1 day, 2 races, 2 medals
I rarely get the urge to race my bike anymore except from Oct-Dec but somehow I was bitten by the racing bug on Saturday. However, it seems that when I'm motivated to race I'm really motivated to race.
Here's my story - I like to call it 1 day, 2 bikes, 2 races, 2 medals, 4+ hours of saddle time.
Saturday was the Wisconsin State Road Race Championship. I knew that a lot of my Capitol Velo Club teammates would be at this race and since I hadn't yet done a race with the team I thought I should go. On Friday night I picked up my new Schwinn from the bike ship with all the needed tweaks and so I figured it was meant for me to do my first real ride on it at the race.
However, because we all have selective memory to a certain point I had forgotten why I hadn't done this race in 3 years.
This year the race was a little different as it started with a neutral roll out from the registration area to the start/finish area which means we rode as a group up this horrifying short but painfully steep hill before starting our 4 race circuits. It was on this neutral start that all my memories of the last time I had raced this race came flooding back. I then realized that unless each time up the hill was neutralized and we rode at a crawl that I would not be able to make it with the group. Short, steep, paved climbs are not my thing.
On lap one I had an opportunity to reflect on the insanity of my choice to do this particular race. However, I knew it would be good for me as it is a good idea to do the things you are bad at or don't like. I'm not sure why but that sounds true.
Knowing that I would get dropped early in this race I decided to at least do something for a minute or two that would be vaguely interesting. Early in the race the pace had slowed which was causing the middle and back of the field of 32 riders to be a bit squirrelly (well, dangerous actually). Everyone was nervous and people were trying to move up and some people were really pushing the bounds of staying on the right side of the yellow line. The people in the middle and the back were complaining because no one in the front wanted to work.
Of course, they didn't want to work. They wanted to win and they would be crazy to burn themselves out. I could see that one of my stronger teammates was at the front and that made no sense at all. She shouldn't be out in the wind since she was a contender for the win. Finally we came to a intersection with a road where I was able to make a quick, bold move up the right to the front and took over some pace making.
It was a brief time at the front but it's always nice to see the front of the race before you see the back. Yes, I was summarily dispatched the first time up the steep climb. What you visualize is all too often what happens and I could not visualize any outcome but that.
From that point on it was a lonely day of riding for 3 more laps. I could see the field for a long time but I couldn't catch them. I was about to catch another woman who had been dropped but right as I was sure I could catch her and we would be able to work together and maybe even catch the group when they slowed she dropped out. For a moment I couldn't help but think about dropping out but I knew that it would be good for me to keep going.
And so I kept going despising the climb every time I came to it and thinking about how much faster I could go up that hill if I got off the bike but alas that is not something that road racers do. On lap 3 I had an exciting moment as 2 deer bounded full speed across a corn field right at me. I started coasting and was about to slam on the brakes when they decided they didn't want to hit me and they changed direction. On lap 4 just as I was climbing a small little rise a deer bolted out of the woods and ran in front of me and I had to hit the brakes. I have to thank them for keeping me awake and on my toes!
The very odd ending to this story is that somehow I ended up with a silver medal in the 35+ age group which shows that it pays to just keep going and the woman behind me got the bronze so we got a work out and a medal Luckily the other riders were either doing Cat 4 or were 45+ or were from IL. Yes, all the 45+ Wisconsin riders beat all the 35+ Wisconsin riders.
After hanging with my CVC teammates for awhile it was off to the start of the next part o fmy day. Yes, I headed to the Southern Kettle Moraine trails for the WEMS race so I could do the 3 hour solo race. As soon as I arrived I made myself go over and register before I changed my mind (came to my senses?). Luckily I did this immediately as a wave of tiredness hit me as I was waiting for the race to start.
The WEMS races all start with a lemans start (running and getting bike and then riding). Not wanting my legs to seize up I did more of a light jog to the bike which was good to the legs but did cause me to need to pass some people early on. Now after one bad race in a day all you can really think about is the training you should have done and how you're not riding all that well and blah, blah, blah. Well, I must have some good karma because for almost 2 laps I had a guy riding right behind me who kept telling me what a great rider I was. Don't know who this guy was, don't know if he was hoping for a date, or if he was just a really nice guy. (Actually I think he was just a really nice guy).
Frankly I don't care what this guy's deal was as it was just what I needed. I offered to let him by and every time he would tell me no "you're so much faster in the technical sections." The 2nd time over the log ramp he told me that I made it look easy and I was so smooth. It was just the boost I needed after a tough morning. Towards the end of the 2nd lap I told him to go by as I knew he could go faster in the climbs and I needed to back the pace off a little if I was going to last through the whole race.
After 2 laps I knew that I'd only have to do 5 total and I thought that was doable . . . not easy but doable. The first 2 laps were for me about 29 minutes each and I knew that I'd have to back off that pace to last for 3 more. It was great coming through the start/finish area and having so many FORCs cheering for me as I needed the encouragement to keep on riding. It was a relief to have the 3rd lap done as I knew that only left 2 more to go and that didn't sound so bad.
