This was the Weld County Road Race, near Johnstown, Colorado. This is basically farmland, about 40 minutes north of where I live. The race consisted of 3 laps, a total of about 40 miles and 1,400 feet of elevation. It also includes about a mile of washboard dirt road at the beginning of each lap.
This was the first race of the season that was going to have a Cat 5 40+ category. This meant it was going to be a bunch of relatively new racers, all over 40. Which means I was going to be one of the youngest racers in my category. I've been doing ok in my recent races, especially against Cat 5's and even more especially against older Cat 5's. So, I had a pretty good feeling about this race, and was hoping for a top-10 finish, or even a podium.
In my past few races, I haven't really raced very much. Meaning, I haven't been in any kind of position to win where I needed to use strategy and tactics to improve my position in the race. I have typically been racing against younger and stronger racers, in both Cat 4 and Cat 5. So, I have been resigned to the fact that I would use those races to get a feel for racing, get some miles in the legs, and try to finish in some kind of respectable position and not embarrass myself. I think I succeeded. But today was going to be different. I wasn't racing against Cat 4's, just Cat 5's. I wasn't racing against kids, I was racing against people my age or older. And I was participating in a somewhat flat-ish 40-mile race, which is perfect for me.
Step one was to preview the course. I didn't have much going on at work on Wednesday, so I took off at lunch and drove home to get my bike. A quick change into bike clothes, then drove up north to the course. I did two laps of the course, checking out the dirt road conditions, issues in any of the turns, and any kind of road hazards. Also just to get comfortable with the course layout. And with the insane winds, it made for a great workout, too.
After getting a feel for the course, it was time to size up my competition. This is where I started to get maybe a little bit crazy. I checked out the registered riders on the event's web site. From there, I got the riders' information, which I then used to search the USAC rankings web site. I was able to find all the Colorado racers in the Cat 5 40+ group, and found the people who were registered for the race. Of the 34 or so people who were registered, only two of them had higher road-race rankings than me, so I considered them to be my biggest competition. When the event organizers sent out the racer roster the night before, I made sure to note their bib numbers. I actually went to far as to write them on a little piece of tape and attach it to my stem, so I could see it during the race. The idea was that based on the info I saw, they had the best ability to beat me, so I wanted to make sure if they made a move, I would be right on their wheel.
After that, it was really just down to racing.
This morning, I got to the race plenty early, chatting with a few teammates and getting my gear ready. I got in about 30-40 minutes of warmup, then it was time to go. I got myself lined up, and started looking out for the bib numbers I needed to keep an eye on. I found one guy, and made note of his jersey - Bib #525. The other guy, I never saw. I don't know if he actually showed up today.
The race began with a neutral start, through a neighborhood and down the one mile of dirt. Once we got to the turn off the dirt, the race began in earnest. The first lap was pretty easy. A couple guys went off the front a little, but they didn't seem like they were really trying, and they were reeled in pretty easily. Basically, it was kind of a leisurely ride. For lap two, the pace picked up a little, but still not very intense. I was generally near the front of the race, and feeling pretty good about myself. I knew there was a pretty stable group around me, but I had no idea what was going on behind me. I didn't know if the entire race was still together or not. And no sign of bib # 525.
By the third lap, things were picking up a bit more, but still not crazy. We were starting to pass people from the categories that started before us, which was a good sign. I made it through the dirt section fine again, and started to head south. The group was still basically together. As we neared the right-hand turn, I pushed it a little to make sure I got through the turn in a good position. Mission accomplished. Then, a couple miles west. I ended up in the front of the race for this whole section, even though I didn't really want to be there. According to what I've heard and read, the idea is to be "near the front, not at the front". But there I was, and no one seemed interested in passing me. We started passing more people from previous races, and I didn't want to get stuck behind them, so I moved left and kept pushing the pace. We successfully passed all those people, and then I led the group into the final turn. I was still feeling pretty good, but I'd been putting in a lot of work for the last few miles. From that turn until the end of the race, it was essentially all uphill. I started to slow a little, to make sure I wasn't doing more work than I needed to do. Once the rest of the group started to make their move, I realized I was basically spent. I tried to keep up the best I could, but I just didn't have the legs any more. And I finally saw bib # 525, who had apparently been hanging around behind me the entire time. And all I could do was watch him ride away, with a group of about 10 or so.
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| At the front of the pack at the end of the 2nd lap. And there's bib # 525. I had no idea he was there. |
The group started to disappear in front of me, and I managed to roll my way to the finish. Close to the end, I got pipped by one more guy that I hadn't seen coming up behind me. Disappointed, I sulked my way back to the car. Threw my bike on the rack, and chatted with a few other teammates who had just finished. Soon results were posted, and I wandered over to check them out. The results were only preliminary, but I ended up in 13th out of the 34 riders. Actually, the results sheet only listed results for places 1-17, I think, and it looks like they gave everyone else a DNF, which was surprising. According to one teammate who was in the race behind me, it sounds like my front group did a pretty good job of dropping a bunch of people off the back, so I guess they were pretty far back there. Results aren't online yet, so this is the best I have for now:
Oh, and look who came in first. Bib # 525. Just as I expected, and thought I was prepared for. But apparently not.
So, now comes the analysis. I thought I should have come close to winning this race. Why didn't I? Lots to think about:
- Was I just not strong enough? I'm not sure.
- Do I need to lose weight? Absolutely.
- Did I use too much energy on that last lap, when I should have let other people ride in front? Probably.
- Did I not eat or drink enough? Tough to say.
After stopping at Chipotle for a salad on the way home, I relaxed a bit, and then went out for a run with the kids, like I had promised them. We did one lap around the school and came home. Then, my daughter decided she was done, but my son grabbed his bike and we went back out. I like the bike/run thing with them. Their comfortable riding pace pretty much matches a good run pace for me. We ran up to the local middle school to see what the ruckus was that we'd been hearing (a church carnival, apparently) and then headed out for the rest of our run/ride.
Food:
- Breakfast: Fruit / protein smoothie
- Lunch: Steak salad - Chipotle
- Dinner: Tossed salad with chicken
Exercise:
- Weld County Road Race - 40 miles, 1,500 ft, 1 hr 45 min
- Afternoon run with the kids. 3.6 miles.
Today's weigh-in: 180.8. Looks like I'm kind of stuck right now.
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