Sterling (Cat 4)

May 9, 2009

I’d gone out the day before and had driven and ridden the course. In fact, I probably rode it too hard. Not as fresh as I’d have liked. Still learning how to best prepare. Intense Thursday night workout, followed by a hard Friday course scouting is probably not best for someone my age and level of race conditioning.

Anyhoo, drove out with Colm and met up with Steven S., Julian, Larry, Jay, and John before the race. Jay told us he’d gotten his upgrade to Cat 3, so he’d be willing to lead out, etc. to help any of us, good teammate that he is. Both John and Jay had pointed out that on the second to last hill, that it’d be best to be on the outside, as that gives the best line for the finishing climb when the road opens to both lanes. I kept that in mind.

After the neutral rollout, we did the first climb – not bad but not great. At the top of the hill, I couldn’t get back into the big ring. So, I fell off the back, and then had to chase for half a mile to catch on. Eventually, I got in to the front ring, but this problem plagued me throughout the race. (That and not being fast.)

I had to use a lot of energy to close gaps, as I kept getting dropped on corners – a recurring theme this season. I was able to successfully chase to catch on each time, but the legs were feeling the toll.

On the final lap, I was right near the front with John, Jay, Larry, and Colm. As we went up the second hill, going for positioning on the outside, I got out of the saddle to move up, and immediately cramped up – like iron bolts going through my inner thighs. It was all I could do to keep moving forward as dozens of riders surged around me on either side, with me blocking the best line. I tried to quickly shake out the cramps and get back to racing, but I’d lost a lot of ground. I hit the final climb and started to pick off a few of the heavier riders – one of the advantages of weighing <130 lb. I was nearing the line and looked up to see Colm dead ahead. We crossed the line together. Turns out someone had clipped him and brought him to a standstill on the finishing hill.

Jay worked well for John, Colm, and Larry. With John taking 5th, Jay in 9th, and Larry in 16th. Colm and I rolled across in 41st/40th, twelve seconds back.

Decent ride – I’d like to think that without cramping I’d have finished in the 20’s. Oh, well.

Lessons learned:
1) Don’t overdo the riding in the final days before a race.
2) Better hydration/electrolyte consumption.
3) Stay with the pack – not so much wasteful yo-yoing.