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08-31-03, 03:54 PM
Well, I finally got to do my first bike race. There were lots of other newbie cyclists there ready to try their hand at racing. There were 32 Category 5 racers, and they combined our group with a the women Cat 4 to make it the largest group of the day. I even got to wear my spiffy new ONCE jersey that matched my bike. (I decided not to wear the skin suit that I mentioned in another thread) I was feeling pretty Lance-like, just as any newbie should!
We took off at about 9:40 after the rules were announced and general information about the race course was disclosed. Our race was a single lap of the 24 mile course that climaxed in one significant climb at about the 20 mile mark. Almost immediately there was a crash. Right after the 2nd turn and a quick down hill, two riders must have gotten tangled up and went down 20 feet in front of me. The guy who's wheel I was on hit his brakes, and instinctively I did the same. My back wheel locked up, and I started doing a Joseba Beloki right there as my rear wheel began to overtake the front wheel in a sideways skid. I immediately recognized my error and let go of the brakes. My bike straightened out and I rode right up the middle of the wreck. One guy went airborne and lost his shoe. I saw bike parts scattering everywhere! All I could think was, "Whew that was too close! This is nuts! (I love it!)"
The race was fast in some spots but then came to a crawl in other spots where some team riders appeared to be trying to control the race. It all seemed like wasted effort to me. There wasn't time for strategy. It basically came down to keeping it together until the big hill, then go on the hill and keep your lead if you get one. That's about it. Had we done two loops, things might have been a little different.
It's hard to relate in words the experience of a bike race…. People were shouting at each other "Hold your line!" "Car Up!" "Slowing!" "On Your Right!" "On Your Left!" Etc….. Within the first 5 miles we hit a long down hill and peaked out at 48 mph. I think that's about the fastest I've gone - ever. The funny thing was that you felt like you were floating - drafting behind the other riders. Not much effort, just hang on and look for dogs! I never was forced to pull any during the race, except for one moment when I was in the right hand group when everyone in front of me formed a single line, leaving me to pull the right hand line for a mile or so. No biggy. I just didn't want to burn it all before the hill. Just before we hit it, another rider or two went down behind me for unknown reasons. I think they went off the shoulder of the road and wrecked trying to get back up on the pavement.
The name of the hill was "Cap's Gap." Not sure what it stood for other than the gap that formed at the top between me and 17 other riders. I actually found myself in the middle of the climb before I even knew it, and at the top sooner than I expected; except for one thing… upon reaching what I thought was the top, we turned onto another road only to find another little short, but steep, section left to go. I remember thinking to myself, "Oh Man! I'm going to have to get off and walk!" But then I thought "there's no way I'm going to walk a hill in my first bike race! No WAY!" So I stood up and "Lance'd" my way up the rest of the hill. Funny thing was they had put a feed zone right there at the top, and while I was gasping for oxygen, people were offering me water. I thought "what an odd place for a water hole. I wonder if they have any O2?"
After making it over the top, I saw two straggling riders behind the pack. I knew it was over for a top 10 place; there were not enough miles left in the race to try and bridge up the main group. So, like a lion stalking the weaker prey, I looked to the two stragglers. I tucked down into a good aero position (boy, what I wouldn't have done for my aero bars!) and closed the easier gap. One of the two looked strong, the other looked ready to crack. I took their wheels and hung on for a .5 mile or so and then at just the right time, I slipped out of the draft and surged ahead. The stronger of the two took my wheel and we dropped #3 pretty quickly. Then we sprinted to the finish. I had given what remained after the hill to catch those final two riders, and the strong one had more left than I did. He took me by about 20 yards, leaving me in 16th place out of 32 riders.
For my first bike race, I was happy with the outcome. Top 50% and no crash. Now I can do the oly distance triathlon next week in one piece! I enjoyed the thrill of the fast pace and the skill necessary to hold a true line at that speed with a peleton. It's a lot different than triathlon, but in it's own way, it was most enjoyable! I look forward to the next one.