On my 4th lap I was starting to feel the day's efforts and I had to use the granny gear for 2 of the climbs instead of just the one at the end of the lap. I guess the good part of having done the road race was that the hill in that race made all climbs in the mtn bike race seem easier than I would have thought otherwise. However, I could fill the fatigue from the 5 times up the steep road climb and so I just shifted into the granny and spun up. I was appreciating mountain bike racing though as some people were walking hills which was what I wanted to do at the road race but roadies just don't do that.
However, in lap 4 I started to realize that gu and water were not cutting it and I knew I needed to get some energy drink before my last lap. Unfortunately my bike doesn't have a water bottle cage so I have to choose between water and energy drink and I had water in my camelback. I came into the lap area and rode over to Renee B and Sonia and desperately asked them for something. Sonia had some coke and I jugged a few gulps and headed back out. The coke was a life saver but I was starting to feel the efforts of the day but I just kept pedaling as I knew I was almost done.
Lap 5 and I'm just trying to make it to the end so I could get off the bike and lay on the ground. About half way through the lap I let a woman go by me and I see that she's in my race. I decide it doesn't matter since there has to be a zillion women in front of us and what's one placing. She bobbles right before the log ramp and I go around her. I get a little gap on her and stay in front of her for quite a awhile. However, in the last third or so of the lap she comes by me on a climb and I just don't have the will to dig deep and keep on her wheel. She goes by and I just let her keep going.
I'm excited to get to the little climb with the rocks and the sweeping corner that you ride up and around as I know that leaves only the finishing climb to tax my tired legs. I finally get to that climb and I shift down into the granny gear and spin up it and reflect on how even on my 5th lap that feels easier than the first time up the stupid climb in the morning's road race. Very soon after that a guy catches up to me and I try to let him by and he says that he doesn't want to pass. I think about that for awhile and wonder why not since I feel so slow at this point.
Finally it's around the pine tree and over/around the weird log bumps and to the finish! That was a happy site to my eyes. I was actually afraid to sit down in the grass as I wasn't sure I could ever get back up. I finally risked it and plopped down in the grass for some post-race socializing before I worked up the energy to go change out of the chamois and into some dry, non-stinky clothes.
However, the day had a surprise ending. Although the results got a bit screwed up I actually took 3rd place. I was shocked. I was even more shocked to realize that I had spent almost the entire day in 2nd place and only missed out on 2nd by about 30 seconds. I guess doing 2 races wasn't insane after all.
The moral of the story - if the first race of the day goes badly find another race and give it another shot as that one might work out better :-)
Here's my story - I like to call it 1 day, 2 bikes, 2 races, 2 medals, 4+ hours of saddle time.
Saturday was the Wisconsin State Road Race Championship. I knew that a lot of my Capitol Velo Club teammates would be at this race and since I hadn't yet done a race with the team I thought I should go. On Friday night I picked up my new Schwinn from the bike ship with all the needed tweaks and so I figured it was meant for me to do my first real ride on it at the race.
However, because we all have selective memory to a certain point I had forgotten why I hadn't done this race in 3 years.
This year the race was a little different as it started with a neutral roll out from the registration area to the start/finish area which means we rode as a group up this horrifying short but painfully steep hill before starting our 4 race circuits. It was on this neutral start that all my memories of the last time I had raced this race came flooding back. I then realized that unless each time up the hill was neutralized and we rode at a crawl that I would not be able to make it with the group. Short, steep, paved climbs are not my thing.
On lap one I had an opportunity to reflect on the insanity of my choice to do this particular race. However, I knew it would be good for me as it is a good idea to do the things you are bad at or don't like. I'm not sure why but that sounds true.
Knowing that I would get dropped early in this race I decided to at least do something for a minute or two that would be vaguely interesting. Early in the race the pace had slowed which was causing the middle and back of the field of 32 riders to be a bit squirrelly (well, dangerous actually). Everyone was nervous and people were trying to move up and some people were really pushing the bounds of staying on the right side of the yellow line. The people in the middle and the back were complaining because no one in the front wanted to work.
Of course, they didn't want to work. They wanted to win and they would be crazy to burn themselves out. I could see that one of my stronger teammates was at the front and that made no sense at all. She shouldn't be out in the wind since she was a contender for the win. Finally we came to a intersection with a road where I was able to make a quick, bold move up the right to the front and took over some pace making.
It was a brief time at the front but it's always nice to see the front of the race before you see the back. Yes, I was summarily dispatched the first time up the steep climb. What you visualize is all too often what happens and I could not visualize any outcome but that.
From that point on it was a lonely day of riding for 3 more laps. I could see the field for a long time but I couldn't catch them. I was about to catch another woman who had been dropped but right as I was sure I could catch her and we would be able to work together and maybe even catch the group when they slowed she dropped out. For a moment I couldn't help but think about dropping out but I knew that it would be good for me to keep going.
And so I kept going despising the climb every time I came to it and thinking about how much faster I could go up that hill if I got off the bike but alas that is not something that road racers do. On lap 3 I had an exciting moment as 2 deer bounded full speed across a corn field right at me. I started coasting and was about to slam on the brakes when they decided they didn't want to hit me and they changed direction. On lap 4 just as I was climbing a small little rise a deer bolted out of the woods and ran in front of me and I had to hit the brakes. I have to thank them for keeping me awake and on my toes!
