Racing at the Iowa State Fairgrounds turned out to be a rewarding experience. The course was a roller coaster of sorts, with an uphill ascent along the back stretch that culminated in a steep pitch that nearly brought riders to a standstill. As described by the race director: "With only about 1 block of flat in the course, racers were treated to a true test." Well, if this was a test, I am happy to report that I passed with a solid "A".
I had no idea that there was a significant climb in this race until I took a practice lap. This didn't really change my mentality, as I got off to a meager start and spent to the first two laps trying to make my way to the front. It was sketchy riding in the pack, so I breathed a sigh of relief once I got the confidence to lead a few of the corners and set tempo up the hill from time to time.
I noticed that the tempo I was setting up the hill when I led was about 1mph faster than the tempo the group was setting when they led. More importantly, I couldn't keep my cadence up in the big ring (53/23), and wasn't interested in shifting to the small ring, so I sort of made the decision to just ride at my pace and let things shake out accordingly.
I can honestly say that I didn't put much thought into a race strategy. I never specifically attacked or sat-in, for example, just set a managable pace and tried to maximize my efficiency on the downhills and corners.
This lack of strategy resulted in a gap. Brent Mitchell posted two clips. The first is of me starting the break:
And the second is the gap, which shows that the field never really gave up the chase:
I really couldn't justify slowing down, as I seemed to be using less energy riding solo then with the group. The announcer called a field prime to add some drama to the chasing group as I maintained my lead. I thought it was for me too, so nailed it... ooops. Each lap up the hill, was very painful, with the last few pedal strokes being nearly unbearable. Thanks to everyone who cheered me on, as I needed the encouragement.
And the second is the gap, which shows that the field never really gave up the chase:
I really couldn't justify slowing down, as I seemed to be using less energy riding solo then with the group. The announcer called a field prime to add some drama to the chasing group as I maintained my lead. I thought it was for me too, so nailed it... ooops. Each lap up the hill, was very painful, with the last few pedal strokes being nearly unbearable. Thanks to everyone who cheered me on, as I needed the encouragement.
I held on for the WIN!... awesome feeling.
I really deliberated racing the Cat 1/2/3 race later that day. I didn't feel that I had much left in the tank after the Cat 3/4 race's effort. I reluctantly signed up however, and was rewarded with another good result that included finishing within the pay-out.
This race had a similar feel, as I found a tempo and let my fitness dictate my pace. Not long into the race I found myself in the lead group with some very accomplished Cat 1/2's (Dewey Dickey, Bryan Moritz, Cam Kirkpatrick, Jared Osterloh and Randy Reichardt). Clark Priebe bounced in and out of this group as well. I was at the front of this group quite often, which was encouraging considering the potential firepower of the guys I was riding with.
I reluctantly had to shift to the small chain ring about halfway through this event. By my calculations, I climbed the hilly portion of the course over 50 times, which was wearing on me. Ahh, in the small ring I could sit and pedal a bit more. To my amazement, however, I quickly ended up running out of gears in the 39/23 gearing as well... things were really starting to slow down as fatigue was setting in.
Dewey had slipped off the front somewhere towards the latter half of the race. With 2 laps to go, however, I was still racing for 2nd place in this chase group, not bad... Moritz and Jared turned up the heat on this lap and I couldn't respond. Then with one lap to go, it was just me and Cam Kirkpatrick. I sensed he was tired and crested the hill just in front of him, then shifted back into the big ring to maintain my advantage on the downhill. Good thing, because I just made the pay-out by bettering him to the line.
Link to team RESULTS. Also, a good write up at CyclingUpdate.com. I guess I am in the hunt for Iowa Cup points, as I am in good standing now, after dismal results in Iowa City. I am also encouraged to be on the leader board of the Cat 1/2 tally as well, thanks to the result in my second race.
Not sure where things go from here. That course suited me well, now the question is, can I carry this momentum into other race situations that might not be quite as accomodating to my strengths and forgiving to my weaknesses? Stay tuned and thanks for your interest.
1 comment:
Your hard work is starting to pay off...right in time for Memorial Day!!!
Awesome!
Post a Comment