Let me just say, this was a pretty nice little course, the weather was lovely and it felt really good to race with friends but man! what a bizarre race this turn out to be. Literally crossed the finish line shaking my head in disbelief. The circuit was about 6.5 miles with 2 stretches of ‘up’ but otherwise flat and fast. Dan and I arrived with enough time to collect our numbers and spin around to warm up before our 8am and 8:10 starts. The next hour and change was just one moment of wtf after another culminating in the most mind boggling moment of any race I’ve done yet.
Let me recap the mayhem:
First lap- Front of field missed the first two turns of the circuit despite having a pace car.
2nd lap- felt one of my contact lenses curl up and blow off my eye. Great, now I’m a cyclops with absolutely no depth perception racing in a pack with more than it’s fair share of twitchy squirrels. I tried to stick on a trustworthy wheel and stay out of the wind but it soon became apparent that I was going to be riding at the front and doing work. Very well. One rider had gone off the front but no one seemed to think she was much of a threat since the field held a pretty slack pace.
By the 3rd lap my legs were feeling good and we were starting to ramp it up and make some progress when a USAC official pulled up next to us and whispered and gesticulated something about a mens field coming up behind…. stay right… neutralize? We’d pick back up once their field passed. Really? We’re working hard at this point to catch the break rider and you’re gonna hold us up? Oh and what’s that? there are two riders from our pack that you didn’t tell? Oh, now theyre broken off the front? Okay.
The final lap was more of the same. I kept my eye on Lauren and Cait thinking maybe either Ride Studio or Pedal Power would make a move on one of the final two hills but the pack stayed together going into the final right turn. Ahead of us a was a gentle downhill leading into one more bump before the finish. I’d managed to slot myself in as second wheel to an unattached rider willing to do the work at the front. At this point I kind of had this feeling like, you know, I’m actually in a pretty ideal position for this thing.. which is clearly going to be a sprint… maybe if I can just keep my nose above the tidal wave that will no doubt come from behind I’ll be okay.
Pushing the pace down the hill Cait Dooley pulled to the front and the field stretched. I knew I had to make her wheel or be swallowed up. We hit the final bump and I could feel the other riders poised behind me so I pulled off Cait’s wheel and pushed it up the rise. The finish was in sight and we were all ramping it up. Top of the rise and we were out of the saddle digging. Cait was directly to my left and I could feel riders close behind and to my right. The wave was cresting and I just held my bars steady and powered into the wide open space ahead of me. Next thing I knew I was across the line shaking my head going ‘what the fuck just happened’. I’m not a sprinter by any means but somehow I’d pulled it off.
With the 3 riders who’d made it off the front, that put me in 4th. Weird.
After finding the only open place to eat in Merrimac, Dan drove us home since, you know, I only had one working eye. Thinking in the car on the way home I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if the field hadn’t been unnaturally split, if we’d continued to reel in the break. I guess I’ll have to wait until next race to see if I was just good luck or whether I’ve actually become a better rider. I guess I’d settle for a combination of the two.
DATAFEST! http://app.strava.com/rides/7564592
