Erin, Chad and Zach met me at my place at 4:30 am. Yes, 4:30 am. We figured out how to fit 4 bikes, pit wheels, and gear into the FJ Cruiser and we were headed east. I was looking forward to this trip cause I wanted to fellowship with the guys. It's much more fun when you can carpool with the team (or at least part of it) and chat it up on the drive.
The weather in Ark was bad as we headed north from I-40 towards Fayetteville. Rain. Fog. Wind. Cold. Luckily for us all, when go time came around the rain and fog was gone. Only the wind remained.
This was my first race with Aaron. Aaron Highfill had joined the team some time back, however we really hadn't had the chance to ride or race together. Aaron has a triathlon background, and is a strong rider so I was excited to see what we could do together.
We would pedal two laps, giving us a total of around 49 miles on the race. Uneventful would be a good word to describe most of the race. There would be a a few attacks, solo's, and surges as the day went on. The course included two hills, neither of much distance. However the last hill was doozy of a grade. It was steep and seemed to stretch forever, even though it didn't.
Aaron stayed near the front all day. He would sit 3rd to 4th wheel, sometimes sitting on the front, and always keeping the pace high, or helped chase down a break. I sat mostly in the back, relaxing, checking the scene, and plotting my attacks. The first lap unfolded and as we crested that last steep hill I moved my way nearer to the front of the pack. My plan was to try to get away near the end of the lap, hoping that I would have a couple of dudes go with me. With 1-2 miles left in the first lap, I attack. No go. They're on me like stink on dookie. So I sit on the front for a bit keeping the pace high. Not sure of my strategy, I attack again......from the front of the pack. 20 seconds later I look back and I have a 50 yard gap on the group. The bad news is I burned a match getting away and couldn't hold it long enough. I sat up and let the pack swallow me. One more attack near the end of the first lap and I settle back into the pack to recover and lick my wounds.
Second lap sees a couple of attempted breaks with no success. My goal is to do the exact same thing I did the first lap. We near the top of that second brutal hill and the small guys attack. I engage the burners and fire my 220 lb frame up the hill and get into the attack. The lead pack is now around 20 deep. I now fire off a series of 3-4 attacks. One attack gets off, and I find myself with another rider about 50-70 yards off the front. He can't pull through, and I can't hold it solo. We get swallowed again.
A mile from the finish and the pace is high. Riders jockeying for position. I find out later from Aaron that they have all conspired to prevent me from getting off the front the entire race. Looks like it'll be a field sprint. I have no idea if I'm a good sprinter. I've never really had the opportunity to pit my strength against anyone else.
So I find myself in a sprint with a guy named Tanner Culbreath. We have gapped the pack and it's him and I. 200 meters to the finish. I make a move and I'm off in front. He's on my wheel. My mistake. He sits in and with less than 50 meters left he's made a counter move and is gaining my position fast. We cross the line and I am not fully sure who won. I think I edged him, but it was CLOSE!
A quick trip back to the finish line. I win. It will be my last category 4 race.
A huge thanks to Aaron for keeping the pace up, covering for me, and racing huge for the team. He's strong, and will soon be a 3 as well. As for me, I'm excited about joining Erin, Zach, and Chad in the 3's. Race!
2 comments:
Nice dude. Cat 3! Shoot son, you got your training wheels off!
Wow, reading this makes me realize I know nothing about actually racing bikes. It was a good read though. I'm bummed right now because the other day I found out the crank set I got on the bike I just bought is crap for racing. It's a recreational use type set. It was more expensive than the 2 ring crank set, so I thought 3 must be better. I was wrong, but I've learned through it I guess.
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