Race #1 – Iowa Spring Classic, Iowa City

Category - P123

42 Miles

Place 13/14

Computer Data

As hard as it is to believe its 2013 and although the weather still seems like winter it’s only three days from the official start of spring.  For some reason the cold, dark, and snowy days have just seemed to drag on.  So I have been itching to get out and race my bike and kick off the season.  The Iowa Spring Classic is a race that I’ve never done before and takes place partially on paved roads and also on gravel roads.  It’s a hilly course and certainly seemed like a challenging entry to the season.  But it’s also low key and low stress so it provides a really good way to ease into the year.  I have never done a race like this before so everything was going to be a new experience for me.

I decided to bring my new Cyclocross bike for this race instead of my road bike because the gravel roads seemed like they would be suited to this type of bike which could utilize wider tires and lower gearing.  But as I started unloading my stuff at the race I started noticing that most of the other guys were using their regular road bikes.  Right from the start I wondered if I might have made a mistake in my bike selection.

As I was getting ready the wind was howling and most of the course including the parking area was completely exposed to the wind.  The temperature was hovering in the upper 30s but the sun was shining and provided a little relief from the frigid wind.  I did a brief warm up and the bike worked really well on the gravel.  I was using a 33 millimeter tire with a subtle tread that I thought would be perfect for the gravel roads.  As we lined up however, I saw that I was one of the only ones with a cross bike and certainly the only one using 33mm tires.

At the start I was at the front cruising with ease.  There were a few short climbs which were no problem but very shortly I ran into my first issue.  The course was very hilly and as I went down the first big hill I downshifted into my smallest back ring until I ran out of gears.  The pace picked up and I just couldn't turn the pedals any faster to keep up.  Cyclocross bikes have a much lower gearing then road bikes so I just had no more gears left and my legs felt like they were in a hamster wheel spinning so fast.  Going up the other side of the climb was equally difficult because Cross bikes don’t necessarily climb that well and I wasn't carrying as much speed as the rest of the group.  Quickly I slipped to the back of the group.

After only about two miles a guy shot off the front and two more followed.  I decided to let them go and stick with the main group but after only 2 laps (about 12 miles) my legs were screaming.  I could really feel the weight of the bike and the resistance of the wheels on the road.  I was desperate to stay in the group but finally fell off on one of the climbs.  I stuck with another group of two guys for a while and we worked together to try and catch the main pack.  I did my best effort to catch but my helper didn’t have much left to chase so we eventually fell way off.  At this point my race was over and I was sticking in to get a good workout. 

The sun was shining and it was a nice day.  I contemplated my bike choice but also second guessed my fitness.  At one point during the last 3 laps I looked over and saw a group of deer prancing along beside me… the wind seemed to come from every direction.  It was a very lonely finish to the race.  Finally just as I was starting my final lap I got caught and lapped by the first guy who went off the front early on.  He had stayed away the entire time and the second two chasers had eventually caught him and they rode together to the finish.  The race was completely dismantled after that and straggling riders came in one by one. 

Overall it was an ok day of racing despite my performance.  I rode strong and think if I’d had some different equipment I would have fared a little better.  It was a tough race in tough conditions but I’m still waiting for the start of spring and some warmer weather.  Next weekend is the first really big race of the year down in Hillsboro, IL.  I learned a lot from my first gravel race and am really excited to get out there on the roads next weekend.