In Your Travels

CSC Invitational/Masters 35+ & Cat 1/2/3

Well, after a week with only one commute to work for training, I rode to Clarendon with Rudy and lined up for the Masters 35+. The rain was spotty, just enough to make puddles on the rough course, making manhole covers scary too. You'd hit the puddle in turn two and have to loosen up your line or slip. One lap two I totally slid out in turn 1, probably after I got tentative and hit my brakes. I didn't let it happen again. My right cleat came loose right at the start so that made getting out of the tight fifth turn difficult, 'cause you'd have to stand up and sprint to really get going, and my cleat was moving around whenever I tried to stand up. It was distracting more than anything. I felt ok but the race is so early, it is hard to feel really good. Still a bit tired, but not that bad.

So Grant Soma and his teammate drilled it from the gun and got a gap directly. They took 20 seconds. Now, Some is a fantastic time trialist so it wasn't so great to have let this guy get away. But it wasn't like I could really do anything about it. I was hanging around in the top ten for awhile, but I was no help really, I couldn't pull. Clearly I'm having a training issue with making power surges while above threshold, I just can't a) produce enough watts, and b) I can't recover quickly enough. The a) is a persistent problem for the last few races, the b) is probably because of the rest week. Whatever, this was harder than a standard category three race, my heart rate hovering about 187 when I checked, whereas at Bikejam it seemed to hang around 180.

So then four or five guys went after them. I was right there but I was pegged and couldn't match their accel when they went. Sucks to just watch the race go up the road. Maybe my head still isn't quite right, not totally primed for the suffering. It was a bit better, though.

Not that I was paying attention, but I guess those guys caught Soma, and they got within a short distance to the field and Ramon bridged, then attacked the field. Nice. After being useless near the front, and the field down to like 30 guys or less anyway, I went to the back, and that is where I finished. A bit disappointing to be just ok for Clarendon, but I guess it taught me that I need to build more rest periods into my season, instead of just trying to ride well in every race.

So I visited the Mavic support tent and they tightened up my cleat for the 1/2/3 race. I got off to a good start and was like man you guys turn like crap compared to the masters. Tons more braking, just way, way, way too slow. So I'm flying around people in the turns, but man these guys did have the gas in between turn 2-3, on Highland street, which has a slight uphill after a momentum killing turn, and there was a wild headwind out there this morning. I mean it would grab me and just toss me like five feet to one side. By the 1/2/3 race I was used to it and could hold myself steady, though. But anyway I was just hanging on there, and then I couldn't really get up to speed out of turn five onto the long, soft uphill straight so like 15 guys passed me on lap three or four, then another 10 then next lap, and then I was on the back. I look down and we're like maybe 10 minutes into the race, my heart rate is only like 179, but I'm having a problem, just don't have the energy and don't think I can do this for another 50 minutes, so I let go and just cruise for a few laps, having fun getting to shoot my own lines. Some brainless spectator is like five feet out onto the course in turn one, just standing there, doesn't even see me and the three or four other guys near me. Lucky that didn't turn ugly, fortunately she was so oblivious that she didn't even try to jump out of the way. So I get pulled.

My wife and son were there and it was fun to see my son cheering da-da-da-da and standing up and waving his 1.5 year old arms and then it was nice to see them after the race too. It was cool to look at the 1/2/3 and see Frederick Anderson and Evan Fader rolling in the front. Maybe if Evan won that he'd consider upgrading to two? I don't know because my son was melting down into another puddle so we took him home. We'll go back and check out the pros in about an hour and I'll write that up later and hopefully I'll get some decent snaps too.

All in all a good day of racing, nice to see what I need to work on and glad to at least hang in an open age graded race. I might race tomorrow up in Maryland if I'm feeling it, take it easy again next week and do Quicksilver, then Church Creek Time Trial, and then maybe Silver Spring, hope to be banging again by the time our race, The Reston GP comes around. Peace out!

posted by Mark @ 7:29 AM