Blog

A great weekend of racing is planned. Denzer Saturday and Willy on Sunday. I still have doubts of my fitness and how my body will respond to race pace situations, especially when you throw a major climb in at Denzer. My plan will be to throw it out there and press as hard as I can.

 

I hook up with 13 Pin and we drive the last half together, making only one small error in our route. I missed the turn onto C, but we still got to the race 90 minutes before the start time. We had 8 Wheaton guys racing the Master 4/5, 13 Pin, Chevy, Engine, Oh Henry, Sap, Juice, Saurs, and me. Team tactics are out the window as early conversation indicates that with the major climb coming less than 2 miles from the start the groups will form early and probably separate us from each other. We figure Sap has the best shot at the overall, but will more than likely be on his own.

 

I am very nervous as we role out at the start. It looks like we are a group of 50 and I didn’t want to embarrass myself right away. I tried to prepare myself mentally for what was in store, but you just never know.

 

I look ahead and see the hill coming as we are about 1 1/2 miles into the race. I say out loud ‘here we go’. As we climb I try and stay relaxed talking to others to keep myself loose. I was towards the back of the group at the bottom so I am passing several as we continue to climb. This climb seems to go forever. All the way up I am thinking of the advice Ecky gave me earlier in the week. But I am also thinking we have two more times up this sucker, so I can’t go 100%. My mind is racing now and I start to doubt myself and how I am going to make this two more times.

 

Finally we reach the top, I didn’t check the distance, but it seemed all of 1.5 miles as others had indicated before the race. I am in a group of about 8 or 10 riders. I see another group ahead that is not that far off. I believe we can catch them. (I will find out later that the front group was 6, including Sap, followed by another group of 10 with Chevy and Engine.) I work hard sharing long pulls with a Port-a John rider. The others are either unwilling or not recovered enough to work yet. We seem to be gaining or maybe we just aren’t losing ground on the group ahead. Finally I slip back in the group and start telling the others that if we work together we can catch the next group. Then I go back to the front.

 

After a couple more miles I realize we are not going to catch the group ahead so I back it off a little. There is no use me working hard while the others sit in and then I end up exploding. I recover nicely and the others are now starting to work together, a little late but better than not at all. About 3/4 of a mile from the finish I find myself back at the front and pull the group past the finish line. One lap down, two to go.

 

As we hit the hill again, I don’t feel as strong as I did the first time. I let a small gap open up about ½ way up. I want to stop, turn around and go back to the car. Ecky is sitting there and yells out some encouraging words. I regain my focus. I try to put in a strong effort when I see the top of the hill, and I try to bridge to the others. I am successful. I move towards the front so that when we take the next right which dips a little before the next climb I can power up with max speed. Everything is perfect except my right calf locks up into a major knot. I can’t pedal, and everyone fly’s by leaving me by myself. I try to work it out and make it over the top of the small hill. I move my position on the saddle and adjust my peddle stroke a little to ease the pressure. It seems to be working. But the group has left me by myself. I am not going to give up, so I push hard to bridge up. My goal if my calf will allow is to reach them before the descents. I am gaining with each stroke. This keeps me motivated and my belief high. I am starting to realize that I ride very much on emotion. I can push my body well into the red zone when I believe. This is one of those times.

 

I catch them and a few of the guys welcome me back. On the decent I hit 49.3 mph, we are flying, and I concentrate on recovery. No more work at the front. Lap two completed.

 

I find myself in the same position as the last time up the climb. I am letting a gap open up, and to make things worse, a woman from the Dairyland Team, (I think Julie) who started 5 minutes behind us in the Women’s Open cat goes flying by up the hill. She seems to be floating on her peddles. I won’t see her again. I glance over my shoulder to see if any more are coming. She was alone. Maybe it is the sexist in me, but I am thankful there aren’t others. I want to quit again. This climb is pure torture.

 

As I reach the top a gap has again formed from the group. It might even be further than the last lap. I start to hammer it trying to bridge. I don’t seem to be making any ground. I won’t quit. I push hard, settle into a rhythm, and push hard again. I repeat this as if I am doing intervals on a training ride. I see the gap shrinking. I am on today, my body is responding, and I feel like it will give me what I need. I haven’t felt like this since the Arkansas trip, some 8 or 9 weeks ago.

 

I bridge back just before the descents. The race could end now and I would consider it a success. But it isn’t over, we have the finish, and we are 8 strong. During the last 30 miles we have picked up a few riders and dropped a few. But the group we now have will stay this way to the finish line. And it is time to start thinking of the finish and what strategy I should use. Do I try to power off the front or suck wheel for the sprint. I am half tempted to try a power move but with a headwind finish it probably would be suicide.

 

As we make the final turn and see the finish, a rider goes off the front. We sprint after the rider; I am not in the best position in 5th. But that is where I will stay, 5th in the group, and I had to sprint hard to hold off two other riders. Auto finished just ahead of me, I truly wanted to take him at the line. But he is a stronger sprinter than me, much stronger. I end up in 21st overall, 4th in my age group. I am satisfied with my race. Sap took 4th, Engine 7th, and Chevy 10th. Every one else finished. 13 Pin hung in there considering this is not his ideal course.

 

We all stand around and talk about the race and how tough it was. Now that it is over, we all agree that it is a great course. Had you asked me that 60 minutes earlier I would have had a different response. Funny how we can look at things so differently in just a short time.

 

Tomorrow is the infamous Wheels on Willy and my daughter’s graduation from UW-Mad. It was meant to be that our race would be early enough so that I can race and have plenty of time to hit the graduation. But that is for another entry………….