2010 Iowa State Road Race... The Wrath of ZEUS!

Zeus (the greek sky god, who controls the weather, especially rain and lightning) really had his sights set on West Branch this year...

I had trained for the worse case scenario, as I looked forward to the 2010 edition of the Iowa State Road Championships.  I was anticipating hot and oppressively humid conditions, and spent a lot of time riding in the midst of the summer heat.  I was determined to have a stronger finish then in the previous two attempts, which were plagued with cramping and de-hydration...
 
Ok, I guess I did accomplish this goal... however, it wasn't as much a result of my focused training regimine... it had more to do with the fact that it rained most of the race, creating rather 'pleasant' riding conditions with respect to the physical demands.  Sort of disappointing, because I was actually looking forward to suffering.
 
Yes, we did suffer a little due to the reduced visibility from the rain spatter... but really, it was a nice, cool day, and the rain allowed for a comfortable riding situation with respect to hydration and body core temperatures.  For example, unlike last year, the hand-ups weren't as crucial. In fact, I ended up with more bottles than I needed, and even saw guys tossing out full bottles toward the end.  We just weren't sweating that much, nor riding that hard, which neutralized the importance of the feed zone.
 
EUROPEAN STYLE RACING... the 'natural break'
 
Always nice to get some culture, as I experienced some 'european style racing'....
ok, what I mean is  "Hey! U R PEEING"... 
There sure was a lot of urinating going on... Brian Abbott confirmed this suspicion, as he was the follow vehicle.  A very simple explanation... a lot of us were hydrating as if the rain would stop and the heat would pick up, but it never happened.  Thus, lots of fluids needed to be evacuated.  In fact, a few of the guys who held it the entire race could later be seen  'watering' the flower bushes in front of resident's homes... not able to hold it any longer.  I suppose the 'adult diaper' approach, and/or the 'jealous female astronaut tactic'  was also being employed throughout the race, as the rain could potentially mask any fluid's that might be surreptitiously streaming from rider's pedals.  Such a difference from years past, as our bodies were holding onto every precious drop of moisture... not the case this year.
 
ZEUS... I FORSAKE THEE!!!
Did I pee?  You bet... it was a sort of  'pee protest'... as I protested to the great gods of rain for denying me the pain and suffering I had been anticipating all year long.  "Zeus!  I smite thee, alas receive my golden damnation!"
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Really?  Am I going to write an entire race report that  features a recap of how often we peed?  Well,  you know, sorry, but I think that is going to be all I got this year... This race is awesome, even with the rain, and I will mark it as a goal event next year... but there really aren't many highlights.  We basically just rolled around for about 4.5 hours and then had a field sprint at the end.  A few guys might have gotten dropped, but most of the people that fell off the pace had some sort of technical issue.  It should also be mentioned that quite a few of the Cat 1 strongmen weren't present this year, which also contributed to the lethargic tone of this race.  108 miles is a long distance for the typical Cat 2 or Cat 3 rider... without some of the 'big guns' there to stir things up... well, things didn't get stirred up much.
 
Having said that, I am very happy to have gotten 8th in the Cat 1/2 field that paid back 10 places.  My training for this race did pay off, just not in the way I envisioned it.  I am already thinking about next year... hopefully Zeus has  heard my outcry and accepted my sacriledge with the disdain I intended.. I demand that he show mercy on us next year by allowing for the summer heat to destroy the field... praise the sun god Helios... may her wrath forsake us in 2011...

Men Pro/1/2 - Iowa State Road Race (108 Miles)

1. Jeff Barnes, Iowa City Cycling Club - Mercy-Specialized (IOWA CITY, IA) [Gold]
2. Lee Venteicher, Bikes To You / World of Bikes - (WAUKON, IA) [Silver]
3. Ryan French, Team Emu - Zealous Racing (DES MOINES, IA) [Bronze]
4. Brian West, Central Iowa Cycling Club - Colorbiotics (CEDAR FALLS, IA)
5. Adam Koble, Speedfix Racing p/b Zubaz - (EAU CLAIRE, WI)
6. Robert Chorost, RIDECLEAN - (TUCSON, AZ)
7. Jerome Rewerts, Team Emu - Zealous Racing (NEVADA, IA)
8. Chad Bishop, Melon City Bike Club Inc. - Harper's Cycling & Fitness (MUSCATINE, IA)
9. Steven Robinson, Team Emu - Zealous Racing (DES MOINES, IA)
10. Carson Christen, Iowa City Cycling Club - Mercy-Specialized (CEDAR RAPIDS, IA)
11. Gregory Springborn, Peoria Bicycle Club - Proctor Cycling Team (PEKIN, IL)
12. Michael Sencenbaugh, University of Arizona - (CARROLL, IA)
13. David Paquette, Team Wisconsin - Team Wisconsin / MC2 (DECORAH, IA)
14. Jonathan Nelson, POWERADE - INDEPENDENT FABRICATION (SIOUX CITY, IA)
15. William Greenwood, Bikes To You / World of Bikes - (IOWA CITY, IA)
16. Brandon Krawczyk, Speedfix Racing p/b Zubaz - (WAUKESHA, WI)
17. Finn Kolsrud, Colavita Racing Inc. - Colavita Racing (IOWA CITY, IA)
18. Matias Perret, Iowa City Cycling Club - Mercy-Specialized (IOWACITY, IA)
19. Adam Price, Iowa City Cycling Club - Mercy-Specialized (DURANT, IA)
20. Robert Brokaw, Team Mack Racing Assoc. LTD - Team Mack Racing Assn (ROCHESTER, IL)
DNF. Ryan Nenninger, Iowa City Cycling Club - Mercy-Specialized (IOWA CITY, IA)
DNF. Clark Priebe, POWERADE - INDEPENDENT FABRICATION (SIOUX CITY, IA)
DNF. Garrett McAllister, Team Wisconsin - Team Wisconsin / MC2 (DECORAH, IA)
DNF. David Lippold, Team Emu - Zealous Racing (WEST DES MOINES, IA)
DNF. John Olney, Iowa City Cycling Club - Mercy-Specialized (IOWA CITY, IA)