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Notes from the back (3/19/06 race report)...
Race Report: Parkside #2, 3/19/06. University of Wisconsin – Parkside Campus. About 1 mile, rectangular campus road. Temperature in the mid 30s with 10 mph wind and bright sunshine.
Yesterday I did a 10k Indoor Time Trial (personal best) that gave me a good workout – maybe too good. Third place in category.
Today, 19 of us 50+ riders are getting ready to race. As we pull up to the line, one bike goes down. It’s my team mate and his handlebar broke (see pic below). Not a great start.
The whistle blows and I have serious trouble clipping in. It seems like I would have learned to do this by now; even when nervous. Started in the front row and now at the back. I move up a little before the first corner then up right behind the front two riders in the next straight. I manage to keep these two riders in front of me for the first couple of laps by just moving over behind the one that is dropping back. This is fun.
Then the attacks start. This isn’t fun. Unlike the nice even tempo of last week, this week they are constantly seeing if they can get a gap and a couple more to join them. But the riders running them down never pull though so they sit up and rejoin the pack. I’m doing pretty good at following someone who is closing the gap, but a couple of times it’s me doing the work. I intend to go with them, but when it’s time for me to pull through, I don’t. I just need that one little bit of extra willingness to hurt – just one little bit.
The starter announces “three laps” and things go up another level. I end up twice on the windward side of the pack in some critical upwind stretches and it really takes it out of me at this speed. I make it to the last corner, but when the sprint is on, I’m cooked. I pedal through with the rest of the non-sprinters in 13th.
Though the average speed was less than last week (21.4 vs. 22.5 mph), this week was much tougher with a lot of time spent anaerobic. We’ll see what next week brings.
TF
Race Report: Parkside #2, 3/19/06. University of Wisconsin – Parkside Campus. About 1 mile, rectangular campus road. Temperature in the mid 30s with 10 mph wind and bright sunshine.
Yesterday I did a 10k Indoor Time Trial (personal best) that gave me a good workout – maybe too good. Third place in category.
Today, 19 of us 50+ riders are getting ready to race. As we pull up to the line, one bike goes down. It’s my team mate and his handlebar broke (see pic below). Not a great start.
The whistle blows and I have serious trouble clipping in. It seems like I would have learned to do this by now; even when nervous. Started in the front row and now at the back. I move up a little before the first corner then up right behind the front two riders in the next straight. I manage to keep these two riders in front of me for the first couple of laps by just moving over behind the one that is dropping back. This is fun.
Then the attacks start. This isn’t fun. Unlike the nice even tempo of last week, this week they are constantly seeing if they can get a gap and a couple more to join them. But the riders running them down never pull though so they sit up and rejoin the pack. I’m doing pretty good at following someone who is closing the gap, but a couple of times it’s me doing the work. I intend to go with them, but when it’s time for me to pull through, I don’t. I just need that one little bit of extra willingness to hurt – just one little bit.
The starter announces “three laps” and things go up another level. I end up twice on the windward side of the pack in some critical upwind stretches and it really takes it out of me at this speed. I make it to the last corner, but when the sprint is on, I’m cooked. I pedal through with the rest of the non-sprinters in 13th.
Though the average speed was less than last week (21.4 vs. 22.5 mph), this week was much tougher with a lot of time spent anaerobic. We’ll see what next week brings.
TF
