River Falls Road Race

On the agenda:  6 laps of a 5.5 mile loop just across the NC/SC line south of Hendersonville.  This is the final weekend of the Greenville Spring Training Series, and after hearing that a few of the Farm Team guys from Cambridge, NY would be there, I couldn't resist.  Why?  These guys are part of the crew putting on the the Tour of the Battenkill and frankly I wanted to see how I measured up.

The conditions were really spectacular with abundant sunshine, a little wind and temps in the mid-to-upper 50's.  I went with the CLM kit and armwarmers only.  It was definitely nice to be out from under the wool cycling cap and without knee/leg warmers.  Our field had somewhere around 60 riders, but that number is unconfirmed as the finishing list shows 51 but I know some guys pulled out.  At the start, I lined up near the back as I knew it wouldn't really matter in a race like this.  Being at the front was more likely to be a burden (wind, trigger-happy early-season guys) than a blessing.  I talked to a few guys before the race to get a feel for the important aspects of the course, and it pretty much boiled down to a 1k hill at just before the finish line.  Fair enough.

Off goes the gun and we rocket down the only real descent on the course.  After a 90-degree right hander, we settle into a 2-to-3 paceline mess for the first lap.  Guys are all over the place, and I'm one of them!  The speeds are impressive as we had a tailwind and willing guys up front.  The next turn, about 2 miles later, is a sharp right that strung out the pack on every lap.  As the yellow-line rule was in effect, this was one of the only places to make up positions.   At this point we were into a headwind so speeds came down to as low as 16mph (on one lap) but usually around 20mph.  Surges and braking were the rule over the first 4 laps as guys broke away, burned up then came back before the next lemming would take his turn. 

The climb is about 1k long and probably gets up to about 10% at the top.  It gradually increases so it can be tough if one starts out too hard.  The good news (at least for me) is that the top of the climb is about 75-100 meters from the finish line.  My plan (being a skinny rider) was to slowly make up positions on the last two laps and stick with the leaders on the last climb.  No reason to try a breakaway in this group - between the speeds we were carrying with the tailwind and the length of the climb, it proved to be too much for all who attemped it.

Honestly, I missed the bell at the end of lap 5 and for the first mile of the final lap I thought we had 2 to go.  Eesh.  Just about the time I realized it was GO time, the group really started to pick up the pace.  Although I sat in about 30th for most of the race, I moved up to around 10th on the previous climb up the hill, so now I was in the tender spot of being near the front but not on it.  Perfect.  We kept the pace high along the flats and at one point had a wicked, single-file line ripping down the backside of the course at 35+mph.  I was keeping my eye on a few guys with teammates, as we reeled back the one remaining flyer.

Into the approach of the last time up the hill, some guys were suffering but others were twisting their mustaches.  I slid back to around 20th due to some poor maneuvering after our single-file line broke down.  Now at the base of the climb, I downed some Gatorade and got out of the saddle.  With about 500m to go, I was back up to 10th or 12th when I must've blinked a bit too long...a small group of 6-7 got a gap of around 5 seconds on the 3 guys in front of me.  They were weaving a bit by now and I delayed in going around them as I too was riding on the limit and not sure I could go much faster.  With 200m to go I got clear of the three guys and crested the climb in no man's land behind the top 7 but ahead of the chasing pack behind. 

Finishing 8th is pretty exciting for me.  First, it's my best finish in a Cat 4 race.  Also, staying smart, working on racing techniques, and not cramping are also accomplishments for an early season race like this.  I also managed to finish ahead of one of the Farm Team guys - which is even better...though I have to say I talked with one of them (younger guy, never got his name) during the race and he was polite and a good rider.  I'm looking forward to seeing those guys again, on their home turf!

A special thanks to Coach for taking the day to head out there with me, and for cheering me on.

You can see me (far left and back a bit) as the winner crosses the line.

Post-race happiness...

Ante up.

So, after some consultation with Coach, we decided on the Greenville Spring Series for tomorrow's activity.  Needless to say, I have not spent all week in 'pre-race nutrition, rest, and vice-avoidance' mode.  Oh well, we'll see how it goes.  Looks like the course is a nearly 6 mile loop with a nice long climb near the start/finish line.  Could be fun...

Toca su guitarra.

In addition to riding my bike, I'm working on this a little more than usual.  This is because on 4/24/10, on the evening of the vaunted Athens Twilight Criterium, my old band (Argus) will take to the stage.  Not only that, but we'll be about two blocks (or less?) from the start/finish line.  Even beating that, our buddy Mark (once a winner of the pro race, and once a runner up) will be in the pack.  Good times are sure to ensue.  We even worked it out so that our show will end about 30 minutes before the pro race starts, giving us some lag time to pack up and move our imbibed-selves two blocks to watch the madness.  I can't wait!

