My Midlife Bike Crisis: July 2007

(I didn't have time to insert pictures yesterday when I wrote this and the official results hadn't been posted so here is an update. I will be adding more to this sometime Monday evening.)

We had a beautiful day for the race yesterday. It may have been just a little on the chilly side early on but the sun warmed us nicely by race time.

Race registration was from 7-745am which worried me. I pictured long lines, confused volunteers and a mad dash to get James and I pinned and on the line for an 8am start. In light of that, we left the house at 5am with the whole family in tow for the one hour drive to Fenton, MI. Of course we made the obligatory caffeination stop at Starbucks.

We arrived in Fenton just after six and were the first racers there. James and I decided to poke around to see if the race folk would allow us to register and sure enough they did! In fact they were glad we were there early so they could use us for demo for the volunteers so they could smooth out their process. Awesome! Next up, bathrooms. The doors to the community center that allowed access to the bathrooms were still locked up so we asked if we could get in. Again, they were thrilled to help us so James and I got to be the first ones in. Believe me, on race day, this is a real blessing.

On our way back to the car John Rigdon was on his way in and asked me how it was going. I told him it was going to be a good day because everything was lining up so far!

James and I spun around the city of Fenton for a while. We rode up Denton hill to get reacquainted, then continued through some neighborhoods and back to the start area.

We rolled up prepared to start at 8am. I was scheduled for 805am and James at 810am. We had, as grand marshal, a former Tour de France Feminine racer who was from Fenton. She is the first winner of this event so she gave us a little pep talk which was nice. Then the mayor said a few words, then the announcer spoke some more French. The 805 am start was becoming an 830 am start. I have to plan my bathroom stops very carefully on longer road races and they were beginning to eat into my time span before the next required pit stop.

My race finally got off and we really just kind of cruised for the first lap. Denton hill hurts no matter what and the other hill over by the freeway is the same. Other than these moments the field didn't have to weather any attacks. That all changed after we came back through Fenton . Cruising uphill through some neighborhoods a Priority rider went off the front followed by a Coastie then a Giant rider that my team mate Craig Rice had warned me about. With Denton hill just around the corner I sensed that this break would be the winner. Either I would get into it or I would race for sixth or seventh place against the remainder of the field.

The little group had gapped the field pretty significantly by the time I broke off the front. If the field wanted to chase that was okay with me since three quarters of the race remained. They didn't however. They let me go probably thinking there was so much racing left that we couldn't possibly stay away. I hammered my way up Denton hill hot in pursuit with no one on my wheel. As I neared the top I saw another rider who had attempted to bridge up. He had a long way to go and I joined up with him. We charged downhill flat out with me in my 53x12 spinning out. I yelled at him to hammer as hard as he could downhill. At this moment I was reflecting on my week out in California trying to chase down Francois Parisian with two other riders. One of them was yelling at us to ride as hard as we could downhill knowing that the riders we were chasing were probably coasting to get some rest. We charged down Denton hill rotating like it was flat. The rubber band was beginning to stretch full, (as Phil Ligget would say), when we got the escape group in sight. We caught on with them and told them we were cat three's and we were "away, so let's go!!!" This little group threw the hammer down big time. We began a rotating echelon that continued, for the most part, until the last lap.

The bridging move took a lot out of the other rider and he was dropped at the freeway hill. We were a determined group of five riders now. All of the riders in the group did their share of the work. The Coastie seemed to need to sit out a few turns every now and then but soon after rallied back.

Eventually, we caught the cat 4 field. Just like last year, that field overtook the cat 3 field on the first lap. Their race is 39 miles while the four's race 52 so their pace is usually higher. Our group decided to pass them and continue on. This would have the added bonus of obstructing the charging cat 3 field if they were seriously hunting us down. We had no idea how far back they were. When we had a long view back behind us they couldn't be seen. After the race, Jean told me that we had a very significant gap. She didn't say how much but it was minutes not seconds. As that cat 4 field entered their last lap someone attacked and they overtook us! This went on for the entire third lap. An attack in their field then a lull would force us to overtake them again. Our breakaway group conferred after the race and we all thought the cat 3 field must have been able to make up some time on us in this period. With a few miles to go in the third lap, the 4's were sorting themselves out and they slowed dramatically. We didn't want to interfere with them at this critical time but we had a race going on too. The Priority rider asked me what I thought about the situation and I told him I didn't like it. If I was in that cat 4 field I would have gone off the front. The speed just made them vulnerable for an attack but no one wanted to be the "one". So, once again, we went around them and after another mile or so the field began its charge to the line and they overtook us again. We were right behind them as they came across the line. We had to shout them out of the way as they cruised down the course after their race. It was a little hairy.

