The Sub 5 Club... Bickel's Roller Race

Enjoying a nice moment on the glorious Roller Race 'Podium' with Lee Venteicher and Bryan Moritz.

I am happy to report that I accomplished my PR at the Bickel's Roller Race in Burlington, Iowa on Saturday.  I felt a little pressure to try and post a time under 5 minutes, so I was a bit apprehensive about what kind of pain that meant I might have to endure.  Not to mention, the fact that digging that deep could potentially result in blowing up and completely wasting my effort.  It all worked out and I posted a time of 4:59.8!

This particular journey started weeks before, after getting a time of 5:04.6 at the Harper's Cycling Race in Muscatine, and feeling like I had little more to give.   I decided to make a conscious effort to get a time under 5 minutes.  Ok, to be honest, I always start pedalling with this goal in mind, it just usually dissipates within the first minute, as the lactate starts to build up...

Not this time, I dialed it into my 'sweet spot cadence' and decided to try and ride it out. Prior to the start, however,  I had a little technical difficulty, in that the reflection from the overhead lighting was obscuring my view of the speedometer... If you have ever done a roller race, you might be able to relate to how important it is to try and focus in on something...  I grabbed a pair of cheap sunglasses, but they just made it darker...  It would have been nice to have some Oakley's... lesson learned...

I tried wearing sunglasses as I raced Lee Venteicher in the infamous "Flying Mile"...  1 mile with no resistance...
 sort of dangerous as you spin up to the point where you start to wobble off the rollers...

At about half mile in, I was feeling confident, as I was holding around a 4:55 pace.  As I rounded the first mile I was at around 4:57, and mentally I was still thinking positively...  crap this is going to happen...  Ok, with half a mile to go I was still encouraged as I could see the 'finish line'.

Unfortunately, I 'blew up' with .3 of a mile to go.  The cadence I was holding began to slip and I felt the energy in my legs completely drain.  Really, I am going to come this close and settle?  Regardless of my mental resolve, my legs just didn't respond, my cadence slipped every couple of seconds... I was just trying to hang on...  Dang, I knew I was going to fall short, as I was down to the last 10 seconds or so but I had no strength left and I was right at 4:59.6...  I opted to try and summon up some adrenalin by executing a gutteral scream...  Miraculously, the clock held steady at 4:59.8 as I watched the distance culminate at the 2 mile mark.  Sweet!

I will refrain from commenting about future implications, rather opt to enjoy the realization of one of my cycling goals.  Along those lines, however, not even 30 seconds after I was finished, Lee suggested that I needed to break the 4 minute barrier next... give me a break.  So, I only have one regret regarding my pre-race bravado...

As promised, I had my time tattooed to my butt... crap, what if I get 4:59.7 next year?