But, Battenkill is first - and only 36 days away now.  I'm nearing the peak of training, so I am well aware that I won't be getting much faster than I am now.  Last week's 55-miler was tough, and I am sure this weekend's ride won't be any easier.  On the upside, Team Mountain Khakis will be holding part of their training camp in W-S next weekend.  On the agenda:  an open-to-the-public ride in the range of 90 miles.  I think I'll be sitting on the back of that ride (for the first 30 miles, then I'm going back home!)

Tonight was a 30 mile ride, so I did 30 miles.  The ride 'felt' hard, with RPEs sometimes in the 18-19 range when headwinds were full on.  Overall, not bad:  20.3mph avg. 

Next up, big Saturday ride, or a ride in Boone, or racing in the Spring Series in Greenville, SC -- can't decide.

Innerspace.

A quick note to let the public know, again, that I dislike the trainer.  He and I are inexorably linked as the Battenkill approaches and the NC weather remains unreal:  Snow today, with kicking winds and dropping temps.  Yeesh.

Time:  1:04.40
Avg HR:  153
Max HR:  181

I was mainly cruising in Zone 3, but I dropped in a few intervals at 30', 45', 55' and 60' to keep it real.  I also used a techinque that attempts to mimic the accelerations that tend to occur prior to critical race points by slowly raising my HR into the upper reaches of Zone 4 in the 90 seconds before holding 60 seconds in Zone 5.  That stings, but oh so good.

The Yadkin, she is my friend.

I crossed her muddy waters twice today on a windy ride through the NW piedmont of NC.  At the outset, a group of CLMers + Rip hooked up at Shallowford Square to roll a 40 miler.  My plan was to ride with the homies until the 40 mile mark, then strike out on my own.  Well, that sort-of happened...

The wind was ferocious today.  Coming out of the WNW at anywhere between 10 and 20 mph, this is the kind of wind that can spoil a well-intentioned ride out of Lewisville.  Many of our loops go immediately west and then loop either south or north before eventually turning due east.  With my plans to go 55 miles on a West - North - East - South - North (hang with me) loop today, I knew I could expect nearly 30 miles of stiff headwind.  Oh boy.

Our small group rolled down Shallowford Rd. and took Conrad to Old 421, then Taylor toward East Bend.  Here, we were really heading NW and just catching facefulls of 15mph wind.  I took a harder pull just before our turn on Baltimore and the group began to stretch out.  The distance so far?  Just about 10 miles. 

On Baltimore, Rip, Duane and I enjoyed a few miles of tailwind.  This allowed us to cruise along just under 30mph with surprisingly little effort.  On the first Baltimore climb, Rip slid back a bit while Duane and I kept steady to the stop sign.  Here, we waited for the rest of the group (and I waited for the verdict that would mean either 40 more miles of solo suffering or a compatriot or two).   Our distance so far?  14 miles.  The avg?  17.4mph.  It was brutal out there.

Wisely, most decided to head back in the direction of town.  Duane came with me and we, enjoying a few more miles of tailwind, rocketed down Baltimore to Dinkins Bottom, easily holding 30mph on the flat through the silent fields that will soon yield tobacco.

D and I then climbed Shallowford (Courtney-Huntsville) heading toward Wyo.  At the top, D let me know he had to get back.  This meant two things:  I would suffer, and I would do it alone.

From here, I weighed my options:  Do a few laps of Wyo to balance out the wind factors (little headwind, little tailwind, etc.) or just keep pushing NW, into the wind, to maximize the workout?  I opted to keep going NW and piloted the trustly Cervelo to Fish Brandon then Old Stage.  Old Stage really is a fantastic road and deserves your adoration.  Mostly flat, smooth, and just curvy enough to keep you smiling even if it hurts.  With a stiff crosswind, I could hang in the 22-24mph range here, but that was it.

On the way back, I slowly began to feel a little better.  I think I pushed too hard just after D and I split, trying to get my average speed back up - which came back to haunt me.  By the time I arrived at the Yadkin River bridge on my way back to Lewisville, my avg. was up to 19.6mph.  I knew I would not meet my speed goal, so I modified the plan and pushed the pedals up and over the rolling hills on Willliams Rd. and Concord Church just to put a little pain at the end. 

So effective were those last few hills that by the time I rolled back into Lewisville, my feelings of recovery were all gone.  I was sitting on 12mph with a heartrate of 172 and a wind that wouldn't quit. 

I loved it.  Bring on the Battenkill.

Apropos.

A quick bit from Red Kite Prayer about one of the most exciting events of Spring:  The arrival of a new kit.

http://redkiteprayer.com/?p=1928

Weekend Plans.

After my short trainer ride tonight, I am again fired-up to get back on the roads.  The trainer: the painted-metal beast that applies its gravity to my rear tire; he who whirs and whines as I up the wattage; who refuses to allow my bike the usual shake and shimmy that should accompany a full-on sprint.  I despise your iron-clad jaws.

Since that's out of the way, I am riding both days this weekend - 55 on Saturday and a recovery ride on Sunday.  I'm looking for co-conspirators...

Battenkill is about 6 weeks away.