The very odd ending to this story is that somehow I ended up with a silver medal in the 35+ age group which shows that it pays to just keep going and the woman behind me got the bronze so we got a work out and a medal Luckily the other riders were either doing Cat 4 or were 45+ or were from IL. Yes, all the 45+ Wisconsin riders beat all the 35+ Wisconsin riders.
After hanging with my CVC teammates for awhile it was off to the start of the next part o fmy day. Yes, I headed to the Southern Kettle Moraine trails for the WEMS race so I could do the 3 hour solo race. As soon as I arrived I made myself go over and register before I changed my mind (came to my senses?). Luckily I did this immediately as a wave of tiredness hit me as I was waiting for the race to start.
The WEMS races all start with a lemans start (running and getting bike and then riding). Not wanting my legs to seize up I did more of a light jog to the bike which was good to the legs but did cause me to need to pass some people early on. Now after one bad race in a day all you can really think about is the training you should have done and how you're not riding all that well and blah, blah, blah. Well, I must have some good karma because for almost 2 laps I had a guy riding right behind me who kept telling me what a great rider I was. Don't know who this guy was, don't know if he was hoping for a date, or if he was just a really nice guy. (Actually I think he was just a really nice guy).
Frankly I don't care what this guy's deal was as it was just what I needed. I offered to let him by and every time he would tell me no "you're so much faster in the technical sections." The 2nd time over the log ramp he told me that I made it look easy and I was so smooth. It was just the boost I needed after a tough morning. Towards the end of the 2nd lap I told him to go by as I knew he could go faster in the climbs and I needed to back the pace off a little if I was going to last through the whole race.
After 2 laps I knew that I'd only have to do 5 total and I thought that was doable . . . not easy but doable. The first 2 laps were for me about 29 minutes each and I knew that I'd have to back off that pace to last for 3 more. It was great coming through the start/finish area and having so many FORCs cheering for me as I needed the encouragement to keep on riding. It was a relief to have the 3rd lap done as I knew that only left 2 more to go and that didn't sound so bad.
On my 4th lap I was starting to feel the day's efforts and I had to use the granny gear for 2 of the climbs instead of just the one at the end of the lap. I guess the good part of having done the road race was that the hill in that race made all climbs in the mtn bike race seem easier than I would have thought otherwise. However, I could fill the fatigue from the 5 times up the steep road climb and so I just shifted into the granny and spun up. I was appreciating mountain bike racing though as some people were walking hills which was what I wanted to do at the road race but roadies just don't do that.
However, in lap 4 I started to realize that gu and water were not cutting it and I knew I needed to get some energy drink before my last lap. Unfortunately my bike doesn't have a water bottle cage so I have to choose between water and energy drink and I had water in my camelback. I came into the lap area and rode over to Renee B and Sonia and desperately asked them for something. Sonia had some coke and I jugged a few gulps and headed back out. The coke was a life saver but I was starting to feel the efforts of the day but I just kept pedaling as I knew I was almost done.
Lap 5 and I'm just trying to make it to the end so I could get off the bike and lay on the ground. About half way through the lap I let a woman go by me and I see that she's in my race. I decide it doesn't matter since there has to be a zillion women in front of us and what's one placing. She bobbles right before the log ramp and I go around her. I get a little gap on her and stay in front of her for quite a awhile. However, in the last third or so of the lap she comes by me on a climb and I just don't have the will to dig deep and keep on her wheel. She goes by and I just let her keep going.
I'm excited to get to the little climb with the rocks and the sweeping corner that you ride up and around as I know that leaves only the finishing climb to tax my tired legs. I finally get to that climb and I shift down into the granny gear and spin up it and reflect on how even on my 5th lap that feels easier than the first time up the stupid climb in the morning's road race. Very soon after that a guy catches up to me and I try to let him by and he says that he doesn't want to pass. I think about that for awhile and wonder why not since I feel so slow at this point.
Finally it's around the pine tree and over/around the weird log bumps and to the finish! That was a happy site to my eyes. I was actually afraid to sit down in the grass as I wasn't sure I could ever get back up. I finally risked it and plopped down in the grass for some post-race socializing before I worked up the energy to go change out of the chamois and into some dry, non-stinky clothes.
However, the day had a surprise ending. Although the results got a bit screwed up I actually took 3rd place. I was shocked. I was even more shocked to realize that I had spent almost the entire day in 2nd place and only missed out on 2nd by about 30 seconds. I guess doing 2 races wasn't insane after all.
The moral of the story - if the first race of the day goes badly find another race and give it another shot as that one might work out better :-)
posted by MadCross at 5:05 PM
3 Comments:
Yay! Double medal weekend!
You rock!
That was such a great story!
:-D :-D
I love the guy who gave you kudos and the guy who wouldn't pass; both made you feel great, huh?
Great race report! That happened to me at Oxbow: I thought I was doing horribly, but in the end I was 3rd as well! Just goes to show, never give up, because the next guy might be hurting even worse than you!
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