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What Richard saw:
Category: 3
Result: Off the back
Winters required an early start, how I didn't miss that when I wasn't
racing! Still, it was cool seeing the dawn as I drove up 505 towards
Winters, arriving in good time to register on the day.
The race wasn't a surprise. I went really deep the first time up the
hilly section. Unfortunately, really deep for me was too slow as part of
the 3's bunch and I was out the back. I didn't desist however, getting
myself set in for a chase once off the descent and reeling in Garry
after several miles of hard chasing.
We worked together for the rest of the lap and then eased a little to
have something to eat. A couple of riders caught us and we got a pretty
decent paceline going. We were 4 for several miles before popping one of
the other pair. We lost the other rider in the rollers towards the hill
and then it was up through the feedzone, grabbing bottles from Jorge as
we passed.
Once over the hill, Garry and I were cruising when the Masters 1/2/3
group came past. Splendid! We hopped on the back and sat there until the
approaches to the hill the third time round. Approaching the feedzone, I
was popped and almost immediately got a front wheel flat - quite
possibly the best timed flat I have ever has, being about a minute from
the feedzone.
I was stopped for 2 minutes and 40 seconds (recording HRM's are cool!)
while someone changed the tube (front wheel) for me, and I was off and
running again up the hill. Once down the descent the final time, I
hopped on the back of a group of 4's which included Matt I. After a
while, we came up to a 3 I knew and I rode in with him for the last 6
miles or so.
A hard, but good race and I was pleased to finish the distance. More
high-intensity endurance is clearly required.
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What Donn saw:
Category: 4
Result: Off the back
Matt, Jason and I were representing in the 4's on this fine day. I had carpooled with Tim, Jorge and Chris and we arrived with plenty of time for a solid warm-up. As usual, the race started 15 minutes late.
I barely remember the first lap, I guess it was pretty uneventful and I managed to stay with the group without major suffering. On the second lap at the feedzone I got really bogged down behind riders trying to get bottles. I managed to get two bottles but lost a lot of positions in the process. As soon as I got out of the feedzone I hammered to try to keep up with the main group and managed to make up many positions, but once we hit the steeper second hill I fell back again. I made good time on the descent, but by now I was well off the back. As I turned the corner at the bottom of the descent, there was a small group just barely ahead of me, perhaps 30' away. I tried to catch them but I was unable and watched them pull away. I thought that was the end of my race.
I continued hammering solo for a couple of minutes when I was caught by a group of 2 riders, an Eastside Cycles guy and some other dropee. I jumped on back and we worked a good paceline. Everyone was giving it their all, but it was obvious that "the other guy" wasn't going to last too long. He eventually fell off, just as we joined up with a few other riders from our group. Now our group was around 5 or 6, but a bunch of the guys were slacking, leaving the work to me and the Eastside rider (Tony as I later found out). We continued the chase past the start/finish line and onto the road that parallels the freeway when we see a peloton in the distance. As we approached, I just kept thinking "please let that be the 4's" and thankfully it was. It was with major relief that I rejoined the peloton and found Matt and chatted a bit.
Going into the third lap rollers I was stung in the neck by a bee. As if racing doesn't hurt enough! Thankfully I'm not allergic. Anyway, I moved up in the group before the feedzone in hopes of quickly getting bottles and hanging on for the final climb. Well, as soon as we hit the slopes of the feed, my legs had had enough and I was dropped for good. Also, the feedzone was semi-chaotic and I was unable to get any bottles. Oh well...up the final climb, down and a solo romp to the finish. I kept going hard all the way, but only managed to catch one other solo rider.
Overall the result was disappointing but the race itself was encouraging as I can see a major improvement in my fitness. I've never once hung on to a chase group for any length of time, nor have I ever caught back on after being dropped. So to contribute to a long and successful chase was a big breakthrough for me.
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What Garry saw:
Category: 3
Result: Off the back
When I remember who it was who told me that Winters was flat, well,let's just say we are going to have a few words!
The day's and hours preceding the race, I asked various pepes about their impression, / description for the course, and as H-hour loomed, the roads got steeper and longer.
Bugger. Still not to be put off I car pooled up with Jason and arrived in good time to get a small warm up in and have a pre-race meeting with Richard and the FFBC RT's newest cat 3, Chris Coble. Our rough outline was to see what shape were in after the first two laps and then try and get CC in to good position to sprint like a mother. And personally, I really wanted to get into the top part of the finish. Little did I know.
So the course goes something like this. Flat for 9 miles, big hill for 3 miles, descend and flat for 9 miles. I was good for the first and last parts, but sucked weenies for the middle 3 miles, well the part that was too steep. The approach to the hill is over a few small rollers and then you start up a foothill, then it steepens a tad, which is where the feed zone is and then it flattens out and then the kick in the nuts is the last 500 yards, which is at 8% or more. That was my Achilles, and on lap one I was popped, but not before yelling at Chris to move up to the front when he could.
So I rumble on, and a few miles later RB catches up and we start to make decent time on the road. Into lap 2 and two others catch up and now we have a nice foursome in rotation, clocking a goodly 25-26 mph. One guy can't take the pace and peels off, and the other dude is crap on the hill, so RB and I decide to meet him on the other side. I chase back on to RB after the hill, and about 3-4 miles later the Masters 35+ 1/2/3 crew roll by, so we hop on and get a nice tow. It is great to get the draft again of a peloton and we get around to the FZ in double quick time. The boys roll away from me and RB is behind, so I forge on and finish off the race on my own, being caught by the CAT 4 bunch's in the last 9 miles.
All in all, I would certainly do this race again, we had perfect conditions (which I know was very lucky) and it is a good course. I would not need much more to be able to stick with em over the hill.
And then after the race we all camped in "Steady Eddy's" coffee shop for a wind down and chat about all things cycling. A great day out. And who new that Winters is really a nice little town!
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