Last weekend was polar opposite to the weekend before. Sunny and semi-warm. The weather had me eager to make up for my inactivity and get a race in. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered I had committed to an event well above my fitness level.
I had never been to the Silverton area before. As it turns out, there isn't a flat stretch of ground to be found. I knew the race was going to be hilly - it's partly why I chose to jump in. When the road tilts up I have a natural advantage. What was in store? - 70 miles, 4 laps on a 17.5 mile rolling loop.
Perhaps I would have had a decent race, if a handful of pro riders hadn't showed up to rip everyone's legs off.
Right from the gun the pace was hot. At the first big climb the field completely blew apart. Starting in the back, due to my comfort level in the group, meant I spent the whole ten-minute climb passing the remnants of the peloton to try and regain contact with the front group. I got pretty close in my solo effort, but was left dangling in a strong headwind. It was then that a small number of us formed the first chase group to get back on. A healthy mix of respected climbers and descenders made our group a safe bet for catching up, but the front of the race wasn't making it easy. It took about ten miles through the wind and rolling hills for us to finally regain contact, and that's when I knew I picked a bad day to race.
The second lap eased up a little, at least to start. The big climb was taken a bit more casually, but riders were still falling off from the chase effort the lap before. I attempted to move up and find a safer spot where I wouldn't yo-yo so much and waste energy. Slotting into seventh wheel, I tried to settle down. Unfortunately, the descent ensured I would find myself at the back again. Not only do I get blown around from my weight during headwind descents, but my Zipp 404's with 20mm tires were stripping away my confidence with every gust. I never really had a moment to catch my breath or eat food easily and we weren't even halfway yet. As we neared the end of the second lap we hit an easy grade section with a brutal crosswind that had the peloton guttered. I was starting to feel comfortable until the pro's at the front of the group started surging in the wind. Being at the back only exaggerated the effects and I had to use a lot of energy to hold wheels.
I made it into the third lap, but I could already feel my legs tying up. I quickly started on my second clifbar and began to pray. It did me no good. By the start of the big hill I blew up. With no power, I watched the group dance away.
We were only a few miles into the third loop and I had 12 miles back to the finish line, where I already knew a DNF was in store. Doing the fourth lap wasn't an option with how shredded my legs already felt. I caught up to another rider who was dropped shortly after me and we started riding together, trying to chat the pain away. A group of four eventually caught us and we pace-lined for a while, until even our casually paced group blew up 5 miles from the end of the lap. I tried to go with the stronger legs, but found myself caught in the middle and soloed to the line. There I waited for the field to finish. I figured they must be halfway done with the last lap by now. Seeing the finish confirmed how hard of a day it was for everyone. The pro's came in together, and everyone else was struggling to reach the line.
Overall, I was actually satisfied with my effort. Had it been a standard OBRA field I think I may have survived the third lap and at least finished the race. More so, I was happy with how hard I fought and held on being, to my knowledge, the most under-trained rider in the bunch. Of course, last year I may have been in the top ten. This year I haven't produced any steady training since October, so I can't expect to be strong.
Ultimately, I need to ride my bike more. I have been running with the dogs most of the week, but my bike rides are few and far between. My heart and lungs are strong, but my legs are not. Twenty miles of sustained power and the legs fall apart. With a few more rides than runs, maybe I can be competitive at Montinore in a few weeks. Oh, and I need to throw some wider tires on my race wheels or I'm an accident waiting to happen on Montinore's descent and tight turns.
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