Racing with the over-the-hill guys in NC
Last year at 35 I did some masters races up in the mid-Atlantic and discovered how much better the racing was than the crap that is cat. 3/4 racing. Riders are smooth, there are team tactics, it's faster, etc.
I may be over the hill now, but when I was on top of my hill it wasn't very high as evidenced by the fact that in all likelihood I will be a suck-ass cat.4 for life. So given that I'm not fast to begin with, and that I'd done one really hard ride this year, and that Masters fields are usually filled by guys who although over-the-hill, were and are still fast, I had one goal: race smart and hang on. In other words, don't waste energy and hope to still be there at the end. If I had a sprint this would be a great strategy, but I don't, which makes me lame-ass pack fill.
We did 4 13 mile loops, maybe 50 starters. It was in eastern NC so it was flat. Unlike cat. 4 racing, it was pretty much continuous attacks with small groups constantly off the front, at times really hard single-file chases, I saw riders popping and pulling out of line, I never did. That might not be much but it's all I've got to hang my hat on. Last lap started with a group of 4 guys about 30 seconds up the road, another small group in between and then the bunch. It got strung out for the first half of the lap as the chase and bridging attempts began in ernest. I was definitely on the rivet. It eventually came back together and the pace went way down for the last several miles as everyone waited for the sprint. This gave all the chumps, like me, a chance to recover and believe something might be possible for the finish. Then I did the bonehead move of the race, and got stuck on the far right of the road (last turn was a right about 500 meters from the line). I think we had one official with us somewhere, no motorcycles, so all day riders had been violating the yellow line rule to move up. Last couple of kilometers and the same shit goes down. Next race I'll be smart about this and cheat like the rest if possible. I'm sure this is the same rationale that leads to doping, oh well. I went thru the last corner well back and punched it, only to cramp, but I sat down and stayed on it pretty good. Lots of guys were blowing, and I actually passed a fair number, maybe ended up inside the top 20. If there had been any wind, this race would have probably split up, and I'm not sure I would have been anywhere near the front.
Sunday was a crit in downtown Greenville next to the city park on the Tar river (this has cross race written all over it!). There was actually a slight hill climbing away from the river and the second half of the lap was slighly downhill thru some turns back to the road along the river with the finish line and a good headwind. With only 22 starters and dead legs from Saturday this promised to be hard. I paid for my lack of racing as it took me about half the race to get my cornering confidence back. I spent alot of energy I couldn't afford spending closing gaps that I let open because I didn't pedal enough thru the corners. At least I never punked out and didn't close the gaps. Anyway it was hard, I suffered. I turned to check where I was in the bunch at one point and was last wheel. Finally about 2/3 of the way thru, there was a group or two off the front and what was left of the bunch split. I was in the 2nd group of 7 or 8 riders and saw the gap growing wider to the group of 7 or 8 in front. Dropping to the road along the river I knew it was now or never to cross the growing gap of 75 meters or so. I buried myself and struck out into the head wind, turned off the river road and went up the hill for all I was worth. I made contact at the top. I think one guy came with me and got a free ride across the rest never made it back. I thought I would puke for the next two laps. This group stayed together to the end, I don't know how many riders were up the road. We caught riders (lapped or coming back I don't know). Coming to the last lap, I thought "punch it up the hill" because where you are at the top will pretty much decide it at the finish. Well no one really went, and neither did I. Just good old fashion stupid as I had the legs to at least move up. So I started the hill in six wheel and I went thru the corner at the top in 6th wheel, and then it happened; a gap to the first duo opened, then the guy in front of me let a gap open thru the turns. I don't know if our group was sprinting for some money or not (it went 10 deep). I at least came around the guy in front of me at the line. I didn't finish in the top 10. I'm kinda of pissed because I didn't race more aggressively. Oh well, it's just training for cross. Maybe if I don't let myself get totally out of shape this winter, and do some good training next spring, I can play my part in these Masters races down here and not be just pack fill.
I may be over the hill now, but when I was on top of my hill it wasn't very high as evidenced by the fact that in all likelihood I will be a suck-ass cat.4 for life. So given that I'm not fast to begin with, and that I'd done one really hard ride this year, and that Masters fields are usually filled by guys who although over-the-hill, were and are still fast, I had one goal: race smart and hang on. In other words, don't waste energy and hope to still be there at the end. If I had a sprint this would be a great strategy, but I don't, which makes me lame-ass pack fill.
We did 4 13 mile loops, maybe 50 starters. It was in eastern NC so it was flat. Unlike cat. 4 racing, it was pretty much continuous attacks with small groups constantly off the front, at times really hard single-file chases, I saw riders popping and pulling out of line, I never did. That might not be much but it's all I've got to hang my hat on. Last lap started with a group of 4 guys about 30 seconds up the road, another small group in between and then the bunch. It got strung out for the first half of the lap as the chase and bridging attempts began in ernest. I was definitely on the rivet. It eventually came back together and the pace went way down for the last several miles as everyone waited for the sprint. This gave all the chumps, like me, a chance to recover and believe something might be possible for the finish. Then I did the bonehead move of the race, and got stuck on the far right of the road (last turn was a right about 500 meters from the line). I think we had one official with us somewhere, no motorcycles, so all day riders had been violating the yellow line rule to move up. Last couple of kilometers and the same shit goes down. Next race I'll be smart about this and cheat like the rest if possible. I'm sure this is the same rationale that leads to doping, oh well. I went thru the last corner well back and punched it, only to cramp, but I sat down and stayed on it pretty good. Lots of guys were blowing, and I actually passed a fair number, maybe ended up inside the top 20. If there had been any wind, this race would have probably split up, and I'm not sure I would have been anywhere near the front.
Sunday was a crit in downtown Greenville next to the city park on the Tar river (this has cross race written all over it!). There was actually a slight hill climbing away from the river and the second half of the lap was slighly downhill thru some turns back to the road along the river with the finish line and a good headwind. With only 22 starters and dead legs from Saturday this promised to be hard. I paid for my lack of racing as it took me about half the race to get my cornering confidence back. I spent alot of energy I couldn't afford spending closing gaps that I let open because I didn't pedal enough thru the corners. At least I never punked out and didn't close the gaps. Anyway it was hard, I suffered. I turned to check where I was in the bunch at one point and was last wheel. Finally about 2/3 of the way thru, there was a group or two off the front and what was left of the bunch split. I was in the 2nd group of 7 or 8 riders and saw the gap growing wider to the group of 7 or 8 in front. Dropping to the road along the river I knew it was now or never to cross the growing gap of 75 meters or so. I buried myself and struck out into the head wind, turned off the river road and went up the hill for all I was worth. I made contact at the top. I think one guy came with me and got a free ride across the rest never made it back. I thought I would puke for the next two laps. This group stayed together to the end, I don't know how many riders were up the road. We caught riders (lapped or coming back I don't know). Coming to the last lap, I thought "punch it up the hill" because where you are at the top will pretty much decide it at the finish. Well no one really went, and neither did I. Just good old fashion stupid as I had the legs to at least move up. So I started the hill in six wheel and I went thru the corner at the top in 6th wheel, and then it happened; a gap to the first duo opened, then the guy in front of me let a gap open thru the turns. I don't know if our group was sprinting for some money or not (it went 10 deep). I at least came around the guy in front of me at the line. I didn't finish in the top 10. I'm kinda of pissed because I didn't race more aggressively. Oh well, it's just training for cross. Maybe if I don't let myself get totally out of shape this winter, and do some good training next spring, I can play my part in these Masters races down here and not be just pack fill.
posted by Venga, Venga, Venga! at 5:36 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home