Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.geneman
04-26-05, 09:04 PM
Race report: 4.26.05
Another suffer fest!
The course is a 4 mile loop with 3 decent hills … one of which is hard enough to separate a pack. We did 7 laps.
We battled a heavy Southerly wind all day, but benefited on the backside of the course where speeds reached 35mpg on relatively flat road. The major climb was hotly contested as every other lap held prime points at the top.
The group stayed together for the most part. Every other lap saw 3-4 guys get off the front at the tops of the climbs and inevitably they would be swallow up despite some hard effort to get away. I admit that I played the cat and mouse game on two of the laps. On lap 4 I chased down a decent break and sat in to allow the group to bridge. Then on lap 5 I broke off the front with another guy and we made a half-hearted go of it before being swallowed.
My philosophy remained the same as always. Stay with the leaders. Stay at the front of the group. Use the hills to your advantage. Don’t let breaks of more than 5 guys get away if possible and be attentive toward breaks involving one or more of the main players in the B group. I have to say that I played my cards right. On the last lap one guy snuck off the front and was given the opportunity to try to make it alone. Bottom line, he did and took first place. The rest of the group, myself included bunched up for the sprint.
I’ll set the stage.
The largest hill on the course is roughly a mile from the finish. The hill is long enough that you can’t simply sprint up it and steep enough to cause enormous amounts of pain. At the top of the hill is a 200 yard flat section dead into the wind followed by a severe downhill and a runout to the line. The last 50 yards is slightly uphill again. Speeds on the downhill reached >40mph.
The group approached the last climb with reservation. It was obvious people were tired and the pace was slower than the previous 6 laps. It was actually a little reassuring to hear everyone around me sucking enormous quantities of air. While I was definitely hurting, it didn’t seem like I was nearly as bad. We stayed together on the flat section at the top. As we approached the downhill, people started jockeying for position and I made sure I remained close to the front. We hit the downhill and reach maximum speed. On the runout the group starts to ramp it up. I stay as close to the front as possible, but not in the leadout. Two guys GO with 100 yards … IT”S TOO SOON!! I stay in their draft and resist the urge to downshift again as I know were going to hit a little incline. With 50 yards to go, I GO FULL GAS and pick my way through the leadout and follow the wheel in front of my which has also made a big move. Just as I get on the gas, I hear the awful sound of bike hitting pavement behind me. I’m too focused to care. I’m sprinting to my limit and I start to gain on my new leadout … my calves are screaming and I’m on the verge of cramping. It’s just he and I. numbers 2 and 3 on the road. He cuts to his right to hug the shoulder and boxes me out literally inches before the line. He crosses the line in second and I cross in third. As we’re coasting over the line, he apologizes for cutting me off and shakes my hand. No harm, no foul. My calves kept me from passing him anyway.
Hey look at that!! I tool 3rd place!! I’m psyched!!
To be honest, I was a little amazed at how the rest of the group seemed to fall apart on the sprint. Maybe it was the crash. Maybe it was that the original two leadouts just gave up the ghost. I think my timing just happened to be perfect this week.
BTW, the guy who fell walked away with a bloody elbow and knee. He seemed OK and his bike was none the worse for wear.
I’ve throw in a pic from two weeks ago for fun. I’m the guy with the blue vest/yellow short sleeves.
Thanks for reading!
Mark
Another suffer fest!
The course is a 4 mile loop with 3 decent hills … one of which is hard enough to separate a pack. We did 7 laps.
We battled a heavy Southerly wind all day, but benefited on the backside of the course where speeds reached 35mpg on relatively flat road. The major climb was hotly contested as every other lap held prime points at the top.
The group stayed together for the most part. Every other lap saw 3-4 guys get off the front at the tops of the climbs and inevitably they would be swallow up despite some hard effort to get away. I admit that I played the cat and mouse game on two of the laps. On lap 4 I chased down a decent break and sat in to allow the group to bridge. Then on lap 5 I broke off the front with another guy and we made a half-hearted go of it before being swallowed.
My philosophy remained the same as always. Stay with the leaders. Stay at the front of the group. Use the hills to your advantage. Don’t let breaks of more than 5 guys get away if possible and be attentive toward breaks involving one or more of the main players in the B group. I have to say that I played my cards right. On the last lap one guy snuck off the front and was given the opportunity to try to make it alone. Bottom line, he did and took first place. The rest of the group, myself included bunched up for the sprint.
I’ll set the stage.
The largest hill on the course is roughly a mile from the finish. The hill is long enough that you can’t simply sprint up it and steep enough to cause enormous amounts of pain. At the top of the hill is a 200 yard flat section dead into the wind followed by a severe downhill and a runout to the line. The last 50 yards is slightly uphill again. Speeds on the downhill reached >40mph.
The group approached the last climb with reservation. It was obvious people were tired and the pace was slower than the previous 6 laps. It was actually a little reassuring to hear everyone around me sucking enormous quantities of air. While I was definitely hurting, it didn’t seem like I was nearly as bad. We stayed together on the flat section at the top. As we approached the downhill, people started jockeying for position and I made sure I remained close to the front. We hit the downhill and reach maximum speed. On the runout the group starts to ramp it up. I stay as close to the front as possible, but not in the leadout. Two guys GO with 100 yards … IT”S TOO SOON!! I stay in their draft and resist the urge to downshift again as I know were going to hit a little incline. With 50 yards to go, I GO FULL GAS and pick my way through the leadout and follow the wheel in front of my which has also made a big move. Just as I get on the gas, I hear the awful sound of bike hitting pavement behind me. I’m too focused to care. I’m sprinting to my limit and I start to gain on my new leadout … my calves are screaming and I’m on the verge of cramping. It’s just he and I. numbers 2 and 3 on the road. He cuts to his right to hug the shoulder and boxes me out literally inches before the line. He crosses the line in second and I cross in third. As we’re coasting over the line, he apologizes for cutting me off and shakes my hand. No harm, no foul. My calves kept me from passing him anyway.
Hey look at that!! I tool 3rd place!! I’m psyched!!
To be honest, I was a little amazed at how the rest of the group seemed to fall apart on the sprint. Maybe it was the crash. Maybe it was that the original two leadouts just gave up the ghost. I think my timing just happened to be perfect this week.
BTW, the guy who fell walked away with a bloody elbow and knee. He seemed OK and his bike was none the worse for wear.
I’ve throw in a pic from two weeks ago for fun. I’m the guy with the blue vest/yellow short sleeves.
Thanks for reading!
Mark