Now the 10 K race on Saturday! Dawn broke gray, and drizzly, not a great day in my book. I’d rather bike in the heat and full sun as race in the rain/fog and gloom. The weather affects my mood to a great extent when I race. However, I’m competitive and pull out of it once the real task is at hand. But I did give serious thought to bagging it when I got up. I had the same breakfast as yesterday: oatmeal, and coffee.
I drove to the race site and it drizzled the whole way. I got butterflies again as I got closer. I knew the race was going to include the guys as Friday, and would be competitive, if only I’d known!
When I finally got to the meeting place the drizzle had stopped and people were getting their bikes off their cars. I went inside to get my race number and talked to several people in the room. The humidity was oppressive when I finally walked out with the sun just trying to peak out of the clouds. I got on my bike and headed out on the road for the course by the least hilly route possible, and peddled slowly. There was some water on the roads but not too bad, but the high humidity was making things damp and sticky. And the temps were getting into the mid and upper 80s even at 9:00 AM
When I got to the race start it was only about 5 min. till the start of the race. I had nearly a 40 min. wait as the start order was the same as Friday, oldest women first the oldest men. I talked to several of the guys I’d met yesterday and found out there were 8 signed up for Saturday’s race, only about ½ of what we had yesterday.
There were fewer women, only 6 and one new entrant, she looked like she was in my age group, ah, and easy gold for her! As I looked around at the bikes everyone was riding I noticed that everyone has a top notch bike, Carbon fiber Treks, Titanium Lightspeeds, Greg Lemond racing bikes and a Quintna Roo time trial bike, even the women in the 80+ category were riding high end machine!! Sure sign everyone here was a competitor at heart!
As my time approached I took a couple if rides to keep my legs and lungs warmed up and in race condition. When you stopped however, the sweat just poured off of you it was so humid! Everyone was complaining of the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes standing near acres and acres of over our head field corn. Well, my turn is next.
When my turn came I pulled my bike up to the line and had the man standing there hold my bike by the underside of the seat. I mounted and clipped in my pedals and waited for the count down. 15, 14, 13, 12 … 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Start! I stood up and pushed down hard standing getting myself up to speed. As I settled in I got my cadence up while up shifting to a comfortable pace and pressure on my pedals. I got my speed at a constant 22 mph and I sped down a nicely paved fairly flat road. I tried to keep my breathing under control today, after losing control yesterday. It is a fine balance between too much exertion and too little, so I wanted to breath hard, but not gasp for air.
This was a part of the same course I’d ridden the day before only with one more turn. The first turn came nearly 2 miles into the course. I drifted toward the center yellow line, lined up the corner and took a look both ways on the road. The course is “open” meaning there IS traffic, but there are course marshals to direct traffic and we bike riders. Still I’m in the habit of looking for my self. Clear! I chose my line and hit the corner at 23 mph, round it and find myself over the yellow line near the far edge of the road, shit overshot and therefore lost a few fractions of a second, awwww, still pretty good at 23 mph.
The road here is flat too, so I pushed off down the road trying to keep my breathing controlled, my legs while working hard were not hurting. I see the 5K point, ah, good half way there. Then I heard this sound on my left side, a familiar “plastic/composite” sound, Oh Frick, another rider, with a solid disk wheel! I know that sound! Shit, he started one minute behind me and is passing me!! I’d been eying the guy in front of me too with the thought I was going to pass him, and had closed within perhaps 200 yards. But this guy comes flying past me, he is going to catch the other guy in front of me too!
Soon that dreaded hill appeared ahead, I remembered yesterday and how I was going to attack it today. As I approached I monitored my legs for effort. When I could tell I was beginning to bog down slightly I sprung out to the saddle and continued to climb in a standing position. My speed didn’t drop as much, it was more work, but I was not losing time. Soon my legs began to scream, so I finished the last few yards seated.
As soon as I sat down I then heard a car approaching from behind, passing wide, good, and then a large dump truck rumbled past too. Oh shit the corner is coming up! As I watch in front of me a situation unfolds. My minute man (the guy who started one minute in front of me) was going to get trapped between the car and the truck, before the corner! Poor guy, that will slow him down!! Ah ha, easier for me to catch him!! Well, he gets through after a bit of a slow down but the dump truck doesn’t turn the corner right in front to me!!
I scream GO, GO, GO!!!! ……………… Fucker MOVE!!!! Still he sits there, and there is nowhere for me to go, he is too big, I can’t pass on the right anyway, there are potholes in that part of the corner (I learned that yesterday). Finally he goes and I try and round the corner at a good speed, Shit 18 mph. I’m furious! I’m LIVID! I’m screaming obscenities at the top of my lungs as press hard to regain my speed, and also crest the hill after the corner. I settle down and get my rhythm again, crest the hill and fly down the other side. I pedal as I go down, trying to keep myself from blowing up with my breathing and hit a top speed of 31 mph!
I’ve closed the gap between me and my minute man but he is pressing hard too and staying just ahead of me, maybe 100 yards. Bump I go over the bridge and head up the small hill just before the finish line and push hard into the line. Wow, so close but so far, I did not catch him but made up quite a bit of time on him anyway! The challenge of him being so close in front of me helped me I’m sure turn in a better time.
My bike computer gave me a time of 17 min. and 30 sec., and average speed of 21.5 mph! Ah ha, I was right faster then yesterday, on a longer course on less!! Must have been the correct form climbing the hill of maybe the excitement of almost catching my minute man! Anyway I’m pretty happy, and pleased with my performance! I didn’t gasp for breath, and I pushed as hard as I could the whole way, I remembered to climb the hill standing and did it! Now if only that truck wouldn’t have been there…………
I stuck around for the medals and too pictures of all the winners, except for one, the 50- 54 woman, see got up and down too quickly!! After the medals were handed out the posted the times on the building so we could all see them. In my group the 50 to 54 men’s category there was less then 3 min. between all 8 of us and less the one minute separated the top three medal winners! So very competitive!!
They also announced that next year would be the National Qualifiers, and the racecourse would be this very course!! Yes!!!!! Great, Next your I’ll come back in even better shape and practice this course very often, and I’ll have it down pat! Watch out next year guys!! Thom’s motivated!!
[url=]Here is a slideshow of the medal winners![/url]
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