we gotta kill it at Patterson Pass, you and me 1-2 baby! And Jake, nice work hanging in there till near the end. Hopefully it was a good opener for Timpani.
So still a few places shy of a top 10 and still 0 points, but I'm even more motivated now! Next up Patterson Pass, Howell Mtn Challenge, Dunnigan, Challenge, Giro. So if I want to get out of the 4's this season, I guess I gotta get some wins this late in the season!
Garmin data coming soon. I look for some pics too.
Fort Ord,CA
Elite 4
11th/28
Teammates: Sam, Ryan, Jake
61.19miles, 2:58:23, 3400 climbing
6laps, ~10miles/per, ~900ft climb/per
I feel like my fitness is finally coming around to make me competitive in road racing, however I still lack a bit of tactical finesse to know how to win or even crack the top 10. But I'm encouraged by the fact that people are watching to see what the Mouse is going to do in the race.
The pace at the beginning was a bit ridiculous, ala sunday recovery ride. I knew that I wanted to be at or near the front when we came into the rollers leading into the first short power climb that leads in to the long descent which then leads to THE climb. Any who, I did this, had a clean lines thru the descent, all you really have to do is stay in the drops and tuck as much as possible and you fly downhill without having to tap the breaks. We hit the left hand turn to go up the big hill and I drilled it. As I'm about 1/3 of the way up, before the flat spot, I'm like ow this hurts. I brought the heart rate down a couple beats settled in and still made it to the top of the climb within the top 5. I couldn't help but think that each time up the climb would get significantly harder...which it did!
Anyway, we quickly realized that the race was going to come down to the last lap and it would be a race of attrition rather than break aways..lame! A couple guys, Tim and Pac State Bank guy tried attacks, but got reeled back in. At one point, Tim had a huge gap on the field at least 200-300 meters. I think he was chasing another guy that had gone of the front. I pulled of the front and went back about 5-6 riders, spun my legs to rest. Once reset, pulled out of the pack a bit and spun up like a madman and went to bridge up to Tim. I looked back and I got a gap. Didn't really look like people were chasing. But by the time I caught up to Tim and we did one rotating to rest, baaam...the pack was right back on us ;-( I guess the pack was motivated to keep it together as it was only the second lap.
I spent the rest of the race chatting with a few of the guys whole looked strong and strategizing a break away in the 5th lap. Fast forward, we hit lap 5, we're back to the climb. I drill it up the climb again, now I'm really f*ck'n hurting. I stand up to maintain pace, I'm starting to drift back a bit and there comes Ryan...flying past me like I was standing still and baamm. The break happened.
I grunted my way to the top of the climb and start drilling it at the front of the group and I hear somebody yelling at me. It's Sam telling me not to chase Ryan and I was like oh crap, you're right, I just got excited! So we successfully integrated into the chase group and messed up the paceline. On Berkeley got really pissed. But he directed at my like, you killing the field on the climbs, but then you don't do any work to break away. I felt like the Mice were doing a lot of work, I exchange a few explicative with the guy, gave him the bird and said I don't see you working up there. I realized that anger was not going to help, took a few deep breaths, talked myself down and got back to the paceline riding a bit easier.
Then we look up the road and we see Ryan falling back to us. We're like crap, now it's really time to work to catch the rest of the break, who got away pretty frick'n quickly! At some point, the 1/2/3 men's break came thru, near the 180. As we were trucking thru it, it was a bit a hard to tell if our leaders were mixed in with the pros. Sure enough they were, I recognized Alex(yellow kit with the bumble bees on it) hind in the pack with the pros. We hit the 180 and we're now working as efficient as I've seen a rotating paceline work all year, but the break is no frick'n where in sight? It's like they disappear. I think they might have paced with the pros?
We hit the climb the final time, my legs are roasted and feel like I'm gonna go backwards. I stood up and found that I could keep up a good pace as I stomped on the pedals. Then as we hit the midpoint, the Village Pedaler guy guns it. I tried to hop on his wheel, but the legs had another idea. I kept humping the bike up the hill. And then it was Davis guy, Sam, Specialized master guy, and Pac state bank guy. We caught up to a group of 3 pros and got around them. Sam drilled the descent and I just stayed on his wheel trying to recover. As we hit the final 3k the Davis guy began pulling a head. Off in the distance I could see the village pedaler guy, but i figured he was pretty much out of reach. It would come down a sprint between our little group.
Knowing that I'm not the sprinter type I decided I would go from near the 1k mark and possibly give same a better chance at sprinting to the finish. We hit the 1k and it was Sam and Davis guy, I hopped on there wheel for a bit, trying to rest and stay out of the wind. Then about 700m to go, I was like f*ck it, I'm going for it. I got about 200meters and was really hurting. Fortunately Sam was right there and came around me along with the Davis guy. Then it was like slow motion. My legs were dying, Sam and Davis guy were pulling away. I'm stomping on the pedals and not going anywhere. I'm neck and neck with Pac State Bank guys and he got me by about a wheel length at the line. Crossing the line I almost hurled, but my stomach was empty so nothing came out.
Overall, I felt happy that we had a strategy to get Ryan the win, we communicated throughout the race, I felt like my fitness was definitely good enough to keep me in the race and learned a bit more about tactics. Oh and I also learned that racing with such a small field is really tuff. So I think the fact that we finished near the front on a tough course is a good accomplishment and I also think we would have finished similarly even if the field was full.
I have to say I'm really impressed with Sam's improvement in fitness. Right on man! Good race analysis too. Man, I need to get one of those powertap thingys. Ryan...you were so close. Damn those cramps! Now we gotta kill it at Patterson Pass, you and me 1-2 baby! And Jake, nice work hanging in there till near the end. Hopefully it was a good opener for Timpani.
So still a few places shy of a top 10 and still 0 points, but I'm even more motivated now! Next up Patterson Pass, Howell Mtn Challenge, Dunnigan, Challenge, Giro. So if I want to get out of the 4's this season, I guess I gotta get some wins this late in the season!
Garmin data coming soon. I look for some pics too.
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