We went to the line at 10:10 (me) and 10:16 (Christina) in Oracle, AZ. The initial challenge was what to wear. It was much colder at race time (38F) than it has been. We knew what to wear for this temp but, it was more complicated in that it might go to 55F….or even higher, before the finish. This was a race and Christina and I could not stop to take off jackets and vests. At race pace, we can always manage to get gloves and armies off. I suspect most amateur masters bike racers are similar.
So, after dressing and redressing, we headed to staging. I had about 40 or more in my combined 55+/65+ group. My 65+ AG had 12 or 14 folks……..skinnier than you can imagine. Maybe all but a couple were sub 150 pounders. After feeling like crap Saturday afternoon and some jitters earlier, ice water was running through my veins. I was not cocky….I was confident that I had come with my A Game. That is all I can ever do: Be the best I can be.
We rolled in neutral for about a mile to a right turn and then it was 'game on'. Mostly downhill for 6 miles, it was pretty sane. Then, the moto missed the turn, taking a big part of the pack with him. I turned the right way and I was way off the front. Luckily no crashes occurred and we were back together soon.
About 10.5 miles in, we turned on Webb Rd (7 miles and 1350 feet of climbing). That was the time for me to execute my strategy: Stay in the lead pack until I finish or can't pedal, whichever comes first. If I can't pedal, recover and ride like hell.
Soon, there are 12-14 of us……... Roy Quade and Tom Wallace were the only riders in my AG. Two thirds of the way up the climb, the 'can't pedal thing' happened. Coming off, I pull off gloves and armies and then returned to pedaling hard. At the top of the climb, my buddy Richard Ellwanger, caught me. Richard is 70, weighs 141 and can climb like a rocket……..he has had a flat and come back, passing all dropped riders, and was solo. I asked him to back down a notch. With 13 pacing miles ahead, he decided two were better than one and gave me a short recovery.
Three miles later, I hit a low emotional point when 5 guys caught us….including Jack Dillon (a guy I have never beat). Soon our grupeto reached the climb for the second go round. Shortly, it was Richard, a 55+ guy and me. I was suffering and lost contact with Richard in the exact place I lost the lead pack on the first lap. I still had not given up hope for 3rd place and continued to chase….pitch after pitch. Later, Strava would tell me that these two climbs were my best ever and the second was only 1 minute slower than the first!
For me, this drop ended the race….oh, I had to ride like heck. There were guys only minutes back. In the hills prior to finish, I caught a 55+ guy and put on a serious sprint to beat him………I always sprint at the end whether needed or not . It is physical and mental practice.
FOR A GUY WHO WEIGHS ABOUT A DONUT LESS THAN 190 ON A COURSE WITH TWO EACH 7+ MILE 1350 FOOT CLIMBS, I FELT PRETTY GOOD ABOUT THE DAY.
Christina's race went pretty much the same. She made the winning break of about 8 but could not quite hang. She finished 5th and felt very good about her race. TREMENDOUS RESULTS FOR HER!
I will be racing Flapjack Flats 30K ITT on Saturday while Christina returns to Greenville for a week!
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