I find it fitting that this is the evening of my 50th birthday and past due to update my race reports. It is fitting because cycling keeps one young. We have all gone for rides with 60 and 70 (some even 80) year old cyclists who are amazing in their fitness and ability. Seems the older you get on a bike, this also means that your core needs to be engaged the whole race. I also felt as if I were riding very high and since it was the first time I was on the bike (ever) and it was a race, my bike handling skills suffered even more than usual. I thought that the most important thing I could do would be to push it as hard as possible on the straight sections and take a little off in the technical sections. It was a great day, a lot of TAR/WSI team members on the trail and I was able to steal a 9th place finish.
Tonight was one of the Waterford Hills Race series road races. I am looking forward to pulling in the data from my new Garmin bike computer to see what actually happened, but what I felt was a nice 60 minute race on the 1.5 mile course with a small hill and fighting to stay in the first 10 or so places. There were nearly 40 of us racing tonight and the wind was pretty strong from the south and the race temperature was about 90, ensuring that positioning in the group would be key for the race. Not very eventful race, I think I finished in the top 20 or 25, but then some knuckle head cut in front of me at the end of the race…putting me on the turf after the race was over. So much for an injury free race, but a very happy 50th birthday—especially since my wife and daughter were there to cheer me on.
Happy trails my friends. Life is better on our bikes.
West Branch Road Race is hard enough (1500 feet of climbing per lap) without the wind being mixed in. Add low temperatures (High 40s at start time) and rain and you have a combination that makes the primary pre-race discussion in the pits about; leg warmers or no, hat, no hat? Warming up means sitting in your car as long as you can and hope that your muscles will not penalize you for putting them into the wind and rain before the first attack. I pre-rode this course with some friends from Wolverine Sports Club and we did 3 laps. My back was still tender from all the climbing from the ride 3 weeks prior. If not for a ‘pact’ to do the race between me Danny and Derrick after our Wednesday night team ride, I would not have even set the alarm to drive all the way to West Branch in the rain. But, loyalty is loyalty…so we death marched our way north.
It is always great to have team mates at a race, on a cold rainy windy nasty day, it is even better to have some moral support. We ignored the weather, donned our team kits and proceeded to the start. In the first turn, we all communicated very well, there were 56 pre-registered, but who knows how many idiots like me actually showed up. The wind was off to our left and I kept tucked in behind some very strong cyclists for the first 12 miles of the first lap. Danny was possessed as he was on Wednesday night and was out front for a great deal of the rollers. I made a mistake and stayed on the windward side of the echelon and when they turned up the tempo, I had no legs. I knew that the race was over for me with about 5 miles left in the first lap! Three other riders worked with me in the wind, but by the time we made the turn to the first time up the climb, the pack was gone.
I rolled up the monster hill after the first lap and had the opportunity to call it a day. After all, I was done, I could not even see the lead pack any more. But, I committed to have Danny’s “6.” If he had a mechanical or something, I would give him whatever he needed to get back in the race. I also remember a team mate telling me (commanding me) that you never ever ever leave a race unless you are hurt, have a mechanical or are pulled. I fought these demons because I was all alone in the wind and had no one to work with.
I was closing in on a couple Cat 4s who were shelled out the back like me, but when the Cat 5s went by, two of them jumped on the group (an illegal move and when I protested to the follow car, the officials pulled them off, but they were too far ahead and were connected together now and I was, alas, all alone.)
Unfortunately, when you are riding by yourself in a race (it has happened to me way too often) you have time to think. I committed myself to burning calories in my final lap and ‘being there for Danny’ in case he needed me. Well, Danny was there for me at the last few yards of the climb to the finish and I know I did not have as good a day as Danny did (we still have not seen results), but I know this, I did not DNF.
I love the mountain bike stage races that are done by Tailwind. You have 3 different disciplines, Time Trial, Short Track and Cross Country. Saturday was the TT and Short Track at Addison Oaks , there was a small field for our group of 50 to 59 year old racers but I was able to eek out a psychological win in the short track by taking 3rd place in my age group. I used my cross bike and it handled the extreme turns very well. The turns did not affect me, but I stuffed my pedal into the hill on an off camber turn and, although I was in 3rd place of the entire ‘sport’ group, went to the back of the pack in seconds. It is only a 15 minute race, so it is a lung burning, leg cramp-fest, a fall is fatal. So, like I said, a 3rd place finish for our age group was a nice win.
In the morning we had the Time Trial and I ended up 4th of 4 in our age group there. Even though the number of racers in my age group was low, these stage races are double points races and set the tone for the leaders for the rest of the season. As such…finishing 4th is strategically valuable…even if there were only 5 or six of us out there this weekend.
Final tally, 4th place TT, 3rd Place Short Track, 5th place in today’s extremely hot 3 lap cross country race…overall I should walk away with a 4th place double points win for WSI-Team Active.
