88 klicks of racing . . .

Well I had another interesting week that just ended. A strong build week, hectic week at work, awesome training on my loop setting a new fast time and some unfortunate news, all followed up by one kick ass Saturday racing.

With over 15 hours this week of training my are feeling a few recovery days coming up in anticipation of Wintergreen Ascent TT. On Thursday I had another opportunity to go take the day off and invited Chuck Hutch out for a ride on my training loop through Chantilly, Centreville and mainly through Clifton. Well that should be a separate story in and of itself but I ended up pulling him for about two hours until his legs felt good and my like garbage and him taking off the last twenty minutes. I tried to stay on his wheel as much as possible with him encouraging me to dig deep and this is where I needed to train, pushing the last few miles of a long ride. We did 51 miles in 2:20:27 with 21.9 mph average. We did run into Joe D. of Haymarket/Homevisit and Chuck introduced me to him as they joked I was competing in the Cat 5 world championships .

Which leads on the to unfortunate news. I a long with a teammate submitted for our upgrades Monday, with a very similar race resume, we both had nine, all the same races except for one which I did in a previous season. Well his was approved and mine was denied for lack of experience, although it wasn't mentioned I can only assume that was the reason because why else would a 5 to 4 upgrade be denied.

At first I bummed out, I am not going to lie, this is me being honest, as I was scheduled to race in the Farmersville Road Race this weekend as a Cat 4, a course that suited my riding style, hilling, very technical turns, and of course longer than a crit ;) . But as the saying goes when one door closes another opens, in this case two. I immediately got in contact with the race director and switched my entry to the later 11:35 Cat 5 race, he said no problem and did so.

This meant I got to sleep in an extra three hours before I had to make the trip to PA, sweet. But at looking at the confirmed riders page I saw the first race only had 34 riders in it. If figured if I drove up an hour earlier I could try to get into both races, would give me 11 total races, hopefully more than enough.

So off I went for the boring drive up there, and first time going solo to a race this season. I did have another teammate racing the first race and two in the second race and no real game plan except to have Lance do well in his race has it was his hometown.

I arrive, say hello to my teammates and register. The folks at registration were great, the understood my story and were more than happy to work with me. I was able to get into the early race as well for only four bucks more, not bad two races, 44k each for 40 something bucks. On top of that the weather was prefect up there, mid 60s, sunny, and a little breezy at the start but that died down by race time.

With no time to warm up and barely enough time to get kitted up make my way to the start area. There Luis finds myself and teammate Bob and tells us about the course, very technical turns and try keep away from the pack as there is a lot of braking, he also mentioned there was a guy who managed to get away but the course marshal directed him in the wrong way and he had to fight to come back.

Well off our race went, I could from the get go the turns were going to be interesting as the race started out with a tight right hand and then a left about a hundred meters down the road. Almost all of the turns were tight right handed turns, many in a chicane like fashion hitting the apex in one and setting yourself up the for the next was imperative to navigate this course correctly and efficiently. I start noticing after every turn I was gaping the group and they would have to sprint to catch back up or I would lighten up and the let them reel me in so I would burn myself out at the start of the race.

On the second lap I pickup the pace a bit and start hitting the turns even fast, and have a gap form of a few seconds. Well then there were more turns followed by a false flat into a head wind. I pick up my pace here and have a good lead on the pack, which for the most part is still together. Well I take the left turn and there is a course marshal a just down the road for the turn pointing for me to turn right, so I turn right. Before the first turn I could no longer see the lead car, it went off in the distance so I had to listen to the course marshal.

Well I know in the end is the riders the responsibility to know the course. Well it turns out I went off course. Over 4 tenths of a mile before I turned around and the trailing ref caught me and asked me what happened. I said the course marshal told me to turn. I can only imagine he thought I was one of the riders warming up on the course and wanted me out of the way as he could see the pack approaching the turn. At this point I didn't know what to think, should I case back, should I finish this lap and call it a race, should I just do a work out, I don't know.

I thought back to some advice or a story Chuck told me, it was about one his Cat 3 races. I think he said he got a flat, changed it, chased the group caught them and still won the race. I was thinking how bad ass would it be if I had a similar story, but in reality after being back almost a mile on a hilly course I didnt think even catching them was possible. I just start my time trial.

There were times where I was feeling like I could catch them, and there were times where I felt like I should sit up and just finish the race, I have my excuse I went off course. But I continued to bust my ass to try and catch the group. I started to see the trailing car at the start of the final lap. I picked my pace up and worked to get closer and closer, making up most of my time in the turns and keeping as aero as possible.

I caught up to the ref and let him know that I was the rider that went off course and I just caught back on. He was surprised he said thought I was done for. I worked my way though the group, trying to optimize my lines through the turns trying to get what little rest I could before the last mile which had some complex turns. I know in these I could get some distance and try and fight for a placing if only my legs had any energy left in them.

In the last kilo I was in the front, I was hitting my lines, and the last turn I hit it well, a sharp right turn, up hill and banked at the apex. Every one else took it wide and sprinted to catch up to me. At this point I get out of the saddle and into the drops and pick up my pace. With an up hill finish and the sprint to catch me the turn my goal was to wear them out before they could sprint for the finish.

Well there was one rider who was approaching on my left. He was a bigger guy making some massive power, his front wheel passed mine yet I kept pushing, I saw I was catching back up to him, I pushed until the line, gave it everything I could, missing first by what was probably just mere inches it felt like. Luis who watched the finish said had the race been a few more feet I would have taken it, oh well. I was just happy I was able to catch back on to the group and work my way up to contest the sprint, that part had me feeling the happiest, in a way my own personal victory.

The race was suppose to 26.95 miles, my first race was 27.77 miles, .82 mile handicap and still get second.

On to the second race, not as eventful. Lance helped me change out my number, and Luis was kind enough to give me some water out of his bottle as this race was suppose to start right after the finish. I told me story of the last race and all of the other racers in the second race just stared at me, they could tell I was exhausted and I told them I didnt have much left in me.

As the race started I stayed in the pack, infact at the back of it, just taking my own line through the turns as they slowed down I was able to keep with them. There were a couple surges but nothing too bad. I did end up making my way to the front a few times some how and again started to separate myself from them.

Most notably on the second lap shortly after the start of it, I had a good gap, then 6 riders bridged up to me, Lance being one of them. He encouraged up to work together to get it to last. We did, short pulls and sprinting up hills. At that point we pretty much shattered the pack as everyone attempted to sprint up to us, a few made it as I began to fall off. Two other guys and myself try to work together but some how in a downhill descent before the highway one of the guys goes off into the gravel. I am not sure how as he was behind me and not right on my wheel as I felt he was getting burnt out from the pace.

Soon enough the other guys fades as well and I am by myself. I have no clue where the rest of the field is, I know there at 6 guys in front of me. The next two laps again became a time trail. I get down and low and keep hammering. Every time I got out of the saddle my calves began to cramp and I could feel it in my quads as well.

I would look back every now and then for other riders, but no one, I was in no-mans land soloing between the break and pack. My only hope at this point was to hope some one would fade from the break away but with the race almost over I was happy with 7th.

In the last turn I was able to see 6th finishing and I just finished on my own. At my own pace, another great work out digging deep and earning another top 10 spot.

At the end I caught up with Lance who finished fifth and Bob, who dropped out because of cramping, I dont blame him as it was getting painful for myself. With a quick check of the official results I made my way home. 10 races so far this season, 11 total, hopefully enough experience to satisfy my requirement for my upgrade.