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What Tim saw:
Category: 5
Result: Off the back
Well, Jorge and I drove down to King City Friday night at 6pm from his
home. We arrived around 8:30pm, checked-in, and got some food. We met
the other slumber party folks back at the motel after our quality
pre-race Denny's dinner.
Wake-up call was a bit early for Jorge and I (5:45AM)as our race didn't
start till 9AM, but there was no way we were gonna be able to sleep
through Ziggy getting ready for his 8AM start time. We arrive at the
race around 7AM with about an hour to kill. We get an OK warm-up
consisting of a 10 mile warm-up.
Finally, we take off and we are doing an OK pace. I'm a struggling a
little bit through the rollers, but not near blowing up and able to stay
around top 20. After the rollers, and the right hand turn after the
bridge, we come up to another small climb. I see Jorge following a wheel
up to the front at a pretty good pace, so I jump on his wheel. Pretty
soon we are have about 10 meter gap on the field at the top of that
little climb. I wanted to keep going and try actually establish a
break-away, but my body said, "No". So, I drift back into the peleton
and recuperate.
The rest of the way back to town was uneventful and slow. At the feed
zone and the rollers, we pick up the pace and a-bit. I'm not hurting too
bad and so I remain at the front of the pack. Just before the downhill,
I cruise up to Jorge to see how he is doing, and I hit a pothole, my
hands slip off the hoods, I clip out and try to stop the bike while
sitting on the frame with one leg. Just as I'm about to gain control of
the bike, I get hit from the back and go over the left side. I was able
to do one of those tumble falls where you roll on to your back as you
fall to absorb the impact. I'm back up in a second and run to the side
of the road to get out of the way. I then jump onto my bike and start
chasing with my handlebars bent inward. I'm able to catch two folks. We
work a pretty good paceline for about 4 miles, but soon realize, we
ain't making it back on.
Around mile 37, the 3's catch us and I hitch a ride back to the finish
line. It really sucked that I crashed, as I felt good until that point,
but I'll definitely be back next year.
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What Richard saw:
Category: 3
Result: Did not finish
The cat 3 King City slumber party got pretty quiet not long after 10pm
as we got to sleep in preparation for the following day's racing. We did
sort of discuss a plan, and we more or less executed it on the day.
We got under way an almost unheard of less than 15 minutes late! I
volunteered to be the first lap FFBC policeman at the front, and spent a
happy hour or so sitting near the front, following wheels, bridging
across to a few likely breaks and generally having a whale of a time
while Garry and Chris sat in. There was one attempted break which was
particularly fun to sit on - John Peckham and Irving Arguello tried to
get off the front together.
Second time across the bridge and Garry relieves me, but I dig in to
stay near the front to make certain I get a bottle through the feed.
Onto the rollers and the digging continues with a moto referee
patrolling the left flank of the bunch. I saw at least 2 riders
penalised for gratuitous passing on the left, one of them John Peckham.
About half-way through the rollers disaster strikes! I hit a pothole
unsighted and that is that - a rear tyre flat (pinch flat confirmed
later). There is a vehicle following with someone taking video of the
race and they give me a hand to replace the tube. It didn't take much
longer than 3 minutes and I am on my way again waiting to be gathered in
by the 4's.
I see Matt I., Jason Sage and German, but when the M35+ 1/2/3 come past,
I jump onto the back of them instead as they are going quicker and I
need some speed in the legs. A lap and a half with them pass quickly
(quite often almost spun out in the 53x12) and we are on the run-in
through San Ardo the final time with me looking to test my legs against
them up the finish rise. But it was not to be - the rear tyre is going
soft again, and too quickly to make it to the finish. So, I turn myself
round on the bridge and ride the 200 yards to my car, most annoyed.
A good ride spoiled by 2 flats.
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