Well, I was slow as I predicted I would be. My endurance isn’t where I’d like it to be, and I would have preferred to race in the Sport class and only do two laps instead of three, but in order to cook the food, I needed to ride Expert for the earlier start time.
After racing three laps on the trail, I ran the grill - cooking up burgers and dogs for the hungry racers. What a great day!
Anyway, the start at Custer is always very fast. This year, I told myself not to push it and relax for the first mile or so, which I did. While on the first lap, I saw a couple guys up ahead of me getting back on their bikes and figured there was a crash. A little bit latter, I saw one of the same guys getting back on his bike, and figured he crashed again. Well, now he was right in front of me, which was making me nervous. The guy was fast on the straight parts, but when he got into curvy sections or technical sections, he was right on the edge. I couldn’t get around him, but figured sooner or later he would screw up. Well, he did….coming down that hill and across the bridge…once he cleared the bridge, he just dumped it. Luckily, I was able to dart around him and keep going.
As I completed lap 1, I came up on Eric Wallace on his single speed. He was spinning away on the flat start section and I went on bye. At the top of those rocky/rooty hills before grannies garden, my right calf cramped up like a rock. I had to get off my bike and stretch, and Eric and a few others rode past. This wasn’t good…leg cramps 1/2 way into the race? I just had to take it easy the rest of the time and not try and push hard up the hills. I finished with a pretty slow time, but I was done and it was time to cook!
100 hot dogs and 160 burgers in 2 hours!!! (All on a charcoal grill) Thanks to Chuck Brenner and Jim Gallagher for being the ‘bun’ guys. Like years past, this event is a total blast. The people love the free beer and food, and this year’s ‘Beer Garden’ made our team set-up that much cooler.
Congrats to the ladies that placed, as well as the young pup, Caleb. I think us older guys like the beer too much to make a podium!
Thanks to the entire team yesterday for an AWESOME showing, all of the help, camaraderie, racing and results, set-up, clean-up, and just having a great time and looking awesome in team kits and team shirts. It was a wonderful day!! We looked so professional.
2nd place in my first expert race!
Kathi said the Team Active beer garden was a huge success. Congratulations to all who raced, the course was firm and fast and the weather was just perfect. I couldn’t find posted results yet, and can’t remember everyone’s results, but we had at least 3 podium places.
Caleb, 2nd place Sport (Age 15-19?).
Me, 2nd place Expert Women
Kathy, 3rd place Expert Women (rocking it on a SINGLE SPEED!!!)
This was the first time (after much good hearted teasing from Kathy in the past year) I decided to woman up and race Expert class, figuring if nothing else, I could use the miles (and secretly thinking that I would finally get out from under the shadow of Summer the super freak cyclist from Custer only to find out she moved up this year as well – dang). Knowing that I don’t have the best endurance (and I struggle to drink enough while mtn biking), I figured to try and take it easy – riiight. Was 4th back of 7 or 8 women, with Summer in the lead. It was interesting how mellow the first few miles were compared to a Sport race then I remembered oh, we have THREE laps, pace yourself.
A few hang-ups in Granny’s and the new green section by two of the riders in front enabled me to pass to sit behind Summer in the first lap (some advantages to riding those trails all the time). Into the second lap (and still forgetting to drink), I actually dropped back a little and just got into a groove, then caught Summer again. On the back side, I took the lead for a bit, and she was being chatty (this is about the time she’ll take off, if nothing else, she’s predictable), and I was hurting a bit (and still not drinking enough – stupid of me). She passed and I lost a bit in the blue climbs and started the 3rd lap further back, in a lot of pain, and no energy and had to slow down and start sucking fluids. As my body found the joy of hydration, I was able to very slowly increase my pace although the climbs were laughably slow.
Could still see Summer up ahead now and again, but still not enough energy to catch her. Kept glancing back for riders behind me. Caught up to a couple of guys and realized that I could actually maneuver the technical stuff better and passed them. Then came upon a beautiful sight – Eric Cook!! A WSI jersey! I followed him for a while, and then passed and bless his sweet, wonderful soul, he rode right behind me in silent encouragement. We spoke a few times (at this point on the green section and I was struggling to focus and could feel the beginnings of cramps in my legs) and he asked how I liked the Scalpel and all that came out was a gasped, “I can’t talk right now” – sorry Capt Crunch, love ya.
An elite woman (Founders) was in front of me in the red and kept slowing down in the corners (twice in the race, I found it ironic that I was getting mad at slow people in front of me in the technical sections – normally that slow person would be me), but took she off like a rocket up the blue hill, see ya. I hit the last big hill after the bridge and cramps hit in about 3-4 places in my legs, but if I slowed down, they got worse – and if I sped up too much, they got worse. LOL! My arms and shoulders were killing me, cramps were twitching all over my legs and at one point my hamstring started to lock up but I couldn’t stop pedaling. Breathe deep, relax, pedal, ouch, pedal – almost there. What a race.
Summer got me again, but only by 30 seconds or so – yeah, I am (mostly) ok with that.
