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08-04-10, 06:29 PM
I rode in the Firehouse 50 (http://www.firehouse50.org/gvfh50/) As the name implies, it is a 50 mile race out of and ending in Grand View, WI. I, of course did not get a preferred start position. As you can see, there are about 300 in front of me and about 100 behind me waiting at the start. Since it took me about 5 minutes to get to the start line, I think it is only fair to take that off of my official time. :)
In front of me,
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/Group_Front.jpg?t=1280967380
Behind me,
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/Group_Back.jpg?1280967454
It starts at the bottom of a 700 foot climb that goes to the top of the Great Divide (no, not the Continental Divide, that is out west). It is about the same gain as Blue Mounds road but it is 4.5 miles long instead of the 2.5 miles of Blue Mounds road so the grade is quite manageable for us non-skinnies. I rode the course a couple of times in the week prior, I didn’t stop in the race to take the picture below. I stayed on the other side of the hill. It is a much harder climb at the end of the 50 miles instead of the start.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/Great_Divide.jpg?t=1280967546
My wife was down the road to get some action shots. She wasn’t quite there in time for the peloton, this was the best picture she got of it.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/01FH50.jpg?1280967604
This was a trailing group.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/02FH50.jpg?t=1280967703
After the climb, I hooked up with a group of about 15 people. About a mile from where my wife was waiting, I took a flyer off the front so she could get some good shots of yours truly.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/03FH50.jpg?t=1280967789
The money shot.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/04FH50.jpg?t=1280967855
Needless to say, I blew up and my group caught me. I was a bit worried about going off the back but I recovered when I sat in. I even pulled a few times before the end. There was an accident in the peloton. I heard 1 of the 2 in the accident broke a collar bone. We saw the ambulance as it came towards us.
I should mention Lake Owen road. In the north woods, small roads are not cut through hills, they are built on and around them. Lake Owen road is 10 miles of constant steep, twisting rollers on narrow, crappy pavement. A couple of descents you can easily hit 40+ without pedaling. Amazingly, the accident did not happen on Lake Owen road.
The lead in to the finish is a wide, smooth highway. About 200 yards from the line, there is a 90 degree left-hand turn. Kind of silly because for the peloton, there is always a group sprint for the win. The turn makes it a bit more difficult.
I didn’t expect a sprint with my group. I thought wrong. About a mile to the finish, our speed increases and everyone is coming to the front for position. I decided to head towards the back and stay out of trouble. About 500 yards from the left-hand turn, one guy blew up while another guy attacked. The guy who blew-up blocked out several people but no one was going after guy attacking so I gave it a go. I bridged the gap and nobody followed. I sat on the guy’s wheel but he was slowing down about 100 yards from the turn. I could have passed him for the “win” but I thought that would have been a d-bag move. We did stay clear of our group at the line.
I don’t have the fancy numbers like ColorChange, but I did the 50.1 miles in 2:27:15.4 at 20.4 mph average. I was 195 out of the 373 who rode with chips, well ahead of my not-in-the-bottom-10 goal. w00t.
I happen to park next to last year’s winner and talked to him after the race. He came in 12th this year in a bunch finish of about 50. The winning time was 1:57:32.9. He didn’t see the accident as it was a few positions behind him.
In front of me,
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/Group_Front.jpg?t=1280967380
Behind me,
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/Group_Back.jpg?1280967454
It starts at the bottom of a 700 foot climb that goes to the top of the Great Divide (no, not the Continental Divide, that is out west). It is about the same gain as Blue Mounds road but it is 4.5 miles long instead of the 2.5 miles of Blue Mounds road so the grade is quite manageable for us non-skinnies. I rode the course a couple of times in the week prior, I didn’t stop in the race to take the picture below. I stayed on the other side of the hill. It is a much harder climb at the end of the 50 miles instead of the start.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/Great_Divide.jpg?t=1280967546
My wife was down the road to get some action shots. She wasn’t quite there in time for the peloton, this was the best picture she got of it.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/01FH50.jpg?1280967604
This was a trailing group.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/02FH50.jpg?t=1280967703
After the climb, I hooked up with a group of about 15 people. About a mile from where my wife was waiting, I took a flyer off the front so she could get some good shots of yours truly.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/03FH50.jpg?t=1280967789
The money shot.
http://i911.photobucket.com/albums/ac311/iabisdb/Bikes/04FH50.jpg?t=1280967855
Needless to say, I blew up and my group caught me. I was a bit worried about going off the back but I recovered when I sat in. I even pulled a few times before the end. There was an accident in the peloton. I heard 1 of the 2 in the accident broke a collar bone. We saw the ambulance as it came towards us.
I should mention Lake Owen road. In the north woods, small roads are not cut through hills, they are built on and around them. Lake Owen road is 10 miles of constant steep, twisting rollers on narrow, crappy pavement. A couple of descents you can easily hit 40+ without pedaling. Amazingly, the accident did not happen on Lake Owen road.
The lead in to the finish is a wide, smooth highway. About 200 yards from the line, there is a 90 degree left-hand turn. Kind of silly because for the peloton, there is always a group sprint for the win. The turn makes it a bit more difficult.
I didn’t expect a sprint with my group. I thought wrong. About a mile to the finish, our speed increases and everyone is coming to the front for position. I decided to head towards the back and stay out of trouble. About 500 yards from the left-hand turn, one guy blew up while another guy attacked. The guy who blew-up blocked out several people but no one was going after guy attacking so I gave it a go. I bridged the gap and nobody followed. I sat on the guy’s wheel but he was slowing down about 100 yards from the turn. I could have passed him for the “win” but I thought that would have been a d-bag move. We did stay clear of our group at the line.
I don’t have the fancy numbers like ColorChange, but I did the 50.1 miles in 2:27:15.4 at 20.4 mph average. I was 195 out of the 373 who rode with chips, well ahead of my not-in-the-bottom-10 goal. w00t.
I happen to park next to last year’s winner and talked to him after the race. He came in 12th this year in a bunch finish of about 50. The winning time was 1:57:32.9. He didn’t see the accident as it was a few positions behind him.