With legs still spongy from yesterdays effort I lined up for the encore to the Rose Festival Criterium on Saturday morning. The Rose Festival Road Race was not in State Center but a place called Bangor, Iowa. You couldn't call it a town, just a park with a sign indicating you were in Bangor. The other racers were equally as confused as I was at the start. There was no start line and no map of the course. Everyone gathered on the road where we saw an official and began chatting about what the next couple hours would bring. When the whistle blew the only information I had was that it was a 40 mile road race and when we saw a person with a flag turn left.
Off we went with no direction at all. The mood was light and riders were chatting with each other for the first few miles. Before the first turn a rider came out of no cutting me off and driving me off the road into the gravel shoulder. Barely avoiding a crash I managed to get back on the road and rejoin the group. I caught up to him and politely asked what the hell he was doing? His response was "quit your crying" I knew immediately that was someone to stay well away from for the next two hours.
The course turned out to be a large 20 mile square. The wind buffeted the peloton from all directions and we formed a tight pack for most of the race. Mr. Etiquette made his way through the group nearly causing numerous crashes and I chuckled as each rider cursed under their breath at each narrowly avoided crash. At one point I overheard someone say "watch for his shoulder to dip before he veers off so you can see what direction he's going" It was truly the worst riding I have ever seen in a race.
The pace was steady most of the race with a few minor attacks of the front but nothing that would stick. Clearly this was going to be a sprint finish. Going around the final turn we had about 4 miles to the finish. I was feeling good and as the pack slowed I decided to push the pace at the front. Bad Decision. As my speed hit 30 mph I could not longer hear wheels behind me. I drove the pace faster and faster thinking I had a chance at a solo finish. My legs screaming I drove on... finally hitting the 1k sign I thought that maybe I had a chance at it. With about 200m to go the road took an uphill approach to the finish and the first rider went around me. I had nothing left in the legs to respond. At the finish another group went around and I had to settle for a disappointing 9th.
My cheering section was there at the line and it felt great to be congratulated even though the race didn't turn out like I wanted. All around it was a great week of racing and I can't wait to do it again next year. Race data for the road race are posted here.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Rose Festival Twilight Criterium - 6/17
This weekends racing brought me to State Center, Iowa for the Rose Festival Twilight Criterium and Road Race. After a long drive Friday I arrived just in time to get signed in and warmed up before the 7pm start. My whole family was there to watch and it was great to have a cheering section on every lap. Temperatures were in the upper 80's and I don't know what the humidity was but I'll just say it was HOT! Warm up took about 5 minutes to get my heart rate up but the legs weren't feeling so good. I thought maybe I pushed it a little to hard training this week... Regardless the race wasn't waiting for me.
Lining up was a very small group of riders, but each looked ready to race. For the first time in a long while I had problems clipping in, and found myself at the back of the pack chasing right from the start. The pace was fast initially but everyone in the group was cornering well and riding smart which made things much more enjoyable. After 5 or 6 laps the pace slowed a touch and I was able to move up in the field into a comfortable spot. Halfway through he race I was really starting to feel the heat. I went through an entire 20 oz. bottle which is strange for a 40 min. criterium. With about 8 laps to go things started heating up. Two guys went off the front but only held a 15 second advantage. We could see them going around each turn and I wrongly assumed the pack would quickly bring them back. Its hard racing with people you don't recognize because you don't know what their skill level is. Back home I would have had a better idea of weather or not to chase the breakaway.
The course was a simple box with an extra left and right corner right after the first turn making a nice 6 turn layout. The last two turns are on a steady incline and I knew that at race speed it would very hard if not impossible to make up much ground. In my mind I decided the race would be won or lost on the slight downhill straight between turns 4 and 5 which was the only real area to make up much ground.
The pace was increasing to the bell lap and as I watched the laps count down I wondered if I could keep the pace. At the bell I knew we weren't catching the two off the front. With my family cheering me on and the heart rate increasing to 190 I was firing on all cylinders. I pushed past the one rider in front of me (seen below) and was out front driving the pace.
Taking good lines on turns 2 and 3 I hit the short straight away before the last final uphill. I could hear the wheels closing in around me and I drove harder to stay out front. I took a great line going into the uphill and maintained every bit of speed going into the homestretch. I buried my head and drove as hard as I could for the last 150m. I was able to stay off and win the bunch sprint of the small group. Those two riders stayed off the front the whole time and I thought I had taken third. After the race I realized another rider had escaped which I missed and gotten lost in the shuffle of lapped riders so I ultimately took 4th overall, just missing my first podium again. It took the entire cool down lap to bring the heart rate and legs back under control but with the whole family there to watch it was a great effort and a great result. Race data can be found here.
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Waiting for race to start |
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| Sitting in early in the race |
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| Coming up the home stretch with about 4 to go (The two riders were not the two off the front) |
The pace was increasing to the bell lap and as I watched the laps count down I wondered if I could keep the pace. At the bell I knew we weren't catching the two off the front. With my family cheering me on and the heart rate increasing to 190 I was firing on all cylinders. I pushed past the one rider in front of me (seen below) and was out front driving the pace.
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| Sitting in 2nd going into the bell lap |
Taking good lines on turns 2 and 3 I hit the short straight away before the last final uphill. I could hear the wheels closing in around me and I drove harder to stay out front. I took a great line going into the uphill and maintained every bit of speed going into the homestretch. I buried my head and drove as hard as I could for the last 150m. I was able to stay off and win the bunch sprint of the small group. Those two riders stayed off the front the whole time and I thought I had taken third. After the race I realized another rider had escaped which I missed and gotten lost in the shuffle of lapped riders so I ultimately took 4th overall, just missing my first podium again. It took the entire cool down lap to bring the heart rate and legs back under control but with the whole family there to watch it was a great effort and a great result. Race data can be found here.
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