2011 Hillsboro Roubaix...Droppin' It Like It Was Hot

All things considered, I had a rewarding experience at the 2011 edition of the Hillsboro Roubaix Spring Classic. I'm a fairly new Cat 2 racer, so I was still a little apprehensive lining up for only my second Pro 1,2 race at this level. 115 competitors towed the line to endure 87 windy miles across a course that included lots of twists and turns.

The Pro 1,2 field winding down a descent as riders struggle to hang on.

The wind was the main factor to consider in this race.  With such a large field of strong riders, it was a challenge to stay with the group during the many cross-wind sections, where drafting wasn't as effective.  I loaded up my water bottles with EnduroMax.  This is a product by Max Muscle that I have been using to maintain my strength throughout longer training/racing efforts and it seems to be really working.
 

The Pro 1,2 peleton was still fairly intact about midway through the race

There were quite a few crashes and mechanical issues throughout this race.  Position was so important to those that wanted to survive to see the end of the event, so everyone was very focused on staying tightly bunched together and as close to the front as possible.  Of course, if 115 skilled Pro 1,2 racers are all trying to be at the sweet spot of the peleton (about 1/3 of the way back), then something's gotta give... we all can't be there.  I imagine this was the case in all the races, as the ambulance was busy throughout the day taking people to the hospital. 

I was struggling to find the motivation to fight for position, which made my race exceptionally challenging. Yes, I did get dropped... actually quite a few times. A lot of times it had to do with getting caught behind a crash, but a few times the accelerations became too overwhelming, especially as fatigue became a factor later in the race. I am racing in the big leagues now, as became apparent with the unrelenting strength of this field. 

I am happy to report however, that I managed to reconnect with the main field several times and was still in the coveted 'selection' of about 30 riders with only about half a lap left to race. 


The Pro 1,2 field had whittled down to a 30 rider chase pack at about the 70th mile of the race.  Teammates Jeff Bradley, Paul Deninger, Vince De Jong and myself are still amongst the survivors at this point.

  

Here I am riding with what's left of the main field with only about 17 miles left to race.

I don't remember exactly what the situation was, but at some point after this photo, the field left me behind... and I wouldn't be able to catch them.  Teammates Paul Deninger and Vince De Jong popped off soon after.  We started a rotation of sorts, and even picked up fellow Iowan Brian West just a few miles later.


The main field as it races up the final hill through town, with only about a 1 mile to go. 
Teammate Jeff Bradely is sitting in about the 7th position.

 


Remarkably, I was still riding strong towards the end of the race,
so ended up leaving our 'Iowan Chase Group' behind, rolling up the final hill solo.

 


Paul Deninger seems like he had a 'rewarding' day as well, as he and Brian West
 head up the final hill through town just a bit behind me.


I am actually somewhat satisfied with the 2011 Hillsboro Roubaix Results.  I finished 38th out of 115 very talented and experienced regional Pro 1,2 level riders.  Sure, it wasn't pretty... actually it was downright ugly.  I know what needed to be done to get a better placing, and I wasn't mentally capable of doing it. I bought a book called "Sports Psychology for Cyclists" in an effort to remedy this situation.  I can say, however that I gained a huge amount of experience and fitness, as this was an intense workout.

American Equity teammate Jeff Bradley had the best finish of the day at 18th.  Unfortunately, Lou Waugaman had a mechanical issue early in the race and had to drop out.  This is too bad, because I know he was set to easily make the final selection, if not the winning break.  Teammate JJ Bailey got caught behind a crash, so he had to ride most of the race solo. Paul finished behind me, with Vince De Jong (who was riding strong in the field until right up until the end) finished in about the 44th position, a couple minutes back from where I ended up.  All in all, it was great to ride with the team, and experience midwest racing at it's finest. I am positive and encouraged about the outlook of my 2011 racing season.