During this lap we had Andy Weir with us from the 1-2 field. He had flatted and was dropped. He just rode with us on this lap which was more like a group ride. Andy said he flatted coming down Denton hill! That is my nightmare scenario. Flatting at speeds approaching 50 mph! Yikes. Also on this lap I was able to cheer on Colton Lierocki and the Cat who were hanging out at the back. When the four's slowed and bunched up I told Colton to get off the back. Nothing good happens there. He tried to get up the field but there wasn't any room. He tried the gutter and no one would give him an inch. The Cat was hangin' on. He was stretched full on the last hill coming into town and gave out a primal scream that sounded so painful it made me hurt! That is mental toughness my friends. He was going very deep to hang on.

When the four's came around for the last time Roger Bowser, (AAVC/Morgan and York), was driving the attack. Scott Gifford went around near the front also.

Immediately after we cleared the cat 4 field our breakaway group got very twitchy. It wasn't until after the last time up Denton hill that we settled down again. The Priority rider was clearly the most aggressive and would make all the first moves. With the last lap being so slow and thirteen miles to go, I felt this was too early for us to dissolve our "arrangement". Also, just before Denton hill, I developed simultaneous cramps in each of my quads. Not a good sign with the biggest hill coming up and a twitchy 20 year old kid threatening to go off the front. I was gravely concerned about my ability to hang on. If I stayed seated, the cramps didn't bother me. It was when I jumped out of the saddle that I got hit. So, shazaam Einstein, don't get out of the saddle!!

I felt much better after the downhill and some more cooperation with the other riders took hold. As we cruised toward the freeway hill I sensed an attack was coming from the Priority rider. Sure enough, he drifted to the back and left the Giant rider and myself on the front. I noted this and told him an attack was coming. Sure enough, the Priority rider and the Coastie attacked. I responded. For a few moments it was just the three of us then the Maple leaf caught back on and finally the Giant rider.

I guess this convinced them that they weren't getting away because that was it for the attacks. I really felt we were going to get hit again on that last hill coming into town but we just cruised up it. You might ask why I didn't attack? Well, I was just too tired and my legs were threatening to cramp at any moment. I really didn't know what else to do other than play defense and try to respond to any attacks.

Knowing I was vulnerable, I decided to try and elevate the pace coming into town to try and neutralize the severity of the jump I knew was coming. I sensed the Giant rider was in a similar condition and told him we needed to keep the tempo high.

In the last two hundred meters, the Coastie jumped and that was it. I countered but there wasn't much there. I was confused as to how far ahead the finish line was. Don't ask me how I managed this after riding through here three previous times. I couldn't believe it when I saw the line coming into view. I tried to close down the Maple Leaf rider for third but missed. A little mental lapse after 52 beautiful miles of racing and that is what happens. I don't think I could do anything about first and second place but that third place could easily have been mine.

I want give special thanks to Craig Rice and Rune Duke working back in the main field. Rune told me they irritated a lot of riders with their disruptions. Our breakaway group was counting on the SLC, WMCR and Maple Leaf riders who were in the field to really stomp out any chasing riders and it appears they were successful. Many thanks to you all!

(I went out for a training ride Sunday afternoon and discovered my rear tire had a whopping 60 psi of pressure! I pumped it to 120 psi and it held for a 3.5 hour training ride. I think I knocked 60 psi out of the thing riding through that really bad stretch of the race course just outside of town! Yikes! If this is the case, I ended up nearly flatting and then riding for over 3/4 of the race with a high drag tire. Lesson learned, stay away from those rough patches.)