I traveled down to Richland, WA to do the Independence Valley Road Race on Saturday. The course was a 19.5-mile loop consisting of 2 laps for the Women 4s. The turnout for the Women's Cat 4 race was about 16-17 riders, most from Team Group Health.
This race went much better for me than the one at Mason Lake. This time the "neutral rollout" really did seem neutral and for the first couple of miles I actually got some pack riding experience and managed to work my way up to the middle of the pack to stay away from some sketchy riders.
A few miles into the course there was a long challenging hill climb and I somehow amazed myself by just hanging on to the tail end of the main pack. After the hill there was a long fast (39mph) descent before getting to the flats and that's where I finally got dropped. I seem to have a weight-disadvantage on descents, so I need to get more comfortable with drafting downhill so I don't get dropped.
Once I hit the flats I was solo and there was a decent headwind that was making it hard to make up any ground. I kept plodding along and eventually I started to see two riders up ahead. I knew they weren't good hill climbers so I made an effort to keep them in my sight and I managed to catch them on the hill.
The three of us rode in a nice paceline to the end and we decided to sprint for our finish to get the practice but unfortunately my legs were so shot I just couldn't pass them. I ended up placing 14th out of 15 finishers but I think there were a couple of girls that dropped out of the race, so overall I can live with that.
Two road races down, no crashes, and I haven't finished dead last yet, so good times! At least this time I got some pack experience, actually chased down some riders, and finished with some other girls.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
Mason Lake #3 RR
I survived my first road race! I was so nervous about the race but as it turned out I had no reason to be because I never rode with the pack anyway. I guess my opinion of a "neutral start" varies drastically from everyone else's. I lined up in the back of the pack and got hung up when a girl ahead of me stumbled getting clipped in to her pedals. The pack took off and that was that...I was dropped from the start.
About 3/4 of the way around the first lap I hooked up with two Starbucks riders and a rider from Team Group Health and we started working together which gave me a much-needed break. I had been riding frantically trying to catch anything. We worked together pretty much until halfway around the last lap. The TGH rider was stronger and she peepled off and one of the Starbucks riders was struggling pretty hard so she fell back and her teammate went with her.
In hindsight I should have worked harder to keep up with the TGH rider. At least I got some race experience and I definitely rode at a pace I've never ridden before. I'll be looking forward to getting out there some more and getting some pack experience. I think I was one of the last Cat 4s to roll across the finish line but I know there were a few riders behind me so I wasn't quite last. They only post the top 25 finishers so I'm not sure where I ended up. The field looked to be about 35 riders.
Photos are courtesy of Amara Boursaw at Wheels in Focus. More Mason Lake #3 photos.
About 3/4 of the way around the first lap I hooked up with two Starbucks riders and a rider from Team Group Health and we started working together which gave me a much-needed break. I had been riding frantically trying to catch anything. We worked together pretty much until halfway around the last lap. The TGH rider was stronger and she peepled off and one of the Starbucks riders was struggling pretty hard so she fell back and her teammate went with her.
In hindsight I should have worked harder to keep up with the TGH rider. At least I got some race experience and I definitely rode at a pace I've never ridden before. I'll be looking forward to getting out there some more and getting some pack experience. I think I was one of the last Cat 4s to roll across the finish line but I know there were a few riders behind me so I wasn't quite last. They only post the top 25 finishers so I'm not sure where I ended up. The field looked to be about 35 riders.
Photos are courtesy of Amara Boursaw at Wheels in Focus. More Mason Lake #3 photos.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Ice Breaker TT
Today was my very first bike race and it was a blast! The race was a 10-mile time trial where you ride out 5 miles, turn around, and then head back to the start. If it wasn't for my kick-ass boyfriend I wouldn't have even made it out there. When my alarm went off at 6:30am I was grumbling and thinking the typical "Why oh why am I getting up at 6 in the f*** morning to go ride my bike?". After lots of prodding I finally got up and the weather actually looked decent -- just very cloudy. By the time I had a quick breakfast and was ready to load up my bike a typhoon had come in. It was POURING rain and the wind was gusting hard. I was ready to bail at that point but Marcus urged me to go since he didn't want me to be the person who never shows up for races. I very reluctantly agreed.
The drive down to Flaming Geyser State Park was rainy and windy and I was tempted to turn around lots of times, but went ahead and stuck it out. I was one of the last people to register and got a 10:50 start time which also made me one of the last people to run the course. I was a little depressed since I figured I'd be the slowest person out there and being last would make it obvious. Plus, I had about two hours to wait around until it was my turn.
The late start time turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the first people riding the course had to deal with very gusty winds. By the time 10:50 rolled around the weather had improved and it was warmer and the winds had mostly stopped. I got in line to go and had so much adrenaline pumping it was insane. It was a little nerve-wracking that I had to clip into my bike and wait while someone held me up. Then I got the 5-second countdown and I was off. I took off quickly but was taking care not to go out too quickly as my biggest concern was lasting the entire 10-mile course. Surprisingly enough I was zooming along at 25mph. I had been warned that there was a big headwind on the way back, so I was trying to take advantage of the tailwind on the way out as much as possible without wearing myself out for the ride back.
As soon as I got to the turn-around point and headed back it was like hitting a wall. The headwind was so strong it was really a downer. I was working hard and having lots trouble even getting up to 16mph. Most of the way back I was fighting my legs and just trying to stay between 14-16mph. The race went so unbelievably fast though that I was at 9 miles before I knew it and then I could see the finish! I cranked hard and crossed the line with a time of 32:08; about a 19mph average.
I went into this race with no expectations since this is my first year and speed is not my forte. Honestly, after my performance testing at CycleU where I struggled to do 18.5mph for a 5-mile time trial, I was fully expecting not to average over 18 for the Ice Breaker. My time was a pleasant surprise and even better was that I wasn't quite the slowest Cat 4 racer!
Official Results
The drive down to Flaming Geyser State Park was rainy and windy and I was tempted to turn around lots of times, but went ahead and stuck it out. I was one of the last people to register and got a 10:50 start time which also made me one of the last people to run the course. I was a little depressed since I figured I'd be the slowest person out there and being last would make it obvious. Plus, I had about two hours to wait around until it was my turn.
The late start time turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the first people riding the course had to deal with very gusty winds. By the time 10:50 rolled around the weather had improved and it was warmer and the winds had mostly stopped. I got in line to go and had so much adrenaline pumping it was insane. It was a little nerve-wracking that I had to clip into my bike and wait while someone held me up. Then I got the 5-second countdown and I was off. I took off quickly but was taking care not to go out too quickly as my biggest concern was lasting the entire 10-mile course. Surprisingly enough I was zooming along at 25mph. I had been warned that there was a big headwind on the way back, so I was trying to take advantage of the tailwind on the way out as much as possible without wearing myself out for the ride back.
As soon as I got to the turn-around point and headed back it was like hitting a wall. The headwind was so strong it was really a downer. I was working hard and having lots trouble even getting up to 16mph. Most of the way back I was fighting my legs and just trying to stay between 14-16mph. The race went so unbelievably fast though that I was at 9 miles before I knew it and then I could see the finish! I cranked hard and crossed the line with a time of 32:08; about a 19mph average.
I went into this race with no expectations since this is my first year and speed is not my forte. Honestly, after my performance testing at CycleU where I struggled to do 18.5mph for a 5-mile time trial, I was fully expecting not to average over 18 for the Ice Breaker. My time was a pleasant surprise and even better was that I wasn't quite the slowest Cat 4 racer!
Official Results
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
