Racing for Gas Money - East Village Crit

So about half the way over to Des Moines to race the 2011 East Village Crit on Saturday, I realize that I forgot my wallet... too far to turn around... I decided they wouldn't need to see my USAC license, and since I was pre-registered I didn't technically need to panic much... then I looked at my gas gauge... crap, I wouldn't have enough gas to make it home... I really didn't want to think about having to borrow money from someone at the race...  Wait... then I began to think about the history of the race... It is a strong-man's course that usually results in plenty of DNF's... Considering the fact that it very generously pays back 15 spots, all I needed to do was finish the race and I would get gas money for the ride home... what a great added bit of incentive to race well...I felt great and planned on doing much more than merely finishing, so no worries.

NO WHERE TO HIDE
This race has been described as a race that has No where to hide... the two block up hill section is just steep enough to sort out the pack through attrition and negate the benefits of drafting... Unfortunately, there was a bit more wind than usual, coming right down the uphill portion of the course... staying hidden in the pack, and/or attacking within your limits was way more important than I initially realized.  Practically every lap, someone would attack at the base of the hill... If I sat in, the attacks were easy to hang on to, but the times I was near or at the front, they shot around me, and I had to really struggle to get hithched back on.

So, a break of about 6 riders eventually formed and stayed out front for quite some time.   I had decided I could enjoy the benefits of riding solo, and let the other teams bring it back, as they weren't all represented.  Steve Tilford (link to his report) was up the road, however, so the break seemed to have potential to stay clear.  Then I made the fatal mistake... I over estimated my strength and launched to the front on the down hill, hoping to help bring back the break a bit.  This usually wouldn't have been the end of my race, but, as my bad luck would have it, one of the more prominent attacks up the hill occurred while I was still recovering from my pull...  that's all she wrote... I got popped off the back... I struggled for a few laps to catch back on, but eventually ended up in no-man's land...

SHAME PARADE
I noticed guys were pulling out of the race, and remembered that I needed gas money, so I continued to roll around the course... this is just sort of embarassing because I was riding around by myself, with no one cheering... can't blame them... what are they supposed to say?  They know I am never going to catch back on... sort of an awkward silence each time I passed by a crowd...

I began to think about how long I drove to get to this race, and about my upcoming race schedule.  I decided to overcome my embarrassment and elected to get some training in while I waited for the race to conclude.  I hit a nice tempo up the hill, and alternated standing with seated efforts...

I was eventually caught by the two-man break.  It consisted of Jeff Barnes (Iowa City), and a guy from RideClean named Clay Murfet... Apparently he is from Tazmania, and trains/lives in Tucson.  He does Mount Lemmon three times in a row for training... hmmm, this was a good course to capitalize on his strengths. In fact, he would pull on the uphill portions of each lap, then Jeff would pull on the downhill sections.

I sat on their wheel, hoping to get the race over with faster... I figured they might ride me off their wheel... It was a few laps later that I began to get sick to my stomach... not physically, but psychologically... Their pace was so easy to follow... there truly was somewhere to hide...  I couldn't believe how big of a factor the wind was this year... Following those two guys didn't require near the effort that I had been using launching around with with field earlier in the race... they were so smooth. 

So, it became clear that if I would have raced more sensibly, I wouldn't have had to endure the one-man shame parade.   I know I would have been in contention for a great finish, as this course actually suits me well.

I rolled over the last lap having a front row seat to the finish... Clay let Jeff make the first move at the bottom of the hill then came around him at the top to take the win.  I gave them their space and then casually pulled off to the side...  I counted the finishers to verify whether or not I would be getting gas money for the ride home...

Yes! 13th place...  Gas money, plus a little extra for some M&M's and chocolate milk...

This is a great race that is very well put together by the organizers, I am sure I will be back next year.

My next post will probably also include my plans for the rest of the season... Yes, the road season ends in the middle of August for most Iowa riders,  but I have found plenty of creative ways to race my TT bike over the next couple of months...  I know there is some glory out there for me somewhere this season and I am determined to claim some of it...