Stats:
Place: 16th out of 32
Average speed: 22.3 MPH
Peak speed: 48 MPH
Distance 24-ish Miles
Weather: Hot and Humid
We took off at about 9:40 after the rules were announced and general information about the race course was disclosed. Our race was a single lap of the 24 mile course that climaxed in one significant climb at about the 20 mile mark. Almost immediately there was a crash. Right after the 2nd turn and a quick down hill, two riders must have gotten tangled up and went down 20 feet in front of me. The guy who's wheel I was on hit his brakes, and instinctively I did the same. My back wheel locked up, and I started doing a Joseba Beloki right there as my rear wheel began to overtake the front wheel in a sideways skid. I immediately recognized my error and let go of the brakes. My bike straightened out and I rode right up the middle of the wreck. One guy went airborne and lost his shoe. I saw bike parts scattering everywhere! All I could think was, "Whew that was too close! This is nuts! (I love it!)"
The race was fast in some spots but then came to a crawl in other spots where some team riders appeared to be trying to control the race. It all seemed like wasted effort to me. There wasn't time for strategy. It basically came down to keeping it together until the big hill, then go on the hill and keep your lead if you get one. That's about it. Had we done two loops, things might have been a little different.
It's hard to relate in words the experience of a bike race…. People were shouting at each other "Hold your line!" "Car Up!" "Slowing!" "On Your Right!" "On Your Left!" Etc….. Within the first 5 miles we hit a long down hill and peaked out at 48 mph. I think that's about the fastest I've gone - ever. The funny thing was that you felt like you were floating - drafting behind the other riders. Not much effort, just hang on and look for dogs! I never was forced to pull any during the race, except for one moment when I was in the right hand group when everyone in front of me formed a single line, leaving me to pull the right hand line for a mile or so. No biggy. I just didn't want to burn it all before the hill. Just before we hit it, another rider or two went down behind me for unknown reasons. I think they went off the shoulder of the road and wrecked trying to get back up on the pavement.
The name of the hill was "Cap's Gap." Not sure what it stood for other than the gap that formed at the top between me and 17 other riders. I actually found myself in the middle of the climb before I even knew it, and at the top sooner than I expected; except for one thing… upon reaching what I thought was the top, we turned onto another road only to find another little short, but steep, section left to go. I remember thinking to myself, "Oh Man! I'm going to have to get off and walk!" But then I thought "there's no way I'm going to walk a hill in my first bike race! No WAY!" So I stood up and "Lance'd" my way up the rest of the hill. Funny thing was they had put a feed zone right there at the top, and while I was gasping for oxygen, people were offering me water. I thought "what an odd place for a water hole. I wonder if they have any O2?"
After making it over the top, I saw two straggling riders behind the pack. I knew it was over for a top 10 place; there were not enough miles left in the race to try and bridge up the main group. So, like a lion stalking the weaker prey, I looked to the two stragglers. I tucked down into a good aero position (boy, what I wouldn't have done for my aero bars!) and closed the easier gap. One of the two looked strong, the other looked ready to crack. I took their wheels and hung on for a .5 mile or so and then at just the right time, I slipped out of the draft and surged ahead. The stronger of the two took my wheel and we dropped #3 pretty quickly. Then we sprinted to the finish. I had given what remained after the hill to catch those final two riders, and the strong one had more left than I did. He took me by about 20 yards, leaving me in 16th place out of 32 riders.
For my first bike race, I was happy with the outcome. Top 50% and no crash. Now I can do the oly distance triathlon next week in one piece! I enjoyed the thrill of the fast pace and the skill necessary to hold a true line at that speed with a peleton. It's a lot different than triathlon, but in it's own way, it was most enjoyable! I look forward to the next one.
Stats:
Place: 16th out of 32
Average speed: 22.3 MPH
Peak speed: 48 MPH
Distance 24-ish Miles
Weather: Hot and Humid