NCNCA Baby Masters 30-34 RR Championship
San Ardo RR
Three laps, 23 miles each. Very little climbing, couple punchers and some wind in the valley.
Strava Segment | San Ardo Road Race Lap
Only 5 guys showed up. We all had the same idea, poach this weird Master's Category and get free road races all next year.
2 Olympic Club riders, Randy Bramblet, and a cat 3 guy, initials AM; OC1, OC2, RB, AM
Lap One
After 10 minutes OC1 takes off. I close it. OC2 takes off. I close it. OC1 counters, I let it open.. RB is a super-duper sprinter and better at playing chicken than I am. I was down to literally about 12mph and nobody would come around. If I'd gotten off the bike, I think they'd all have gotten off their bikes.
(I should say, I saw RB and OC1/OC2 chatting before the race. I can't say they were trying to eliminate me, but when I asked OC1 if Randy had gotten to them before the race he kept saying "I can't hear you, too much wind." fml)
Anyway about halfway through lap 1 I decided that if they wanted to isolate themselves and blow their wad TTing, imma let 'em. I left OC1 about one minute up for 40 minutes then closed him down. OC2 countered and I left him out for most of
Lap 2
I close down OC2 and OC1 goes again. I try in vain to make RB or AM do work. ANY work. And no, they won't. I mean, they know what I am good at and they know I'll cave and race for 2nd. It's in my nature. But OC1 is out front again for a long time and I'm just sitting at tempo and he's not going anywhere.
Whenever there is a gap on my wheel I attack. When they catch I go back to tempo. Whenever there is a riser or bump, I blast it. They catch, I shut it down. Guy out front is TTing himself to the bone and I'm doing what I can to fatigue the guys behind.
Lap 3
Halfway through lap 3 OC1 looks like he's hurting. I close him down and blast past with a solid delta onto a little overpass/riser section. Gap. He can't get on.
Now we're 4. I'm still pulling and attacking whenever I see a bike-length gap in my shadow. There is on the backside, a tailwind aided 90-second climb. About 10mi from the finish. I coast to the bottom and try to time it so the 4th rider is at his speed nadir and I jump. I give it 100% up the hill, 100% across the apex, and 100% into the first 30s of the slight downhill. I count the shadows. OC2 is gone.
Our group is 3 now and RB, AM, and I are sort of trading pulls, but not really. They are in front but they aren't really working. Sprinters, amirite?
I'm throwing down short attacks, trying to gap AM figuring RB is going to win I might as well take 2nd, but in one of the rotations RB points to his rear wheel, it's soft, sealant caught it, I think. -- This course is so notorious for thorns I put on fresh tires front and back and carried a tube/co2 on the race. -- Anyway, his tire is soft and he's between me and C3 so when I go past I really go. GOGOGO. I have a little gap. GOGOGO I have maybe 10s and I'm folded down into my Merckx position.
I was finally there. It was down to me and two sprinters and I was out front with a gap. The adrenaline rush was HUGE. Felt like I jumped out of a plane.
4 miles, 10 minutes at 370w later I win. Maybe 90s later RB outsprints AM on a squishy rear for 2nd. AM is 3rd and OC1 OC2 are out. I don't even think they finished. I think they stopped at the cars.
Last week was 80mi in a 6-man break and I tried to win and was 6th. Today was 70mi in a 5-man break and I was so mad I wanted to quit, but held on and raced to my strength and was in position when opportunity knocked. I'm really happy. Soloing through the town to the finish all the guys I know and ride with were calling my name. I passed the 35-40 winner and 2nd as they were cat-&-mousing and he cheered me on. It was just a wide range of emotions from being nervous thinking I should win, to starting and feeling like it was 4 vs. 1 to actually winning.
